George Youngson

341

Maureen Withey on 26th April 2020

Elizabeth Youngson and George Youngson, for breaking into the shop of Mr James Noble, of Lancaster, received lenience of death.— Leeds Intelligencer, 10 April 1787. -------------------------------------------------- National Archives. HO 47/6/75 1787 Apr 4 Certificate/memorial of Richard Perryn concerning several convicts sentenced to death at the Lancaster (Lancashire) Assizes, ‘some favourable Circumstances’ appeared on/after their trial and now recommended for mercy on the condition set against their names: 1. Elizabeth Youngson, George Youngson, Thomas Middleton and Hugh Flannagan, convicted for felony and burglary, on 26 March 1787. 7 years transportation. ————————————————————————— Elizabeth , aged 13 and her younger brother, George, aged 12, were both transported together. ————————————————————————— Among the 688 convicts who landed in Australia in January 1788 (the First Fleet) were George and Elizabeth Youngson. The children of Thomas Youngson and Elizabeth Robinson, they were tried at Lancaster Assizes on Monday 26th March 1787 before the Earl of Mansfield and Sr Richard Perryn. Evidence was given that at 3a.m. on 15th September 1786, the pair had been discovered in the silk warehouse of James Noble in Moor Lane, Lancaster. They had apparently forced open a window, gained entry and stolen 41 shillings in silver and six shillings and ninepence in copper. Both children confessed to the crime, which at that time carried the death sentence. Both were convicted and duly sentenced to hang, but were reprieved some three weeks later, their sentences reduced to seven years transportation. Taken to Portsmouth, they were put aboard the convict transport ‘Prince of Wales’ and after a voyage of 252 days landed at Port Jackson – modern day Sydney. Records show that from there they were sent to Norfolk Island where they remained until 1794. After this date no further record exists of George’s fate. In May 1798 Elizabeth married a fellow-convict, Abraham Lee. The couple separated in 1808 after Elizabeth gave birth to a daughter fathered by another man. Lee died in 1819. There is a record of one Elizabeth Lee dying in 1854 at the age of 82. Although there is still some uncertainty that this was ‘our’ Elizabeth, the ages do tally, and many of her descendants believe the two women to be one and the same. If so, at the time of her death Elizabeth would have been one of the oldest survivors of the First Fleet, as she was 13 at the time of her trial, and George a year younger. We are grateful to Pamela Christiano of Victoria, Australia for the information supplied about her ancestor. Source: http://www.lancastercastle.com/history-heritage/people-stories/george-elizabeth-youngson/

42

Tim Flynn on 10th June 2013

http://www.lancastercastle.com/html/people/tour.php?id=21