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Convict help wanted - Hougoumont prisoner 9800 Richard King

Convict help wanted - Hougoumont prisoner 9800 Richard King

Posted: 9 Dec 2011 5:41PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: king
My ancestor arrived in WA on the Hougoumont in Jan 1868.

He was sentenced to 15 years for burglary - I have details of this.

What I want to know is

Why was his sentence extended beyond the 15 years he was sentenced to? He did not receive his Certificate of Freedom until 1886, 20 years after the crime for which he was sent to WA.

What happened after his release from his second term? He also managed to commit a further crime in 1887 and earned himself another 2 years hard labour, being released in 18890. I have details of this also.

Here are details that I have of his time in WA. If anyone can point me towards any other online sources I would be enormously grateful. Thank you in advance.

1875 – 17 March - Ticket of Leave – meant he could leave the environs of the prison for work, so long as he reported to the authorities if he moved, up until then probably worked in prison work gangs. The brochure has some interesting generalities about prison life . Prisoners built Perth Town Hall between 1867 and 1870.

1880 -1886 – appears in Police Gazette when he is ‘reporting’ as he moves around Western Australia. Police Gazette not available prior to 1876 but no references to Richard in period 1875 to 1879.

1886 – 24 May – Certificate of Freedom issued for crimes committed at Little Horwood [no idea why this is actually 19 years after the crime!]

1887 – 9 December – apprehended for unlawful possession of 11 kegs of gunpowder . Remanded for 8 days. See newspaper rumours of dynamite , find of gunpowder ,

1887 – 17 December – apprehended for larceny of the gun powder and remanded for 8 days. Hawking without licenses fined £10 and costs.

1887 – 23 December – Committed for trial .

1888 – 4 April – found guilty at the Supreme Court of larceny, sentenced to 2 years hard labour .

1889 – 9 November – discharged from Perth prison

Re: Convict help wanted - Hougoumont prisoner 9800 Richard King

Posted: 11 Dec 2011 10:53PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 21 Feb 2013 12:37PM GMT
Hi Nicola,

It appears that, besides the successful escape of the Hougoumont Fenians, there were two Hougoumont convicts who escaped and were recaptured in March, 1868. They were each sentenced to a further three years, six months in irons.

The convicts were not named in the newspaper report, but perhaps one of them was your Richard, or a similar attempted escape may have been the reason for his extended sentence?

"ESCAPE OF TWO CONVICTS BY THE HOUGOUMONT AND THEIR CAPTURE BY THE WILD WAVE"

The Inquirer & Commercial News, Wednesday 1 April 1868. (Source: TROVE)

Cheers, Anne
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