John Welch

4

Frances Corcoran on 1st July 2023

John Walsh and Catherine Walsh gravestone Matraville NSW - Originally buried at Devonshire St Cem now defunct. Re-interred at Bunnerong Cem 1901. Gravestone relocated to Pioneer Park 1965. Ref FindAGrave.com; year of birth in convict records; day and month inserted to satisfy the field.

341

Maureen Withey on 4th September 2021

Convict Index. John Welch, Somersetshire 1814, Ticket of Leave, 27/524. John Welsh, Somersetshire 1814, Ticket of Leave, No 32/40. District, Patricks Plains; Born, Mayo Co; Trade, Labourer; Tried, MGD.

341

Maureen Withey on 4th September 2021

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 04 September 2021), October 1813, trial of JOHN WELCH (t18131027-47). JOHN WELCH, Violent Theft > highway robbery, 27th October 1813. 1027. JOHN WELCH was indicted for feloniously making an assault, in the King's highway, upon Rebecca the wife of Thomas Selwyn , on the 10th of October , taking from her person and against her will, an umbrella, value 10 s. the property of the said Thomas Selwyn . REBECCA SELWYN . My husband's name is Thomas Selwyn ; we live at No. 1, Glass-lane, Pimlico. On Sunday evening, the 10th of October, about twenty minutes past nine o'clock, as near an I can guess, we had been to chapel; my husband was with me. After chapel we went to No. 44, Lower Sloane-street; on our returning from there nobody else but my husband was in my company; we were in a place called Jew's-row , we perceived two men meeting us. There is a paved foot-path there; we were upon that. We gave way for the two men to pass; they both shoved me on that side which I had made way for them to pass; there was room enough for them to pass there. Q. Did you perceive a shove from one of them - A. I did; I had hold of my husband's arm; the shove appeared to me as if done on purpose, and my being driven against my husband, shoved my husband off the pavement down in the road; I let go my husband to save myself from going down. At that time my husband asked the men what they did it for; the prisoner, Welch, turned round immediately after the push, and twisted the umbrella out of my hand. Q. Did you make any endeavour to resist - A. I did; I held it tight in my hand; he got it out of my hand in a short struggle between us; as soon as he got it, I asked him for it; instead of his giving me the umbrella, he struck me a blow on my face withhis fist; that blow drove me against some shutters. My husband asked him what made him strike me. He asked him to give me the umbrella. My husband was going forward to seize the man. I caught hold of my husband to prevent him. The prisoner immediately turned round and ran away. Q. What was your reason for endeavouring to prevent your husband from following him - A. For fear he should receive a blow. He is in the army; they are not suffered to have any marks of violence upon them. My husband broke from me, and ran after him. They ran down George-street. My husband ran down Jews-row after the prisoner, and turned into George-street. My husband returned to me again. Q. Was there only one man run away, or both - A. Both run away. It was the prisoner that took the umbrella. Q. Which of them run against you - A. It appeared to me to be the prisoner by his dress and look. Q. When did you see the man again that took your umbrella - A. He was down in Jews-row, walking quietly by himself. I turned down the corner of George-street to see after my husband. He returned back to me in a few minutes; he said he had lost sight of the prisoner. I was in Jews-row when I saw the prisoner again. I had just returned back to the same place when I saw him again. Q. Had he your umbrella then - A. No. Q. Did you know him again - A. Yes, I knew him to he the man. He was at large when. I saw him. In a very few minutes my husband went up to him. I saw my husband take him. Q. Are you sure the prisoner is the same man - A. Yes. When he struck me I looked very hard in his face. I am very sure he is the same man. It was a moonlight evening. After my husband took the prisoner, he was taken to the watchhouse; he said he would fetch the umbrella if we would let him go after it; he said that in my hearing. I have never seen my umbrella again. THOMAS SELWYN . I am a serjeant in the guards , and I am the husband of the last witness. On the Sunday night she has mentioned I was walking home with her; it was near twenty minutes or half past nine. We were returning down what is called Jews-row: we saw two men meeting of us; we gave them the inside walk, we taking the outside place just before they came to us. When they came opposite the side of us they gave a jut or a shove of a sudden against my wife. My wife came all of a sudden against me, and I went off the curb, down into a gutter. Q. The effect of that jerk was to drive your wife against you, and to drive you off the curb - A. Yes, it