Elizabeth Woods

41

Barbara Williams on 9th September 2015

I went to Liverpool Record Office last week and have found Elizabeth's record of her trial, the 3 children mentioned as being charged with her are: Thomas Conway, William Calligan and Elizabeth Williams. The writing was very hard to read but I "think" it said "one calendar month" each.

41

Barbara Williams on 24th August 2015

Robert Hadden Her Landlord 9 Virgil St John East Broker 48 Standish St John Dealey Book Keeper 2 Adlington St William Thompson Mechanic Adlington Street John Hammond ? Cooper 8 Adlington Street Peter Crosley ? ***gauge 17 Bold Street Jane Corbett Milliner 160 London road John Mcgie ? Joiner Standish st 33 Edwd oDonnell Publican 39 Marybone Owen Ellis Grocer 28 Standish st Thomas McDermott Tailor 23 Standish St Michael Doyle Publican 41 Standish St John Blackburn Grocer 54 Standish Street John Hewitt Baker Adlington St John Caunce ? Warehouseman Stanhope Street Thomas Thompson Whitesmith 3 Spring Vale Terrace Thomas Cowley Joiner 13 Sawney Pope St Charles Walker Fruit Vendor 8 Dickey Street Owen Reynolds Boarding House 14 Standish St John Tyrell Porter Standish St 3 Henry Devlin Labourer 7 Standish Street John Cosgrove Greengrocer Standish st Thomas Walker Clothier 22 Fontenoy St John Quilliam Boot Maker Gt *** Hall L** W or N Swindlehurst Grocer Bispham Street Wm Taylor Surgeon Marybone Joseph Walker Butcher Standish St 43 John Tomlinson Marine Stores 49 Standish St Thos Macklin Chymest Tythebarn ? St Thomas Fallon Clothier 13 Hatton Gardens Thos Occleshead *** Cooper ? 44 Standish St Eliza **morden ? Green Grocer 8 Adlington st William Walker Watch Maker 31 Standish St Francis Higgins Ironmonger 3 Marybone St Robert Hesketh Saddler 13 Tithburn St James Mullen Cordwainer 16 Adlington Street George Lawlor ? Boot maker 57 Fontnoy St James ? Thornley Marine Store 71 Adlington St Willam Evans Millwright Adlington St Thomas Murray Shoe Maker Fontenoy St Matthew McDonough Shoe Maker Adlington St William Hesketh Watch Maker 35 Gerrard Street George Taylor Painter 20 Circus Street Thomas He*** Plasterer 54 Adlington St James Alderson Painter and Cab Man Circous St Lewis Jones Smith Great Croshall St Morris Pritchard Joiner Great Crossall Street James Taylor Engineer 12 Webster Street Willm Higgins Ironmonger Pitt Street John Marsden ? Baker Trueman Street Wm Williams Rigger 72 Great Crosshall St John Reynolds Joiner Manchester St Jas. McLean Shoe Maker Adlington Street Edward Edwards Hair Dresser No 5 Hood Street Robert Jones Boot Maker 119 Duke Street Tho. Millington Publican No 7 Hood Street John Bibby Publican No 7 Hood Street Alice Bell*** Furniture Broker 2 Fontenoy street Thomas Derham Clothier No 4 Fontenoy street Elias Parry Lloyd Coach Painter Mary Bone James Arnold Gas fitter 74 Marybone David Cruick Flour Dealer 61 Marybone Henry Rainford Cow Keeper 32 Standish St William Hewitt Watch Maker Th ****son Street James Clark Furniture Broker Fontenoy Street Robert Kennerly ? Shoe Maker Great X Hall Street James Smeathom ? Smith 54 Adlington St Peter Blackhurst Book Keeper 37 Trueman St William Hoos ? Mason No 3 Bispham St Edward Devitt Grocer 57 Standish St Francis Curran Mariner 4 Adlington St William Gibson Plasterer 33 Bispham St William Mills or Wills Gardener 3 Hygean St Sarah Thompson Boarding House 3 Cow Lane Geo Hoos ? Mason 2 Brown Street

