Charles Williams

Level 346

Maureen Withey on 31st March 2026

Tasmanian Records. Indent. https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/CON17-1-3/CON17-1-3P28 and https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/CON17-1-3/CON17-1-3P29 Charles Williams, (1st), Carpenter, Tried at Swansea, 26 Feb 1846, Life, Native place, Bristol, married, 1 child, protestant, can read and write. Relations. M or W, Sophia White, transported by the Emma Eugenia & child with her, Offence: Highway Robbery with violence, £171 was taken, tried with Wm Morgan by the same ship.

Level 346

Maureen Withey on 31st March 2026

Glamorganshire Spring Assizes. HIGHWAY ROBBERY WITH VIOLENCE. Charles Williams aged 26, jockey, and Wm. Morgan, aged 27, roller, charged with having feloniously assaulted and stolen from the person of David Davies, the sum of £170, of the property of the Governor and Company of Copper Miners in England; and that they immediately after  such robbery, feloniously did strike and beat him, the said David Davies. ... Mr. Benson, who conducted the prosecution, addressed the jury, stating that the prisoners were charged with highway robbery with violence, on the person of David Davies, an old man, who was a messenger employed be- tween the  Forest Works and Swansea, for the purpose of carrying letters, and also occasionally for the purpose of  of carrying money for the payment of the men's wages. On the 15th of July last, he went from the Works to the Glamorganshire Bank, in High-street, where he must have arrived at about 10 o'clock in the forenoon. The cashier of the bank (Mr. Sales) placed in the leather bag, in which Davies usually carried letters, the money— locked the bag—and then Davies left the bank, taking the bag and money with him. The sum of £170 was placed in the bag in sovereigns, half-sovereigns, and silver , … the strap by which the bag was hung to his shoulders was cut, and the bag was taken from him. He was also violently and suddenly assailed his face was covered, so that he could not see well who assaulted him. Fortunately he was enabled to see the countenance of one of the men, and the jury would  hear him declare positively that one of the prisoners was the man. After  he had been most cruelly beaten he was violently thrust into a culvert, where in the course of half an hour or an hour, his groans having attracted the attention of a woman, he was found and extricated. Mr. Benson then stated in detail the leading circumstances which led to the apprehension of the prisoners, and their subsequent committal; after which he examined the following witnesses :— David Davies (a feeble old man) examined.—I am about 82 years of age. For the last 15 years I have been the messenger from the Forest Copper Works to Swansea. It is part of my duty to carry letters and money from and to the Works. On the 15th of July last I went to the Bank, High-street, with the letter bag, and Mr. Josiah Sales put some money into it—locked it up, and gave it to me to take to the Works. I took the bag, strapped it round my shoulders, proceeded on my way to the Works, and arrived as far as Plasmarl safely. When I got there I met two men and the cut the strap, took the bag, and went away with it. They pushed me into a culvert, and put something over my eyes. I saw them before I reached Plasmarl, as they passed me at Llandore, and were waiting for me at the culvert. They took me down to the culvert and beat me; and told one  to the other— We must kill him. They kicked me and beat me all over, and said one to another— He is dead enough now. William Morgan is the man who took the bag from me. [Witness then touched the prisoner Morgan, in order to satisfy the jury that he was positive as to the identity of the man, and that there might be no mistake in the matter.] After I left the Bank I called at Llandore for a pennyworth of beer as usual. Cross-examined by Mr. Richards: My face was towards them when they took the money from me. The bag was cut from my back from behind. Mr. Richards was proceeding with his cross-examination, when the old man interposed and said— I beg your pardon, sir, for giving you all this trouble to put so many questions; but you see I don't hear, they did beat me so bad that I was four months in bed ...  ...the course of the evening to Mr. Attwood's office and gave them to Mr. Rees, the inspector. [Bag and book handed to witness.] These are the bag and book I found. William Rees, inspector of police, examined On  the 15th of July last I received information of the robbery; and on the evening of that day  the last witness brought me a leathern bag and a banker's book. I believed from certain circumstances that the party who had committed the robbery had proceeded to LIanelly. I proceeded to that town,  which I reached late at night—went to a lodging- house—found Charles Williams there and said to  him Shiner, I want you. I saw a hat near the bed, which hat was damp inside and out. The lining had been torn out. Shortly after that I apprehended the other prisoner in a public house. Anne Rees examined The prisoner,  William Morgan and his wife, came to lodge at our house on the first day of Swansea fair, the 12th of July, and continued to lodge there until the 15th of July, upon which day, Charles Williams came at 8 in the morning and asked Morgan  if he was ready to come, to which Morgan replied that he had not done his breakfast. Morgan and his wife went out about a quarter past nine. Mary Griffiths examined: About 12 o'clock on the 15th of July last, I was passing Plasmarl on my way to Morriston with my husband's dinner.  A culvert runs under the road there; and I heard something like groaning as I was going up; and on my return I heard the same sort of noise. I looked over the culvert, but saw nothing. Some man passed by and I told him there was somebody in the culvert. He went down and looked, and then he said there was someone in it. Upon further examination he found it was Old David who carries the post [letters] to the Upper Works. I assisted in dragging him out. He was in a very bad state. He told us that two or three people put him there and beat him shocking, and had also taken the money from him. Mr. P H. Cook, surgeon, said that on the 15th of July he was sent for to attend David Davies whom he found in a very weak state—almost in a state of collapse. He continued ill for four months. There were contusions all over his body. After Mr Cook had seen him he went to the culvert and there found the lining of a hat, the part which corresponded to the crown of the hat was wet. There had been no rain that morning. The lining was delivered to P.C. Webb. P.C. William Webb examined: About three In the afternoon of the 15th July last, I went to Plasmarl and received the lining of a hat. ... ... Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian, 7 March 1846.

Level 135

C H on 16th June 2025

Name: Williams, Charles Record Type: Convicts Employer: Lloyd, John: 1850 Cooley, Horace: 1850 Hollowell, John: 1852 Additional identifier: 1 Property: Port Arthur Penal Station Departure date: 9 May 1846 Departure port: Woolwich Ship: John Calvin Place of origin: Bristol, Gloucestershire Origin location: Latitude and Longitude Voyage number: 371 Remarks: Off Norfolk Island per Lady Franklin Aug 1850 Police number: 20423 Index number: 76236 Record ID: NAME_INDEXES:1446383 https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Record/NamesIndex/1446383