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| Site contents © Copyright Michael Crouch, 2009. This web site was launched on 7 June 1998 |
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William Sherburd England William Sherburd had been convicted of robbery in England and sentenced to transportation for life in 1786. He had languished in Newgate Gaol for three years before being transported to Tasmania and Norfolk Island aboard Scarborough as part of the Second Fleet, the so-called death fleet. Despite the hardships and severe food shortages he faced abroad, William married and raised a family on the island and was soon pardoned. He went on to lead a life free of crime, becoming a substantial landowner and contributing towards the needs and welfare of his community. It was far cry from his poor and destitute origins. William Sherburd had been born in Stepney, London on 15th January, 1762. Most of what we know about William's early life comes from the Old Bailey Session Rolls documenting three trials of which he was a key defendant. The first took place on 30 May, 1781 when William and Thomas Holliday were tried for highway robbery before the Justice, Mr Baron Perwyn. The charge was made on 6 May and the two men, listed as labourers of St. Matthew parish, Bethnel Green, Middlesex, both gave a plea of not guilty. The charge against them stated that on 6 May, 1781, the pair, “with force and arms” on the King's highway did make an assault on John Phillips who, “in corporal fear and danger of his life” handed over, against his will, a silk purse worth sixpence containing a guinea and two shillings, a gold watch worth ten pounds, a gold chain worth three pounds and two seals set in gold worth three pounds. John Phllips testified that on Sunday night of the 6 May at about 9pm, he had been travelling from Clapton to London by coach. At Bethnal Green, two men rode up to the coach in the moonlight and presenting pistols forced his coachman to stop. His servant, a footman named James Penry had been threatened if he didn't look away and keep out. They then demanded the occupant's purse. After an initial refusal they also took his watch, the first man warning him, “make haste, I must have it.” The whole incident lasted one or two minutes. Phillips was unable to identify the two men because one was largely hidden from view, the other wearing a great coat, a hat pulled down over his face and a handkerchief around his neck. The second man was described as a square man of large features, a large nose and a face slightly marked by smallpox. He had a large, dark-coloured great coat partially buttoned-up over his face. Shortly after the incident, a local man named George Hayland fetched the Justice in order to report the crime and keep a watch out for the two men. Phillips heard next morning that Holliday and Sherburd had been arrested but despite a search of their houses, no sign of the stolen goods was found. Following his story, Phillips was asked whether his coachman had been sober or not that night but reported that, “I cannot say.” He went on to say that his coachman was so often intoxicated that it was difficult to tell whether he was drunk or not. He had used him for six months because he was an accomplished coachman who could do as good a job whether he was sober or not. The coachman was the next witness. Francis Whitfield gave a story very similar to that of Phillips, adding that the men had forced him to look straight over the horses heads. Despite this he had had a good view of the two men, it being a very light night. He then positively identified Holliday as being the man who wielded the pistol. What followed was a repeated cross-questioning about his drinking habits, whether he had drunk that day or not and what drink he had been carrying on him. At one point he stated that “I do not know that I was remarkably sober”, contradicting an earlier statement that he had been “perfectly sober”. Despite repeating several times that he was certain that Holliday was one of the men, Whitfield was unable to identify the second man. James Penry, the footman, then took the stand. He stated that he couldn't see or hear much of what was said, he being at the back of the coach. He said that the second man had approached him and said, “turn your face the other way or I will blow your brains out”. When the two highwaymen departed, Penry said one of them had pointed a pistol at him and swore, “If you ride after me, I'll blow your brains out.” When the men had gone, Penry had retraced their path about 20 yards when he met George Hayland who said he knew the two men who had ridden by. He stated that Hayland then joined their carriage and they travelled to Whitechapel to see Sherburd's father, for what reason he did not know. Penry was certain that Holliday and Sherburd were the two men who had assaulted them. George Hayland was the next to come to the stand. He said that he had been in the company of a young woman in Bethnal Green when the two horseman rode by. He had known Sherburd since he was a small child and recognised him immediately, saying “There you go, Billy”. He then reported that James Penry had approached him and asked him if he knew the horseman. On replying that he did, Hayland was then brought to Phillip's coach and taken to William Sherburd's father in Whitechapel. They asked after William but his father who lived with him had not seen him. He asked what William had done and was told of the robbery. Hayland stated that he had never known William do harm to any man. Representing Justice Wilmot's office was Samuel Yardley, the man called out on the night of May 6 to arrest Holliday and Sherburd. He had known both men for some years and along with John Farrel and John Mason, he waited at Holliday's house until 3.30am but saw nobody go in or out. They returned again about 6am and waited at both ends of the