appeared to be done designedly. I saw the men come up; my wife let go my arm to keep herself on the walk. I immediately said, what do you mean by that. I saw at the time the prisoner came up he was the inner man next my wife. Q. Do you mean to say it was the prisoner that put himself in the attitude when he shoved against your wife - A. They both apparently did it together; they were either arm in arm, or close together. After I asked why he did it, I stepped forward through the dirt to recover myself upon the causeway, and before I could recover myself the umbrella was wrested out of my wife's hands. I heard my wife say, give me the umbrella. I heard her scream. Immediately I was going to make a dart to catch the prisoner, to catch the person that had the umbrella. Q. You say that was the prisoner - A. I am not positive to the person of the prisoner that had the umbrella at that time. The person that had the umbrella, he held the umbrella as I supposed to strike me. My wife catched hold of me. Q. The person that held the umbrella up, that person, whoever it was, you had not so clear a view of him as to know it was the prisoner - A. I had not. To the best of my knowledge it was the same person. My wife took hold of me, they turned about and run away. Q. Did both the persons run away together - A. Yes, a little way. They parted at the corner of George-street. I pursued one down George-street, through Charles's-market, into Lower Sloane-street. In Lower Sloane-street I fell. In rising I saw the person I was pursuing turn into Red Lion-street; near Jews-row I lost sight of him; that run into the same street I came from. I turned back to look for my wife; I met her. We went into Jews-row, to the place where it happened. Q. The person that you were pursuing went into Jews-row - A. Yes. We were going towards home, on my turning round I saw the prisoner coming towards me; he was upon the causeway when I saw him; he went off the pavement, and turned into the road among some people. I told the prisoner he was one of the men that had insulted us, and had run away with the umbrella. He denied it. My wife immediately came up, and recollected that he was the man that wrested the umbrella out of her hand, and struck her. I was persuaded to take the prisoner into custody by some one standing about. The prisoner turned round, and ran away. I pursued him, and another person. The other person came up with the prisoner first. I was close to him. I also laid hold of the prisoner. We took him to the watchhouse. At the watchhouse, the prisoner said if we would let him go out he would get us the umbrella; that was denied. He said he could not tell the people's names, nor the number of the house where the umbrella was. There was something said if he would tell me where the umbrella was I would not think any more about it. I said that. JOHN GIBBS . I am a patrol belonging to Bow-street office. On the 10th of this month, about half after nine o'clock, I was in Jews-row, in company with Whaley and Nixon, and two other patrols of the same office. I saw some people standing in the road way; they were talking loudly. I made up to them. I heard some person say, why do not you take him in custody. The moment that word passed I saw some man run away. He was brought back again. Q. Who was the person that was so brought back - A. The prisoner. At the watchhouse the prisoner said he would go and shew us where the umbrella was, but he could not tell the number. - WHALEY. I came up at the time with Gibbs; I saw the prisoner run away; he was brought back again. We took him in custody, and took him to the watchhouse. At the watchhouse, he said if they would let him go he would go and get the umbrella; he did not know the number nor the name of the people that kept the house. LUKE NIXON . I am a Bow-street patrol. I saw the prisoner in the watchhouse; he said if they would let him go he would go and get the umbrella; the watchhouse-keeper said he could not let him go, you tell these people, they will go and fetch it. He said he did not know the man's name, or the number of the door. Prisoner's Defence. I am quite innocent of it. The prisoner called three witnesses, who gave him a good character. GUILTY - DEATH , aged 30. [ The prosecutor recommended the prisoner to mercy .] Second Middlesex jury, before Mr. Baron Thompson. ------------------------------------------------------ Irish Convict Database by Peter Mayberry. John Welsh, age on arrival, 30, Somersetshire (1) 1814, Tried at Middlesex Gaol Delivery, England. 1813. Life. DOB, 1784, Native place, Mayo, Labourer. -------------------------------------------------- 1828 Census Index. John Walsh, age 50, T.L. Somersetshire, 1814, Life, catholic, Labourer, N. Richmond district. Has 6 acres of land, all cleared and cultivated. Has 40 cattle. Catherine Walsh, age 30, F.S. Woodman, 1823, 7 years, catholic. Bridget Walsh, age ½. B.C.