Summary
Personal Information
Voyage
Transportation
Thomas Tombs was transported on the Calcutta, departing 31st Jan 1803 and arriving 4th Oct 1803 with 305 passengers.
HMS Calcutta was the East Indiaman Warley (1795), converted to a Royal Navy ship. This ship of the line served for a time as an armed transport. She also transported convicts to Australia. The French Magnanime captured Calcutta in 1805. In 1809, after she ran aground during the Battle of the Basque Roads and her crew had abandoned her, a British boarding party burned her. In 1803 the Calcutta sailed into Port Phillip bay where at least 4 convicts escaped , in Sydney in April 1804 it was reported that 8 had died on the trip. Of the four known escapees one was shot on escape, 2 turned back after 2 days to reattach to the group at the camp in bay before the boat left , one continued on ...into Australia's history books. At least 13 convicts were transferred on to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), Australia.The ship also carried officers, wives and free settlers.
Calcutta (generic)References
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 87, Class and Piece Number HO11/1, Page Number 333 (166) |
| Source Description | This record is one of the entries in the British convict transportation registers 1787-1867 database compiled by State Library of Queensland from British Home Office (HO) records which are available on microfilm as part of the Australian Joint Copying Pro |
| Original Source | Great Britain. Home Office |
| Compiled By | State Library of Queensland |
| Database Source | British convict transportation registers 1787-1867 database |
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Convict Notes
Tasmanian Records. https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON22-1-2P449JPG Per Calcutta. Thomas Tombs, tried Berkshire G.D. 26 July 1802, Life. ---------------------------------------------------- At the Assizes for this County, held at Abingdon, this week, the following Prisoners were capitally . convicted, and received sentence of death, viz ... Thomas Tombs for robbing Elizabeth Mucklow and Martha Collins on the highway, in the parish of Hurst; ... True Briton, 6 Aug 1802. Assizes. Abingdon. ... and Thomas Tombs, for highway robbery, were capitally convicted but reprieved.
Colonial Secretary Index. TOMBS, Thomas. Per "Calcutta", 1803. 1812 Dec 26 - Runaway in Van Diemen's Land. Petition for mitigation of sentence as reward for capture of John McCabe and John Townsend, bushrangers (Fiche 3171; 4/1848 pp.309-14) n.d. - In index to land grants in Van Diemen's Land (Fiche 3262; 4/438 p.90) ---------------------------------------------------- CAPTURING THE BUSHRANGERS: Petition dated December 20th 1812 from : Thomas Tombs, James Carrett and William Thompson “TO: Major Geils, the 73rd Regiment Commandant of Van Diemens Land The humble Petition of Thomas Tombs, James Carrett and William Thompson, Prisoners for Life, Most humbly sheweth “That your Petitioners are of that unfortunate description of person named bushrangers who never were guilty of any outrage since their arrival in this country, and whose crime arises in deserting from their Government employ - preferring a life of quiet in the bush to that of Government employ. “That your petitioners at the time of their desertion fled to the western mountains from thence towards Cape Barren and to the straits far from either settlements where, one hundred and eighty miles from this and one hundred from Port Dalrymple and there lived upon the casual supply furnished by their dogs, sooner than interfere with the peaceable and well disposed part of the community. “That your petitioners returning from the Straits towards Oyster Bay fell in with two men collecting seal skins who informed them that they had now a fair opportunity of availing themselves of a Pardon, as there was a proclamation issued by Your Honor for the detention of John McCabe and John Townsend, two most notorious offenders as specified in it. being free of a life which afforded nothing but Emue and Kangaroo and that sometimes a precarious supply, and afraid to return knowing the punishment we deserved, we determined however desperate the attempt to hunt them all over the Island been 9??) our lives bringing them in to obtain that blessing offer (of a pardon) we enquired of the two men, who gave us the information, what part of the country we might go in quest of them - the men replied the last time they were head of, they were at New Norfolk where they were seen by a Government Stock Keeper named King in the act of firing among the Government men. “The step we had before us was a desperate one - how to avoid the soldiers and fall in with them, We however travelled forty miles from the lower part of Oyster Bay towards New Norfolk as necessity required we should keep as clear as possible of the district and at Peopers (?) Plains being after a morning hunt and returning with two kangaroos to when rekindled a fire one of your petitioners (Graved Thompson) fortunately fell in with them - he knew McCabe at Sidney - and after some conversation sought to prevail upon him to join petitioner’s companions which both of them positively refused. The next day however, your petitioners contrived to fall in with them and found they were well prepared with muskets and ammunition and knowing them to be desperate men and we only three ill provided, it was xx your petitioners should act causiously [sic] we remained with them a few days and found means to divide them when we secured both with kangaroo cord and conducted them to town. Petitioners relying on Your Honour’s proclamation most humbly beg that you will condescend to tend your influence on their behalf with his Excellency the Governor in Chief of New South Wales for which Your Petitioners will ever pray in Duty Bound. Hobart Town December 20th 1812. Signed by Thomas Tombs and the marks of James Carrett and William Thompson. -------------------------------------------------- Convicts Index 1791-1873 Thomas Tombs, Calcutta 1803, Conditional Pardon, Date: 31 Jan 1813.