Well said, Peter. We have a family who definitely fit the catagory of stealing to go to sunnier climes. A Family of Thurstons, Port Jackson: 1809 Dad & two sons stole horses, Transported for life, a few months later two more sons stole horses, transported for life. Now this seems to be a case of 'don't they learn'. But twelve months later another son stole horses and he was transported for life. But when you think about it, was word filtering through that transportation was definitely better that life in England in those times. Mother and grandaughter followed free in 1821. Meg In rainy Burpengary, Qld (hoping it has fallen in the catchment area) Peter Thomas wrote: > G'day, my understanding is that then, as now, there was a distinction > between petit (petty) and grand larceny; although now they are usually > called simple theft and aggravated theft. > > One criterion for separating these categories was the value of the goods > stolen. > > At one point, early in the transportation era, the thresh-hold was one > shilling. But that was increased later: to five shillings, I think. > At a trial, the value of the property was (and still is) a question for > the jury. They were not always as heartless & ignorant as sometimes > portrayed: they could inject some mercy into their verdict by reducing > the value of the property below the relevant thresh-hold. So I have > read secondary sources which cite examples along the lines "stole two > sovereigns, to the value of eleven-pence". > > For much of the transportation era, the price of bread, and other basic > comestibles, was highly unstable. Until 1815, Britain was almost > constantly at war, and sea trade was extremely hampered. That left > Britain largely dependent upon her own produce, which in turn fluctuated > because of weather, and labour shortages, due to extensive recruitment > for the Army & Navy. > > So, the questions begged by the phrase "stealing bread" are: was it a > slice; a loaf; or a cart-load ? And, what was the prevailing price in > that place, and at that time ? > > Balancing all that: there was a period when transportation had no > deterrent effect. The challenge, during that period, for a poor Briton > who wanted to migrate to sunnier shores was to steal something > sufficiently valuable to warrant being prosecuted; but not so valuable > as to be hanged for it; and ideally not to get any more than the minimum > term, which seems to have been seven years. > > These challenges ensured that only the best were transported. > Our ancestors were selected by the finest judges in Britain to become > colonists !* > And remember: > True patriots all: > For be it understood, > They left their country, > For their country's good ! > > (*leading one to wonder if those remaining in Britain tended to > congregate at the shallow end of the gene pool ?) > > Peter THOMAS > Darwin, AUSTRALIA > <pmthomas@bigpond.com> > >