41

Barbara Williams on 22nd August 2015

3 pleas for clemency transcribed and typed up: Exchange Court Liverpool 10th Jan 1842 Sirs, I have the honour of enclosing Memorial and petition on behalf of Elizabeth Woods. The memorial is signed by the Prisoner n the presence of the Matron of the Borough Gaol, of this place, the petition you will perceive is signed by a large number of her friends, among whom, I assure you, there is great Respectability, there is not the slightest doubt whatever of there having been some great mistake with respect to her defence on her trial at the Sessions. I trust however you will be pleased to inquire into the case and that consistently with your duty, you may be enabled to advise Her Majest to mitigate the sentence passed upon her by the Recorder. I have the honor to subscribe myself Sir Your most Ob[edien]t Ser[van]t Ja[me]s Owen (I got help from Rootschat with the last bit as I couldn't make out the words just before the signature.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To the Right Honourable Sir James Graham M.P. The humble memorial of "Elizabeth Woods" now a Prisoner confined in the Borough Gaol - County of Lancaster under sentence of Transportation for Felony. Sheweth. That your memorialist is by Trade a Furniture Broker and Thirty years old. That on or about the 2nd day of December instant the Prisoner was taken into Custody being 12 days before the then ensuing Sessions on the charge of having bought and received a Coffee Cannister and Coffee from three children aged 14 year each she knowing it to be stolen. That 2 days afterwards she was committed for trial by the "Borough Magistrate" the truth is. That on the said 2nd day of December, three children came into her shop, and offered for Sale a Coffee Cannister which your memorialist fairly bought and paid for, having first inquired of one of them how she came by it who told her that her Mother had sent her with it. That your memorialist notwithstanding all this was on her trial found "Guilty." That your memorialist was so convinced of her innocence, and acquittal by the "Jury" that her defence by Counsel was neglected. That your memorialist solemnly and sincerely declares her innocence and ignorance of the Crime and of her never having participated in the slightest degree in the receipt of "Stolen Goods" and entirely throws herself with these proofs of her innocence on your Lordship's impartiality with the sincere hope that your Lordship will look seriously into her case with at least a view to commutation of Punishment and for which she will ever "foray" The mark of Elizabeth Woods X Witness to signature Martha Cowdray Matron ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To the Right Honorable Sir James Graham M.P. In the matter of Elizabeth Woods Prisoner convicted of Felony at the Liverpool December Sessions 1841 We the undersigned being neighbours of the said Elizabeth Woods residing in Standish Street in Liverpool aforesaid do hereby certify that we have known her for a period of Five Years and upwards, during which time, we have always found her to be an honest, industrious sober steady and Charitable Character earning for herslef a creditable livelihood and also out of her means, supporting several of her Orphan brothers and sisters. That we have never (during our knowledge of her) heard of an Instance of her having ever been guilty of any crime, that we are of the opinion and firmly believe that had she had legal assistance and Counsel at the time of her Trial (but, which form unavoidable circumstances at the time could not be procured) she would without any doubt have been acquitted. That we earnestly entreat and implore from your Lordship an earnest consideration of her case, as you may think proper and for which we shall ever pray. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This petition is signed by about 75 people giving their name, occupation and street address.

41

Barbara Williams on 22nd August 2015

There are 3 pleas for clemency attached which I have transcribed and typed up. The 3rd one is a petition by her neighbours and is signed by 75 people (which I never typed up). On the refusal for another prisoner (attached ) on the transportation register, it says the prison is too overcrowded so they all have to be transported. Under Elizabeth's name it says ditto. Elizabeth WOODS was born in this county. See the attached 1841 census with brother Alexander and possibly sister Mary born in Ireland (FMP) - this is Standish street, Liverpool and most helpfully it is the same street on her petition so this is 100% the right family. From my calculations she must have been 2 months pregnant when convicted in December 1841 as the ship arrived into VDL in September 1842 and she says she has a 7 month old boy child on board. There is a newspaper cutting of how she came to be convicted. NEWSPAPER LIVERPOOL MERCURY 10 DECEMBER 1841 CAUTION TO MARINE STORE DEALERS. At the Police-court, on Saturday, Elizabeth Woods, an unmarried woman, who keeps a marine store in Marybone, was committed to the sessions for having purchased a coffee canister which had been stolen by some children from the shop of Mr Morley, in Marybone. When an officer when to inquire whether she had purchased such an article she said "No" but, her face seeming to belie her words, a search was made, and the canister found under the sofa on which she was sitting. Three children were at the same time committed for stealing the canister.