#16 Sarah Bird – Convict, Publican and Mother

Sarah Bird

b. abt 1770 Surrey, England

d. 9/23/1842 Sydney, Australia

This is the second time I’ve written about Sarah Bird, my convict ancestor. Sarah was sentence to seven years in Australia for Grand Larceny.

25 years old Sarah was transported from England on October 1795 on “The Indispensable”, a female convict ship bound for Sydney, Australia. The travel was less interesting then some ships with only 2 deaths during the voyage. On April 30, 1796 the women arrived and were sent to Botany Bay where work duties where assigned.  Sarah worked hard and was smart about trading her valuables for the right price. She stayed out of trouble and within a short amount of time was allowed certain freedoms within the community. One of the freedoms was to engage in her own business. Sarah applied and was granted a license to open her home as a “public house”. She was still “unpardoned” however the application was granted in 1797 and Sarah Bird was the first women granted a Publican License in Australia. The “Three Jolly Settlers“ was the name on the sign that hung on the small whitewashed structure made of timber shingles, four walls, a few chairs and tables and in the back latter to the loft where Sarah slept. It was important the Sarah kept what the government called “a moral character”; otherwise the government would remove her license claiming she was of “unfit character” for the community.

A short time after she opened The “Three Jolly Settlers”, Sarah became involved with a convict by the name of John Morris. We will never know the relationship between the two, however, in 1798, just one year after she opened the “Three Jolly settlers”, John convince Sarah in leaving her home and business and move with him to Hawkebury, where he was granted a license for an Inn. During this time in Hawkebury, Sarah and John had two daughters, Sarah born 1801 and Anne born 1803. John was not a strong business man and went bankrupt and lost the Inn shortly after Anne was born. The family then moved to Norfolk Island to start fresh.

Things were never the same, John reverted back to his convict ways and became more violent with time. In 1804 he attempted to kill Sarah by slitting her throat. John was sentence to thirty years hard labor.

Sarah and her daughters returned to Sydney and there she raised her girls with the surname Bird. Sarah died in 1842, there is no obituary that has been found or death record or grave site. Sadly, the first female publican of Australia dies without a mark.

Sarah is one of my favorite ancestors, so brave and strong, sent half way around the world to a place very different from her home. She endured and clever wits and strength was passed to her daughters. Her daughter Anne became a published writer and printer for the ‘Syndey Gazzette” and Sarah married and had a large family that help build and shape New South Wales, AU.

#9 Sarah Bird – Guilty of Grand Larceny

Sarah Bird

b. abt 1770 Ryegate, Surrey, England

d. 9/23/1842 Sydney, Australia

On July 16^th 1794, at the age of 24 years, Miss Sarah Bird of Surrey England found herself on trial for Grand Larceny;

 The trail was held at Old Bailey Court in Middlesex England.  Sarah displayed the demeanor of calm and never made eye contact with her accuser or witnesses, not even once.   She was being indicted for stealing, four silk handkerchiefs, value 4s. a cotton window curtain, value 10s. and a linen table cloth, value 6s., all the goods of her employer William Bryan.

Mr. William Bryan, an attorney in Westminster resids on George Street, received a character reference from a “gentlemen” that lived in the Borough, stating that Sarah worked for him on two occasions as a “live in servant” and he considered her a “good worker”.  By the accounts of these references Mr. William Bryan hired Sarah as a “live in” servant last August (1773).

Mr. Bryan told the court that he realized that a variety of items were missing.  Then a man servant that had been in his employment for many years expressed his belief that Miss Bird was the culprit. Mr. Bryan released Miss Bird from employment at this time, expecting her to leave the property immediately.

On Friday, July 4^th, 1794, that very next day, Mr. Bryan states he came home very early and caught Miss Bird in his home.  Sarah was holding a box, which she refused to show Mr. Bryan.  Mr. Bryan and another servant struggled to release the box from Sarah and finally after some time the box was in the hands of William Bryan.  The box was opened with a poker and after removing several items it was clear that several pieces of paper were intended to give the appearance of the bottom of the box, Mr. Bryan then used his cane to brake the paper that was being used as a “false bottom”.   The true bottom of the box contained all stolen items. At this time Mr. Bryan had the watchman called and Miss Bird was taken to Tothill Fields Prison.

