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JAMES WALBOURNE
Convict‘Scarborough’(
1765-unknown)
And SOPHIA LEWIS
Convict‘Lady
Penrhyn’(c1758-1816)
this story is under review by Membership Team
James Walbourne
(aka Walburn, Waldbourn) was born c1765 Philadelphia, North America.
He was tried
at Old Bailey, London on 10 September 1783 was indicted for feloniously
stealing, on the 21st day of August last, one linen handkerchief, value
12 d. the property of Thomas Speed .
THOMAS
SPEED sworn.
I lost
a linen handkerchief the 21st of August, value one shilling, just on
this side Temple Bar , I was coming through the Bar a little after six,
and I thought I felt something at my pocket, I immediately put my hand
into my pocket and found I had lost my handkerchief, I turned round and
saw the prisoner go across the way, and I stopped some little time
doubting whether he had it or not, for I did not see it in his
possession then, and a gentleman who followed me, and saw him do it,
immediately stopped him: The prisoner dropped the handkerchief, and I
went immediately and picked it up, there was a coach passing at the
time, which prevented me taking it up directly.
-
MARTIN sworn.
I was
going through Temple Bar, and Mr. Speed was coming towards Fleet-street,
and I saw the prisoner with his right hand take Mr. Speed's handkerchief
out of his pocket, and he crossed from the pavement, and I caught hold
of his coat, and a coach was going past, and he almost got under the
wheel: I brought him back, and he dropped the handkerchief immediately,
Mr. Speed took up the handkerchief, which the prisoner dropped, for he
had no pocket: The prisoner was taken into a shop.
Prisoner. I have nothing to say.
GUILTY: Transported for seven years .Tried by the London Jury before Mr.
Justice Ashurst.
On 4th
October 1783 James Walbourne was sent to the Censor hulk, aged 18, then
4 years later ordered to Portsmouth by wagon on 24th February
1787, embarking on the Scarborough on 27th February 1787.
Upon sailing on 13th May 1787 he was aged 22 but no
occupation recorded. He arrived in Sydney Cove on 26/1/1788 where, two
months later on 24 March 1788 he married Sophia Lewis (Convict
Lady Penrhyn).
Sophia
LEWIS, born c1758, was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 22d of
October, one cambric handkerchief, value 1 s. one linen ditto, value 1
s. a coat, value 40 s. a pen-knife, value 6 d. a green silk purse, value
6 d. two guineas, value 2 l. 2 s. and ten shillings and sixpence, and
four shillings in monies numbered, the property of Thomas John Burrell,
in the dwelling house of John Dell.
And
WILLIAM COX was indicted for feloniously receiving, on the said 22nd of
October , the said coat, knowing it to be stolen .
(The
case opened by Mr. Peatt.)
THOMAS
JOHN BURRELL sworn. On the 22d of October, at two in the morning; it
was Sunday; I was coming up Wych-street; I was accosted by the prisoner
to go and drink a glass of wine; I went home with her about ten minutes
after two; when I went to her apartments, I gave her two shillings in
silver, and went to bed; I then had two guineas and a half in gold, and
four shillings in silver, in a green silk purse; I pulled out my purse
in the room before I went to bed to give her the two shillings; the
money was in the purse; we went to bed; I put my brown cloth coat and
waistcoat on the table; I then pulled off my shoes and buckles, and put
the buckles and neckcloth on the table, and then went to bed; I had not
been in bed long but I found every thing was not so agreeable as I could
wish.
