Summary
Personal Information
Crime
Transportation
James Turner was transported on the Nile, departing 18th Sep 1857 and arriving 1st Jan 1858 with 271 passengers.
Nile (generic)References
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 93, Class and Piece Number HO11/18, Page Number 234. --0-- Edgar, W. (Bill). (2018). “The precarious voyage of her majesty’s convict ship ‘Nile’ to the Swan River colony, late 1857 – and the unexpected aftermath.” The Great Circle, 40(1), 20–43. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26783779 |
| 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
IN WA: From his Fremantle jail record: TURNER, James; #4732, arrived 1 Jan 1858 per Nile Alias: BISHOP Date of Birth: 1837 Marital Status: Unmarried Occupation: Greengrocer Literacy: Semiliterate Sentence Place: Chelmsford, Essex, England Crime: Larceny Sentence Period: 10 years Previous Convictions: Yes Ticket of Leave Date: 6 Aug 1860 Conditional Pardon Date: 1 Jan 1864 Comments: Labourer, self-employed, 1863. To South Australia, 11 Dec 1883 (https://fremantleprison.com.au/). --00--
September, 1857: James Turner was sent to board the Nile for transportation to WA, listed as #3/1078; behaviour “very good” at Chatham (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department, Registers; Convicts Transported Per Nile (R32)). --00--
8 May, 1857: Admitted to Chatham gaol in Kent; inmate #1078. Chatham, Portland, Portsmouth and Spike Island in Ireland were listed public works stations and the second stage in the penal process. After separate confinement, prisoners were “placed on work parties at various locations, most commonly naval stations, where maintenance of facilities was vital for the effective protection of Britain’s far flung commercial and military influences around the world. While there, attitude and behaviour were monitored closely. In theory, only after consistently positive reports was a prisoner moved on to the third stage of his incarceration — transportation.” (Edgar, p40) —0—
31 July, 1856: James Turner was admitted to Pentonville; inmate #6869. Listed as 22 [when convicted], single, Church of England, able to read and write imperfectly; a marine store dealer. Next of kin -- his father, James Turner, a shoemaker, of Maplestead. He served 9 months 8 days in separate confinement. His behaviour was listed as "good" (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951; Pentonville Prison; Register of Prisoners; 1854-1856). --0--
July, 1856: Millbank -- he served 26 days in separate confinement at Millbank in London where his behaviour was listed as "indifferent". “After a sentence of transportation was handed down, the prisoner entered into a separate stage where he was placed into an individual cell, isolated from others, apart from brief periods of exercise and attendance at chapel. However, no communication of any kind with other prisoners was permitted at any time. The philosophy behind this penal methodology had its provenances in the religious, monastic traditions; i.e., that in the isolation of his cell the malefactor would be able to contemplate the errors of his way, unadulterated by the negative influences of former contemporaries, and be reformed.” (Edgar, 2018, pp39-40) When first put into practice, the mandated period of separate confinement was 18 months. By the late 1840s, authorities had conceded that such conditions of imprisonment were “injurious to many prisoners’ mental health” and the stint was reduced to 12 months. Periods of separate confinement were reduced further “as a prisoner displayed good behaviour tendencies” (Edgar, p40). Millbank, Wakefield, Pentonville and Mountjoy in Ireland were the “Probation” or “Separate” prisons, as were some local jails. --0--
JAILS: 1856: Springfield County Gaol and House of Correction -- he was held there for 2 months 16 days before being sent to Millbank gaol. --0--
TRIAL: 20 May, 1856: At the Chelmsford Quarter Sessions, "James Turner, alias Bishop, marine store dealer, was found guilty of stealing a copper boiler, the property of Alfred Percival, of Great Tey" (Essex Standard, Wednesday 21 May 1856, p2). He was sentenced to 10 years' transportation. James Turner had a previous conviction, in 1851, for which he was sentenced to 10 years' jail. The Essex Herald (11 March, 1861) reported: "James Turner (alias Bishop) 16, labourer, was convicted of breaking into the house of Robert Sarjeant, at Halstead, and stealing copper monies, his property..." It appears James Turner had a Ticket-of-Leave at the time of the second offence in 1856. Note: A marine store dealer is a trader in scrap metals, according to the Dictionary of Old Occupations (https://www.familyresearcher.co.uk/). --00--