George White - Transported for Life - All for Twelve Dozen Buttons
George White was transported to Van Diemen's Land in 1835 aboard the ill-fated George the Third which foundered on a rock at the south-eastern entrance to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel
George was just 18 year's old when, on 10 April 1835, the ship he was travelling on hit a rock and started to take on water. Along with the other convicts on board, George was confined to the hold when the accident occurred. What led him to this point was a wagon ride and a parcel of buttons.
The ship, the George the Third, had left Woolwich in England about 4 months earlier on 14 December 18341 2; a prison ship with the task of transporting convicts to the Australian penal colony at Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania)3. The ship was under the command of William Hall Moxey and, upon leaving England, was carrying 308 people: 220 male convicts; guards and their families; and the ship’s crew4 5.
George White, Convict 75246
George was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England on 26 August 1816 and baptised in the parish of St Martin, Birmingham on 14 November 1821 at the age of 5; the son of Ann Wallis (1801 - 1867) and George White ( - 1832), a Jeweller of Bromsgrove Street in Birmingham6 7:
I know nothing of George’s early life but, as the son of a Jeweller, it was presumably a reasonably comfortable one?
Sometime in early 1834, when George was 17, he was riding on the Birmingham to London wagon when a parcel containing a quantity of buttons went missing somewhere near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England. George was apprehended not long after and found to be in possession of twelve dozen buttons8.
A newspaper article on 15 March 18349 suggests that George was apprehended by the wagoner at Dunstable. However, on 5 March 1834, George was taken from Newgate prison in London to Bedford County Gaol to await trial which suggests he may have been apprehended in London?10. In the gaol records he is described as 17 years old, five foot five and a half inches tall with dark hair and a pale complexion11.
George was convicted of larceny the following day, 6 March 1834, in the Bedford Assizes and sentenced to 7 years transportation12. It was his first offence13. He was discharged from Bedford County Gaol on 19 March 1834 and delivered to the Ganymede Hulk at Woolwich to await transportation14. There he stayed until six months later when, on 14 December, the George III set sail for Hobart, Van Diemen's Land.
The Wrecking of the George The Third
At about 9:15pm, on 10 April 1835, on its approach to Hobart but still some distance away, the George the Third carefully passed the Actaeon Reef and continued on its journey towards Hobart. A little under an hour later, the ship hit an unchartered reef and foundered on a rock at the south-eastern entrance to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. The D'Entrecasteaux Channel is a body of water between Bruny Island and the south-east of the mainland of Tasmania.
Captain Moxey’s decision to approach Hobart via the D’Entrecasteaux Channel rather than on the other side of Bruny Island was influenced by earlier events on the trip as the following extract shows15:
'On 27 January 1835, when nearing the equator, a fire broke out after one of the crew attempted to draw off spirits while using a naked light. The fire threatened to detonate barrels of gunpowder that were stored nearby, and disaster was only averted when two convicts, William Nelson and David Jones, offered to retrieve the barrels. This they managed to do, despite suffering burns, and the fire was then brought under control and finally extinguished. Some of the stores had been destroyed in the fire, but the master refused to put into Cape Town, as requested by the surgeon superintendent, David Wyse, and all hands were put on half rations. As a result of the reduced diet, scurvy broke out, and sixteen convicts died before the vessel reached Tasmania. With the birth of children to the wives of the guards, the ship carried 294 people by the morning of 12 March, when the coastline near Port Davey was sighted.
In view of the sickness on board, Moxey decided to proceed up the D’Entrecasteaux Channel rather than risk being blown across Storm Bay and out to sea. Careful use was made of the lead as the Actaeon Reef was passed at 9.15 that evening, Horsburgh’s Directory indicating that there were no dangers past that point. However, as the vessel slowly proceeded northwards the leadsman continued to call shallower depths until he called ‘a quarter less four’ at 10.10 pm. Moxey ordered the helm hard to port, but the ship struck a rock, lightly at first, then with such force that the rudder post was torn down and the helm carried away, throwing the chief officer to the lee poop deck. The vessel was now firmly stuck on the reef that now bears its name.'
Even though the water in the hold was rising, the Convicts were initially kept in the hold while other passengers were taken off the ship. Some convicts who were confined to their sick-beds were drowned. The guards fired shots to keep the convicts in the hold while others got off the ship. It was alleged that, as a result, one or two convicts were shot. An inquiry rejected the contention that any convict had been shot despite witness testimony to suggest otherwise16. Several vessels came to the aid of the ship and, eventually the convicts were able to leave the hold and get off the wrecked ship17.
George was lucky to have survived. Of the 133 people who lost their lives, 128 of them were convicts; their survival having been a secondary consideration of the rescue attempt.
Newspaper accounts relating to the wreck of the George the Third can be found via the Trove website18. You can also access them via my family history archive.
Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania)
At the time of his arrival in Tasmania, George had been described as being aged 18, five foot five and a half inches tall with a sallow complexion, large round head, black hair and eyebrows, no whiskers, large full visage, high forehead, dark brown eyes, long thick nose, m.w. mouth (medium wide?), large chin and with three moles inside his left arm19:
George arrived at a time when the focus of convict administration was on assignment. The majority of Convicts were assigned to private settlers who then became responsible for the food and clothing of their convict workers. Landholders were required to take at least one convict for every 100 acres they had. There was a rigid system for providing rewards and punishment. About 10% of the convicts were on secondary punishment. They were usually sent to Port Arthur20.
On his arrival, George, who became police number 1903, was assigned for work to a settler with the surname 'Friend' in Launceston21 22. George is listed in earlier convict documents as a labourer from Birmingham23 24 and, in later records, as a brickmaker25. It is very likely that he learned his trade as a brickmaker during his years as a Convict. Brickmaking was one of the key activities undertaken by Convicts at Port Arthur.
George had been in Launceston working for the settler, Friend, for about a month only when, on 11 May 1835, he was reprimanded for being out after hours. He doesn’t appear to show up in the records again until 25 April 1839 when he was granted a Ticket of Leave. From there things seemed to go downhill for George. He didn’t seem to be able to keep himself out of trouble.
On 26 June 1839, while still on a Ticket of Leave, George was again found to be out after hours and reprimanded. On 11 November 1839 his misconduct was discharged. Then more seriously on 6 October 1840, George was accused of ‘feloniously receiving’ and committed to trial. He was tried in Launceston on 15 October 1840 and sentenced to 7 years, thereby extending his original sentence. It was less than a month later, on 9 November 1840, when George refused to work and was punished with 48 hours in solitary confinement.
On 25 May 1841, George was absent from his place of work without leave and received 4 days of solitary confinement. When again on 10 July 1841 he was absent from work without leave, George was given 6 weeks hard labour in chains at Port Arthur. On 23 May 1842, George received a further 3 weeks hard labour in chains at Port Arthur for misconduct26 27.
Images of convict records associated with George White can be found in my family history archive28.
During 1840, after it was argued that the assignment system was an unfair lottery, the focus of convict administration changed from assignment to probation. Under the new system, arriving convicts served a period ‘on probation’ with stages of punishment. They were imprisoned at a penal settlement, worked in gangs or were sent to probation stations, and, depending on their behaviour, restrictions on them reduced as they moved towards ‘Ticket of Leave’ status29.
Settling Down
I have been unable to find mention in the records of further misconduct by George after 23 May 1842. Perhaps, this suggests that he settled down a little and decided to fit in with what was expected of him. Certainly time spent undertaking hard labour in chains at Port Arthur should have persuaded him that it was easier to co-operate. Life for a convict sentenced to hard labour at Port Arthur was harsh and brutal. Perhaps meeting Elizabeth Allen was a steadying influence on him?
It is uncertain when, or how, George and Elizabeth met. She too was a convict. What we do know is that on 22 March 1845, George and Elizabeth sought official permission to marry and this was approved by the Colonial Secretary30.
You can read about Elizabeth Allen here:
You can read about George and Elizabeth’s life together here:
The post draws on information from my family history archive on the weare.xyz platform
'Class: HO 11; Piece: 9' via Ancestry.com 'Australian Convict Transportation Registers – Other Fleets & Ships, 1791-1868' Ancestry.com Operations Inc. 2007 Provo, UT, USA. Accessed 10 January 2023
State Library of Queensland; South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 90, Class and Piece Number HO11/9, Page Number 487 (245) via Ancestry.com Web: Australia, Convict Records Index, 1787-1867 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2018 Lehi, UT, USA. Accessed 28 Feb 2022.
Van Diemen's Land was the original name of the island of Tasmania. In 1803, the island was settled by the British as a penal colony and became part of the British colony of New South Wales. In 1824, Van Diemen's Land became an independent colony and in 1856 was renamed by the British to Tasmania. Information from Van Diemen’s Land - Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Jan. 2022 [Website} Accessed 10 January 2023 - https://www.britannica.com/place/Van-Diemens-Land
‘Australasian Underwater Cultural Database' via Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment [Website]. Accessed 10 January 2023 - http://www.environment.gov.au/shipwreck/public/wreck/wreck.do?key=7195
'Convict Records - CON13-1-7 – Image 53' 'Assignment List for 200 male convicts embarked in the ship George the Third for Van Diemen’s Land' via Libraries Tasmania [Website]. Accessed 10 January 2023 - https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON13-1-7$init=CON13-1-7P53
Library of Birmingham; Birmingham, England; 'Birmingham Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: DRO 34/12; Archive Roll: M100' via Ancestry.com. Birmingham, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1919 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Accessed 10 January 2023.
There appear to be a number of George White’s born in Birmingham at about this time. Evidence suggests this is the right record for our George White. George named some of his children: Joseph, George, Ann, Elizabeth, Alfred, Alfred Wallis, Emma Amelia. His siblings (other children of George and Ann [Wallis] White were Joseph, Amelia, Ann and Alfred. Joseph and Amelia were baptised at the same time as George on 14 November 1821 (Joseph born 10 Feb 1818; Amelia born 26 October 1819] - See Note 6.
