Agricultural labourers transported to Australia after the 1830s rural riots
Pre-transportation History
| 359: RICHARDSON, Simeon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | about 1807 | Died: | 1893 |
| Family Relationships: | Brother, No. 358 | ||
| Group: | Home Counties ( Essex, Herts, Kent, Sussex) | ||
| Where tried : | Kent County | Native Place: | Babington, Somerset |
| Occupation: | Farm labourer | ||
| Crime: | Robbery (i.e. Receiving) | Sentence: | Life |
| Prior Offences: | 0 | *Hulk: | ? |
| Order of Loading: | 460 | Transport: | Lord Lyndoch, to Van Diemens Land |
Post-transportation History
| *Police Number: | R0759 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Times charged: | 0 | Times punished: | 0 |
| Granted Ticket of Leave: | Date of Pardon: | 07 May 1843 | |
| Type of Pardon: | Conditional pardon | ||
| Post-sentence History: | Van Diemens Land resident | ||
| Marriages: | Van Diemens Land, 7 May 1844 | ||
| Place of Death: | Tasmania | ||
| Married Elizabeth Dewer, 22 | |||
| More Information: | See also Chapter 5 | ||
Notes:
*Hulk NumbersFour figure numbers refer to the York Hulk, others, the Leviathan. No number means either unknown or not held in a hulk
*Police Number
This is shown when known. In Van Diemens Land the initial letter was the first letter of the convicts surname.
On 14 March 1831 Simeon was charged, with his brother Isaac, for obtaining money by threats from Ann Edmeades.1 It is interesting that the two men charged with Simeon and Isaac, Thomas Parker and George Heaver, were possibly the only swing-rioters who were transported to Bermuda. Simeon and Isaac were sentenced to life but, after a petition signed by forty-seven people was presented to His Majesty, the sentence was reduced to fourteen years.2 They embarked from the hulk Retribution to the convict ship Lord Lyndock on 14 July 1831 along with 266 male convicts 3
When Simeon arrived in Van Diemens Land, he was assigned to J Pearcehall at Clarence Plains where he worked as a ploughman. On 7 May 1843 he was granted a conditional pardon. When he was free, he applied for permission to marry Elizabeth Dewer who was transported on the Garland Grove, and they were married 21 May 1844 at Longford.4 They had no children.
On 14 November 1854 he was tried in the Launceston Quarter Sessions and convicted of stealing posts and nails. He was sent to Port Arthur and discharged to freedom on 29 February 1856.5
In 1858 he was the occupier and owner of a house in Longford.6
Simeon died at Longford 6 October 1893 of heart disease.7 The Examiner stated that Simeon, ‘Old Sam’, had been confined to bed for 2 years.8 His wife died five years later.
1. ASS1/35/270/3 PFF; Chambers, Jill, Kent Machine Breakers Vol 1: The Riots and Trials p 158, self-published, 2006.
2. HO17/94.
3. Chambers, Jill, Kent Machine Breakers Vol 1: The Riots and Trials p 167 self-published, 2006.
4. Marriage of Simeon Richardson Tasmanian Archives, RGD 37 3 882. Longford.
5. Tasmanian Archives, CON 37 8
6. Cowley, Trudy, 1858 Valuation Rolls for Northern Tasmania.
7. Death of Simeon Richardson, Tasmanian Archives, RGD 35 62 382.
8. Index to Launceston Examiner 189-1893 Vol 10.
©TFHS Inc. All rights reserved
Site last updated January 2025
This article was contributed by Hobart Branch member Beverley Richardson