Hello Elizabeth Thanks for the reply. Yes, there are many possibilities but no evidence about unsatisfactory service, or a crime, or a road gang. Rather to the contrary, he served the following 39 years with the one family without any adverse report and he seems to have been well respected. I think it highly likely that he was transferred between masters unofficially, which I understand frequently occurred, or if there was an official record it has been lost. A lot of convicts who worked for Mudie were either witnesses or named by others at the Castle Forbes trial and the subsequent inquiry, but my convict was not named. Mudie and his partner Lanarch seem to have each had about 20 convicts. There are rather less than that number named, so it is possible that my convict worked at Castle Forbes. I think I have explored all I can at that end, so I am hoping that something comes to light at the Wilkinson end. Cheers Ken [email protected] Given you have four years between records there could have been any number of scenarios many of which are not documented. After initial assignment he may have proved to be unsatisfactory and returned to Government as such, sent for 6 months to a road party then re assigned. Accept for one or two months in 1830 the road party returns do not exist. Could have absconded or committed a crime of some sort and was sent to an iron gang then a road party then re assigned. Again very few records survive. Convicts were swapped but usually there is some documentation re letters to the government. A lot has been written about Mudie, have you checked that. I know I had to read it for a uni assignment some 10 years ago but can't remember if it said anything about individual convicts assigned to Mudie. Elizabeth Roberts

Hi Ken, Can I suggest another scenario. One of my ancestors was sent to mind cattle on a property in what is now known as the Snowy Mountains. Squatters were claiming land and sending an overseer with cattle to squat on it. Queensland at that time was a new frontier also. If this was the case could he still have been under the same master. Lyn ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ken Thompson" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]>; Sent: Monday, September 12, 2011 8:19 PM Subject: [PJ] James Mudie > > Hello Elizabeth > Thanks for the reply. Yes, there are many possibilities but no evidence > about unsatisfactory service, or a crime, or a road gang. Rather to the > contrary, he served the following 39 years with the one family without any > adverse report and he seems to have been well respected. I think it highly > likely that he was transferred between masters unofficially, which I > understand frequently occurred, or if there was an official record it has > been lost. > A lot of convicts who worked for Mudie were either witnesses or named by > others at the Castle Forbes trial and the subsequent inquiry, but my > convict was not named. Mudie and his partner Lanarch seem to have each had > about 20 convicts. There are rather less than that number named, so it is > possible that my convict worked at Castle Forbes. I think I have explored > all I can at that end, so I am hoping that something comes to light at the > Wilkinson end. > Cheers > Ken > >