After Mr. Bryan testimony, Mrs. Bryan took the stand and stated she was not there at the time of catching Miss Bird, however, she identify the items as her property and insisted that still some additional items were missing.  The constable brought fourth other items that Mrs. Bryan identified as her property as well, and it was then disclosed to the court that the Constable found these items at the home of Sarah Birds father, whom lived in Ryegate.

After many other testimonies from other household servants and the watchman only then was Sarah given a chance to speak.  “I leave it all to my counsel” was all she stated.

On July 16, 1794, Sarah Bird was found “guilty of Grand Larceny” and sentence to seven years prison.  On October 1795 she was transported on the ship “Indispensable” for a six month journey to New South Wales, Australia to carry out her sentence.  The ship arrived in NSW on October 30^th, 1795 with 131 female convicts.

This is just a moment in the life of my ancestor Miss Sarah Bird, convicted criminal.  I will be writing about her again on this blog, her life in the prison, her children and life after her prison term paid.

#4 John Morris Stephens – Convict

John Morris Stephns

b. abt 1764 Herefordshire, England

d. abt 1836 NSW, Australia

– STEPHENS, John Morris

It’s hard to find information regarding John due to the fact at times his surname is documented by MORRIS and other times STEPHENS.  I’m sure John did this on purpose what with being a criminal and using alias names would have been standard operation for him.

John was tried and convicted for “receiving stolen goods” on March 16, 1786 in Dorchester, Dorset, England.  Because this was not his first offense with petty crime rather than prison he was sent to the Australian Criminal Colony, sentence to seven years labor.  At this time it is recorded that he was 22 years of age.  I know little of John’s life previous to his trial and conviction, however, his ship transportation document reflects he was born in Herefordshire, England about 1764.  I have not yet researched Herefordshire England, however this blog has motivated me to search farther into John’s life.  I have found a site where I might get a copy of the trail document in Dorchester, still pending arrival.

After his trail John was held at Dirken Hulk Prison until transportation was arranged, during his time there he was described as “tolerable decent and orderly”.

John was shipped out on the convict ship named “Charlotte”, one of the eleven of the “First Fleet” to sail to Australia.  The “Charlotte” set sail March 5, 1787 transporting 78 men and 20 female prisoners, captained by Thomas Gilbert, arrived NSW on January 19, 1788.

John was charged to work for a man named John Archer as Assistant Overseer and saddler maker, however, on March 12, 1788, John was charged with theft of one knife and one waist coat and promptly returned to the “gang work” duty.  For some time to follow John is charged with multiple assaults during his time in the “colony”.  John is documented as “having a history of violence in the colony”,

One particular assault charge was turned to manslaughter when he beat one Charles Wilson to death.  He was convicted of manslaughter and sentence to burn the palm of his hand and added an additional 18 months to his term.  He was sent to Norfolk Island to finish his sentence with hard labor.

Somewhere and some how during this time John Morris Stephens got involved with a convict named Sarah Bird and had two daughters – Ann, born about 1800 and Sarah born about 1802.  Both girls were given their mothers surname, perhaps because they weren’t married or because Sarah did not want the girls to have the history of their father’s reputation following them through their lives.  I have no idea to the degree of their relationship however on January 5, 1804 John escaped Norfolk Island after stabbing and seriously wounding gaoler Edward Garth.  He then fled to the home of Sarah Bird, a home he cohabitated with her for many years, finding her in her bed he slashed her throat ear to ear. Sarah’s screams brought the constable and neighbors to her aid and John was captured.  Both victims survived thanks to the local surgeon.  John was sentenced on March 23^rd 1804, to death.  However, he was instead shipped back to Norfolk Island and continued to make saddles and harnesses. Then in 1810 Governor Macquaries revoked his death sentence and reduced him to life in prison with hard labor.  He continued making saddles and harness for the colony until his death in 1836.

I’m curious if John was always violent in nature or if Criminal Colony life made him so.  I’m hoping to find more about his life in England.  Also, I am curious about his relationship with Sarah Bird and their daughters.  I’m of the belief that his crime against Sarah was that of passion and that is why his charge was reduced from a death penalty to life in prison.  Sarah is a key factor in his history and behavior and I can’t wait to further research her life.

I have a total of four Australian Convict ancestors.  John Morris Stephens & Sarah Bird, their daughter Sarah marries the offspring of my other two convict ancestors.  John, however, is the most violent and truly a convict.  Got to love the good ancestors with the bad.