Where
did you put your breeches? - I laid in my
breeches and stockings; a little time after I had been in bed, I did not
like my companion; the consequence of which was, she said, she was not
well, she must get up, and have something to drink; she got up in a
quarter of an hour, and left the candle in the chimney piece; I saw her
looking at my buckles and shoes; I asked her, what she was doing with
them? she said, I never come nigh a man so curious as you are; says I,
put them down; she put them down, and at the same time blowed out the
candle; she went out immediately and locked the door; I was doubtful of
the place I was in; and I remained there till Cox the prisoner came; I
missed my purse after she went, and before Cox came in, which was about
half after five; I lost the purse about three; how Cox came in I do not
know; he said, you bloody b - g - r, what do you do here? I asked him,
what that was to him; I had paid for being there, and would stay till I
saw the woman that brought me there; he said he had no woman at all
belonging to him, and that I should get up immediately; I told him, I
would not; in consequence of which he said, I shall return very shortly,
and if you are not gone before that time, I will do for you; he did
return in a very in a very short time, and says again, what you bloody b
- g - r, you are not gone; he then says, get up; says I, do not go to
treat me ill; I am a better man than yourself; upon which he took off
the bed clothes, and then with a knife he cut me twice. (Shews his hands
to the Jury.) One a deep cut; in consequence of which, I jumped up
immediately, and said repeatedly to him, do not use me ill, I am a
better man than yourself; then I missed a blue cloth coat, which I had
on, and my neckcloth, and my pocket handkerchief; when he came the
second time it was day light.
Court.
What may be the value of this coat? - It cost
me three guineas.
What
do you think it is worth? - I do not know; it
has been worn by me only three weeks; I leave the value entirely out of
the case.
Do you
think it is worth forty shillings? - I should be very happy to get
such a coat for forty shillings; I then quitted the apartment, and stood
on the landing place, and said, I am now out of your apartment, but I
will not quit the place till such time I have my property; I value my
cambrick handkerchief at one shilling, and my pocket handkerchief at one
shilling; and he flung my head against the door, and the door flew open,
and there lay two as notorious villains as himself; they cried out
immediately, ham him, and murder him; upon which he came to lay hold of
me to throw me over the bannisters of the stairs; I avoided that; I came
to go down stairs, and he and the other two came and smashed me down
stairs; I fell stupid; they then kicked me, trod upon me, and threw me
out of the door; I went into a public house; the man's name is John Bray
; the sign is the Golden Hart, in Parker's-lane; I begged for
assistance; I shewed him the bloody condition I was in, cut in that
manner, and I told him what I had lost; the publican said, he thought I
might think myself very happy as I was; for it was very frequent that
real gentlemen, in his opinion were stripped stark naked, without shirt,
shoe, or anything else; I asked Bray if I could get anybody to lend me a
coat; I sent for a person who lent me a coat; and I went away; when I
returned again, Mr. Bray inform a me he had the coat; upon which my
friend, Mr. Kershaw, went and fetched an officer; then when I got in,
Cox was there; Bray said in his presence, he had let Cox have upon the
coat five shillings in silver, and gin and bread to the amount of two
shillings and nine-pence halfpenny; Bray offered him five shillings for
the coat; another man came with him; neither one nor the other would
take five shillings; the other man's name is Jordon; I was taken into
the back parlour almost immediately.
Before
Bray took you into the room, did he tell you for what purpose he took
you there? - He told me he had stopped Cox the
prisoner with my coat; and he told me what money he had let him have
upon it; my friend let me have the money; Mr. Jordon and Mr. Kirshaw
were subpoened; they neither of them were before the Grand Jury; and
another publican whom Cox took the coat to, before he took it to Bray;
he kept the Cheshire Cheese in the same lane, he was subpoened.
Court.
What is your business? - I am clerk to Mr.
Newby, an attorney; I believe the house belonged to John Dell , from
what I heard.
GEORGE
MEECHAM sworn.
I took
charge of the prisoner; he was very much in liquor, in the house of John
Dell ; I found nothing on the prisoner; he behaved very quiet; I saw
some blood on the prosecutor's ruffle; I did not take much notice; he
said he was cut, before the Magistrate.
PRISONER LEWIS'S DEFENCE.
I went
with the man; he desired me to take the coat and pawn it, for he had no
money; I pawned it for two shillings.
PRISONER COX'S DEFENCE.
On
Sunday was a week, between seven and eight, the landlady of the house
where this woman lodged asked me to treat her, and in a very few minutes
that gentleman came with a constable, and took me.
SOPHIA
LEWIS , GUILTY, of stealing, 39 s .Transported for seven years .
WILLIAM COX , GUILTY ,Transported for fourteen years .
