Hi Scott, I had not heard of the Royal Pardon in conjunction with the Exile scheme until your recent letter in reply to Cherylanne. My 2 convicts, Philip Reeves, and his brother George Smith( William Reeves) were sentenced to 15 years in 1847 and arrived on the Hashemy in 1849. They were sent on to Moreton Bay. George was given a Condition Pardon in 1857, Philip wasn't. Why was it necessary to apply for a Condition Pardon if they had already received a Royal Pardon before leaving England? Or did this Pardon only extend to certain Exiles? Regards, Joan -----Original Message----- From: aus-convicts-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:aus-convicts-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Scott Brown Sent: Wednesday, 27 August 2008 11:32 PM To: aus-convicts@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [AUS-CON] Exile Ships Scheme from England to Port Phillip Cherylanne George COOK alias George Smith per the Anna Maria in 1848. Tried at Abingdon Quarter Session on 29 June 1846 was sentenced to 7 years for stealing wearing apparel and for having a prior (details not provided) conviction. At the time of his trial he was emplyed as a Farm Labourer, his year of birth was given as 1823. In October 1846 he was accepted into the Exils Scheme and sentto Pentonville, entering there on 2 November 1846. He was trained as a Tailor while in Pentonville. Records state that he was married and that he was literate and able to read and write. The Anna Maria left Woolwich in England on 9 March 1848 and travelled via Hobart to arrive at Geelong on 23 June 1848. The ship carried 190 convicts, disembarking 27 at Hobart and 155 Exiles at Geelong, eight additional convicts being forwarded on to Sydney. George Cook was included on the Surgeon Superintendents list of "Exiles who have distinguished themselves by Exemplary conduct during the voyage". George's possesions on the voyage were 1 bag and 1 box plus wearing apparel (from the "Packages List"). He embarked the ship with 4 shillings in his pocket and spent 3 shillings and 11 pence on supplies before the ship departed. He received one penny when he disembarked (his change) [Details from the "Possessions List"]. George's signature appears on this document. There is a Victorian death registration for 1877 for a George Cook, son of John Cook and Martha Smith, birthplace Berkshire, age at death 55 (This matches your George's listed birth year and Native place) but I can not say tat this is definitely your man. There is also a marriage record for a George Cook to an Agnes Donaldson at Portland (Presbyterian) in 1852. Again, without viewing the full certificate I can not say that this is definitely your man. The Exiles scheme was set up in the late 1830's with the aim of provided workers trained in trades felt necessary for the colony and send them to Tasmania to address a labour shortage there. The scheme itself was modelled around the scheme that was used to send the Parkhurst Boys to the colonies (NZ and WA). Convicts could nominate for the scheme or could be nominated. They had to be of reasonable conduct and be under sentence for a minor offence. If they were eligible for the scheme they then had to undergo a period of seclusion in order to reflect upon their misbegotten ways - seclusion could be up to 12 months. They had to demonstrate that they felt remorse for their "life of crime" and show geneuine desire to rehabilitate. They were then trained up in a trade. Once this was completed they were added to the list of convicts recommended for Royal Pardons under te Exiles scheme. The list was then forwarded to Queen Victoria for signature (Royal Assent). Exiles were then to be sent to the colonies. By the time the first ship was chartered for thescheme (the Royal George in 1844) the labour shortage in Tasmania had eased. The British Government was determined to go ahead with the schem, fulfilling the promise made to the convicts who qualified, that they instructed the Governors of the colonies to meet and agree on a proposal for the dispersal of the Exiles as they arrived. The procedure ended up that the ships carrying the Exiles were to first call in at Hobart where they could disembark convicts who were not part of the scheme, take on supplies and then they were to head to Launceston to lay at anchor until advised which colony was going to accept them. Victoria accepted 9 ships between 1844 and 1849. An additional four ships were turned away and had to sail on to Sydney or Brisbane. All up 1724 Exiles were disembarked in the Port Phillip districts. The Exiles were provided with Government support in finding housing and employment, but they had the opton to forgo this assistance and be disembarked to their own devices. Upon disembarking their Pardons took effect and, initially there was no restriction on their movements and if they wished to return to England thay could jump on the next available ship if they could afford the fare. None took this opton, however the possibility of this happened had the government impose the restriction that they were notto return to the United Kingdom until the expiry of their original sentence. Their movement to other colonies or countries was not restricted as long as they did not return to the UK. Scott Brown HistoryAustralia http://www.historyaustralia.org.au P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail -----Original Message----- From: aus-convicts-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:aus-convicts-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Cherylanne Bailey Sent: Wednesday, 27 August 2008 1:08 PM To: AUS-CONVICTS@rootsweb.com Subject: [AUS-CON] Exile Ships Scheme from England to Port Phillip Hi Greetings from Newcastle I am a newby to this list so hello I have recently been informed that my 4 x G Grandfather is possibly the George COOK alias George SMITH who was convicted at Berkshire Quarter Sessions (Abingdon) on 29 June 1846 for a term of 7 years. I tried to search using Google to ascertain what Gaol he would have ended up in without success but believe what what info follows that he initially went to either Millbank, Parkhurst or Pentonville Prison. I do know he at some point after conviction he became part of the Exile Ships Scheme. Victorian Shipping records (Australia) has revealled the arrival of a George COOK aboard the ship "Anna Maria" in 1848 from England to Port Phillip. Apparently he appears part of the Scheme introduced whereby very well behaved and better class prisoners in Millbank, Parkhurst and Pentonville Prisons in England were offered the chance to come to Australia, as convicts, but as soon as they stepped on land they were free, on condition that they didn't return to England during the period of their conviction. They had to have been very well behaved to be considered and offered this chance. They were allowed to bring belongings and money, and many did very well after they arrived. The exiles actually received a Royal Pardon before embarking, and only nine ships ever actually came out - all referred to now as 'the exile ships'. The scheme only went from 1844 to 1849, and some ships offloaded at Launceston, others at Melbourne or Geelong. So my question are would there be any further records in existence detailing the reason he was convicted and from where he originated? Can anyone offer any information in relation to the Exile Ships Scheme. Can anyone offer any advice as to how I can prove or disprove that this gentleman is is in fact my George? I look forward to hearing from you or anyone in fact that may be able to help. Regards Cherylanne ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to AUS-CONVICTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to AUS-CONVICTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message