Summary
Personal Information
Voyage
Transportation
James Wells was transported on the General Hewett, departing 31st Jul 1813 and arriving 7th Feb 1814 with 301 passengers.
The Windham and General Hewett left England the 24th of August, in convoy with the Wansted, Capt. Moore, who sailed from hence last Thursday for Batavia; the General Hewett arrived at Rio the 17th of November, and sailed again the 2d of December. Together with the military detachments, she received on board for this Settlement 300 male prisoners, of whom we are sorry to report the death of 35, whose names we shall endeavour to procure an account of, and publish in the next Gazette, for the information of their friends and families in Great Britain. Sydney Gazette, Sat 12 Feb 1814.
General HewettReferences
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 87, Class and Piece Number HO11/2, Page Number 117 (60); Kentish Gazette, Tuesday 23 March 1813, p.4; Hulk records HO9/piece 7. |
| 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 |
Claims
No one has claimed James Wells yet.
Photos
No photos have been added for James Wells.
Convict Notes
16 Feb 1816. On list of prisoners to be sent to Newcastle per "Kangaroo" Jas. Wells, per General Hewitt, Convict, Convicted Crim Court, Jan 31 1816, Sentence: 7 years.
New South Wales, Australia, Certificates of Freedom, for Susannah Hobson 20/3/1835 35/163 Wife of James Wells per ship General Hewitt Free NSW BDMs 5143/1831 V18315143 3B WELLS JAMES HOBSON SUSANNA CA 969/1831 V1831969 15 WELLS JAMES HOBSON SUSANNAH CA= Sydney St Phillips Church of England
DEATH of THE BABY - 8 month old James Ireland, (father James Wells) died on 19 April 1816 and was buried the next day, recorded in the St Philip's Church Burial register at Sydney (and NSWBDM 485/1816 V1816485 7. ) Who looked after him since his mother's death (and father's transportation to Newcastle) is unknown.
_______________ While James Wells was originally assigned to Mr Larra at Parramatta, so was Elizabeth Ireland who'd arrived in January 1814 as a 7 yr convict on ship "Wanstead". James Wells and Elizabeth Ireland were recorded as the parents of a baby named James Wells, born on 6 August 1815, on the child's baptism on 20 August 1815 at St Philip's church in Sydney. Since the child was not baptised at Parramatta she may have no longer been living at Mr Larra's. Sadly the baby's mother, Elizabeth Ireland, died four moths later on 29 December 1815, and her burial was recorded at St Philip's Church, Sydney.
October 1814 Muster James Wells per General Hewitt, Mustered at Parramatta [NSW AUS], [Assigned] to James Larra; Sydney Gazette, Saturday 3 February 1816 page 2 COURT OF CRIMINAL JURISDICTION, Wednesday [i.e. 31 January 1816] the Court re assembled, and proceeded to the trial of Thomas Moody, Samuel Smith, and James Wells, the two former charged with feloniously stealing a quantity of wearing apparel and sundry other articles, at Parramatta, on the 14th of July last, the property of John Hilton, and the latter for receiving the same, knowing them to be stolen. Moody and Wells Guilty, as severally indicted; Samuel Smith Not Guilty. Letter dated: Feb 16 1816; On List of prisoners to be sent to Newcastle per "Kangaroo". - James Wells, arrived per General Hewitt, in 1814, Trade or Calling: Prisoner; 1822 Muster he was still at Newcastle. His original sentence would have expired in March 1820 Letter date 31 January 1823 - Request for details of expiry date of sentence of James Wells, prisoner at Newcastle. 1825 Muster – Free by Servitude. Landholder at Minto 1863 Death (NSWBDM index) of James Wells “aged 77” at Newcastle is an age consistent with the age of James Wells on trial.
James Wells, aged 27 at trial in March 1813, was sentenced to 7 years transportation at the Maidstone, Kent Assizes for stealing several pigs. his crime was committed with 14 year old John Mills, also transported, whose father of the same name was with them but was acquitted. Kentish Gazette, Tuesday 23 March 1813, col 4, page 4., 1813 ‘KENT LENT ASSIZES [ from page 2, held at Maidstone] The Assizes for this county terminated at a late hour on Saturday evening, when twenty-four prisoners received sentence of death, seven only of whom were left for execution. Below we have given the calendar of the whole, and in the preceding page, a detail of the most important trials. “John Mills jun, aged 14, and James Wells, 27, (in company with John Mills senior, acquitted) a sow and six pigs, the property of Robert Fauchon, of Allington — to be transported seven years.” HULK RECORDS: One of 19 convicts received on 'Retribution' Hulk on 19th April 1813, from the Kent Assizes of March 1813. Of these 19, the bulk were transported four months later on 'General Hewett' on 13th August 1813. However Joseph Fielder was pardoned on 10 May 1813, John Wright was pardoned in March 1817 (?) and Richard Welch escaped in October 1813. ________________________________