These details are from newspaper articles after his trial. Unfortunately, I have been unable to track down these articles to view them first hand. They are referred to by the profile owner of George White on the WikiTree website (which I accessed on 4 March 2022), as follows:
Cambridge Chronicle and Journal, 14 March 1834, p.4 reported: "George White, was indicted for stealing 12 dozen buttons from Birmingham to London Wagon. out of the Birmingham waggon at Dunstable, 12 dozen of buttons, the property of Joseph Alexander and others. Verdict, guilty - 7 years' transportation”;
Northampton Mercury, 15 March 1834, p.1 reported: "George White was charged with robbing the Birmingham wagon on its way to London, of a parcel containing a quantity of buttons. The prisoner had rode in the wagon when the parcel was lost, he was shortly after apprehended by the wagoner at Dunstable, in this county, and twelve dozen of the buttons found upon him - verdict, Guilty. The prisoner was sentenced to seven years' transportation"
Northampton Mercury, 15 March 1834, p.1 – See Note 8.
Unless it was usual for those arrested in Bedfordshire to be remanded to Newgate?
'Bedfordshire Gaol Register' via Central Bedfordshire Council and Bedford Borough Council [Website] Bedfordshire Archives and Record Service. Accessed 10 January 2023 - http://apps.bedford.gov.uk/grd/detail.aspx?id=5246
'Home Office: Convict Transportation Registers'; (The National Archives Microfilm Publication HO11); The National Archives of the UK (TNA), Kew, Surrey, England via Ancestry.com. 'Australian Convict Transportation Registers – Other Fleets & Ships, 1791-1868' [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Accessed 10 January 2023.
Convict Records - CON31-1-47 Image 96 via Libraries Tasmania [Website] Accessed 16 March 2022 - https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON31-1-47$init=CON31-1-47P96
'Bedfordshire Gaol Register' via Central Bedfordshire Council and Bedford Borough Council [Website] Bedfordshire Archives and Record Service. Accessed 10 January 2023 - http://apps.bedford.gov.uk/grd/detail.aspx?id=5246
‘Australasian Underwater Cultural Database' via Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment [Website] Accessed 10 January 2023 - http://www.environment.gov.au/shipwreck/public/wreck/wreck.do?key=7195
'Shipwreck' The Hobart Town Courier, 24 April 1835, page 4 via Trove [Website]. Accessed 10 January 2023 - https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4180715
'Australasian Underwater Cultural Database' via Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment [Website] Accessed 10 January 2023 - http://www.environment.gov.au/shipwreck/public/wreck/wreck.do?key=7195
Newspaper reports include:
'Dreadful Occurrence' - Colonial Times, 14 April 1835, page 7 via Trove [Website] Accessed 10 January 2023;
'Shipwreck' - The Hobart Town Courier, 24 April 1835, page 4 via Trove [Website] Accessed 10 January 2023;
'Wreck of George III' - The Mercury, 12 April 1928, page 5 via Trove [Website] Accessed 10 January 2023.
Convict Records - CON18-1-8 - Image 205 via Libraries Tasmania [Website]. Accessed 16 March 2022.
'Convict Administration - The Assignment Period 1803-1839' via Libraries Tasmania [Website] Accessed 10 January 2023 - https://libraries.tas.gov.au/family-history/convicts-in-van-diemens-land-now-tasmania/convict-life/
Convict Records - CON31-1-47 - Image 96 via Libraries Tasmania [Website]. Accessed 10 January 2023 - https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON31-1-47$init=CON31-1-47P96
Convict records - CON34-1-5 - Image 497 via Libraries Tasmania [Website]. Accessed 10 January 2023 - https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON34-1-5$init=CON34-1-5P497
Convict Records - CON18-1-8 - Image 205 via Libraries Tasmania [Website] Accessed 10 January 2023 - https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON18-1-8$init=CON18-1-8P205
Convict Records - CON14-2 - Image 54 via Libraries Tasmania [Website] Accessed 10 January 2023 - https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON14-2-4$init=CON14-2-4P54
George White via Convict Records [Website]. Accessed 10 January 2023 - https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/white/george/18309
Convict Records - CON34-1-5 - Image 497 via Libraries Tasmania [Website] Accessed 14 January 2023 - https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON34-1-5$init=CON34-1-5P497
Convict Records - CON31-1-47 - Image 96 via Libraries Tasmania [Website]Accessed 14 January 2023https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON31-1-47$init=CON31-1-47P96
All accessed from the Libraries Tasmania Online Collection.
Convict Administration - The Probation Period 1840-1853 via Libraries Tasmania [Website] Accessed 14 March 2022 - https://libraries.tas.gov.au/family-history/convicts-in-van-diemens-land-now-tasmania/convict-life/
Permission to Marry – CON 52/1/2 page 389 RGD37/4:1845/1710 via Libraries Tasmania [Website] Accessed 15 January 2023 - https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Record/NamesIndex/1242025
The buttons must have been made of silver or a valuable metal that could have been melted down and sold. Possibly made by hand and containing artistic details. I'm just guessing! Such interesting stories to be found in your family history.
The ship conditions! Wow!! Looking forward to part two.