Tried
by the first Middlesex Jury before Mr. Rose
Sophia
LEWIS was born c1758. She was tried at Old Bailey, London on 25 October
1786 for stealing handkerchiefs, coat and cash with a value of 39
shillings. Actual value of stolen goods was 99 shillings. As outlined
above in the court transcripts, her victim had gone to bed with her
before being robbed. She was convicted of theft and sentenced to
transportation for 7 years and left England on the Lady Penrhyn
aged about 29 at that time (May 1787). She arrived in Sydney Cove on
26/1/1788 Her occupation was listed as servant
James
Walbourne married Sophia LEWIS on 24 March 1788 at Sydney Cove and they
had 2 sons: William was baptised 8th August1790 in
Sydney. Then all three went to Norfolk Island in October 1791 on the
Atlantic A second son James was born on 4th
October 1794 on Norfolk Island
Walbourne
was settled on 12 acres at Mount Pitt Path Queensborough, but was not
very successful as by May 1794 he was doing jobbing work for settlers
In
February 1800, back in Port Jackson, James was sworn in as a constable
for Nepean, however on 13/1/1800 James was charged with assaulting
Sophia and they were ordered to divide the property and, taking one
child each, to live apart. (William with James Snr and James Jnr with
Sophia)
James
joined the NSW Corps at Sydney on 8th December 1800, together
with his son William, aged 10 years, who was a drummer boy. The other
boy, James Jnr, who stayed with his mother worked as a sailor and
carpenter in the Colony.
In
1804 and 1810 James Snr transferred property in Pitt’s Row for £9 and
£22 respectively In September 1808 James had served seven years and 268
days , so his sentence was completed. He was described as aged 41 years
nine months, with thin face, fair complexion, light brown hair, hazel
eyes, and 5ft 8ins tall.
James
Snr and William transferred to 73rd regiment in 1814 and left the colony
in 1814 with 73rd Regiment for Ceylon. There is no further record of
James Snr or of his death.
Sophia
was living in Sydney in 1816 with her son James and a convict woman. On
3rd November 1816 at the age of 58, Sophia threw herself into
Cockle Bay near Dawes Point and drowned. An inquest returned a verdict
of death by suicide. Her son James said she had been ‘of late much in
the habit of drinking’, and that she had attempted suicide in a
similar manner several months earlier.
WilliamWalbourne returned to Sydney from his service in Ceylon and lived
with Sarah Pick (Convict Glatton1803).
Sarah
was born in 1773, in Gloucester England. They had 3 children with only
one, James, surviving.
William died Thursday 18th September 1834 aged 46 years. He
was buried in Devonshire (The Sandhills) Street Cemetery. His death was
reported in The Australian on Friday 19th September 1834:Died.
On Thursday last, Mr. William Walbourne, aged 45 years and 9 months.
Mr.W. was one of the eldest Australians ; at an early age, he entered
the army, and was present at the capture of Ceylon, he also served under
Sir Edward Codrington, at the battle of Navarino ; he-was followed to
his earthly home, by a numerous body of his: fellow countrymen, by whom
he was universally respected.
JamesWalbourne, aged 29, married Hannah Bullen in 1823, daughter of
Thomas Mansfield (Convict Matilda) and Ann Bullen (Convict
Unknown). Hannah was born in Sydney in 1803.The 1828 Census records:
Wallburn, James, 34, born in the colony, Protestant,
carpenter, Castlereagh Street Sydney; Wallburn, Hannah, 24, born in the
colony. James and Hannah had 7 children between 1818 and 1843- 4 boys
and 3 girls. James died in 1845 aged 54 years in Sydney and Hannah died
in 1880 at Parramatta
Complied by John Boyd 2020
Sources:
-The
Founders of Australia
by Mollie Gillen p368, 369
-
Sydney Cove 1788 to 1800in 5 Volumes by John Cobley
-The
Crimes of the First Fleet Convicts by John Cobley
-wwwaustralianroyalty.net.au/tree/purnellmccord.ged/individual/I37430/James-Walbourne
-www
convictrecords.com.au/convicts/walbourn/james/65995
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