street in Willow Walk, Bethnal Green. Yardley was reading a newspaper in a nearby public house when he saw Holliday return home at 7.45am. Holliday was arrested immediately and a search of the house made. No stolen goods were found but some gunpowder wrapped in paper was recovered. They then all proceeded to William's father's home. William's father sent his sister to find him and William was told that he too would have to accompany them before the Justice. Five witnesses were then brought in for Thomas Holliday's defence, each one claiming that he had been at home all night. Six others defended his good character. In Sherburd's defence, seven witnesses including Daniel Butcher, the landlord, testified that Sherburd had been present at the Blue Anchor in Whitechapel between 8pm and 10pm. Another eight witnesses all gave him a good character reference. The judge and the jury took little time in finding Thomas Holliday guilty of the charge against him. He was sentenced to death and humbly recommended by the jury to His Majesty's mercy. No such mercy was shown and Thomas Holliday was executed by hanging. William Sherburd was “let off” for two reasons; one, that he could not be positively identified as the square man of large features and large nose who accompanied Holliday, and secondly, that so many witnesses supported his claim that he had been at the pub during the time of the robbery. William was acquitted and set free. On 5 February, 1782, William was married to Lucy Boynet at St. Dunstan's Church in Stepney, London. They had no children and by the time of William's sentence of transportation in 1790, she had remarried, presumably illegally as there were no grounds for divorce for such people in those days. William Sherburd was arrested again five years later on 26 April, 1786 along with a John Sherburd. This must have been either his father or a cousin as both his brothers would have been far too young. They were accused of having stolen an axe and a chisel belonging to John Thomas, the stolen items having been found in their home in Sun Tavern Fields, Shadwell. Sun Tavern Fields is today bounded by Cable, Martha and Sutton Streets London E1 just east of Shadwell underground station. A number of witnesses testified to the goods as having belonged to John Thomas who had been employed making house repairs in the parish of St. Paul, Shadwell. William and John Sherburd had been seen entering the property Thomas had been working in, carrying two large bags of, supposedly, copper. John Fletcher and William Elbey both stated that they had gone to the Sherburd's home and found the axe, chisel and a number of other items in the room where the two men were having their dinner. It is not clear why, but presumably due to lack of substantial evidence, John and William were acquitted of the charge. Two months later, William Sherburd was not so lucky. Together with Thomas Ransom, William was arrested for a robbery at the home of Thomas Kidd at no.82 Brook Street, Ratcliffe, St. Dunstan's in Stepney. From 10pm to midnight, the house had been burgled twice and £11 and 3 shillings worth of goods stolen including a bed, bed linen, various gowns and clothing, a looking glass (mirror), soap and tableware. The first signs of the men's guilt came on the weekend following the robbery when Mary Kidd, who lived at the house while her husband worked at sea, spotted William's wife, Lucy, wearing one of her gowns at the Bow Street Fair. She did not confront Lucy directly but made enquiries about where she lived and informed the parish constables. A search warrant was duly issued and a raid on Sherburd's home was made. William was not at home and the constables were directed to a room rented by Ransom in the Spice Island public house in the parish of St. George. They caught Elizabeth Ransom, Thomas' wife, washing some of the stolen clothes in a tub and arrested her. A few days later, Lucy Sherburd was arrested too as "a woman of loose character". Thomas and William were arrested shortly afterwards. Lucy, Thomas and Elizabeth all called character witnesses to their trial; William called no one and denied any knowledge of the robbery. William claimed to be a shoemaker, Thomas a labourer. The Old Bailey Session Rolls detail the court proceedings, the witnesses called and a comprehensive list of all the goods taken. Among those testifying were Thomas Dobson, a local pawnbroker who had been brought goods by Elizabeth Ransom and Lucy's sister. A tailor named William Spragg swore that on "Whitsunday Tuesday last", June 6, William Sherburd had brought him some breeches that were too big and needed taking in. Thomas Ransom then came in with a coat which he wanted altering. During this time, various items of the stolen goods were exhibited and Mary Kidd swore that they were hers. By the end of the trial, Lucy and Elizabeth had been aqquitted of the charges against them due to a lack of evidence. William and Thomas were found guilty of both charges against them, that of breaking and entering, and of burglary. They were each sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead. They were taken away to His Majesty's gaol at Newgate on 16 October, 1786. They were to languish there for three years. The Old Bailey Session Rolls of 9 September 1789 show that the two mens' sentences were repealed. The rolls show that: The following captial convicts who had been respited during his Majesty's pleasure were set to the Bar and offered pardons on the Conditions under mentioned, viz. The following capital convicts accepted his Majesty's pardon, on condition of being transported for life. William Sherburd, Thomas Ransom. William embarked on board Scarborough on 10 November, 1789. Meanwhile, back on 26 March, 1786, a woman named Esther Thornton had also been imprisoned at Newgate Gaol for stealing and remained there until she too was transported on 7 May, 1789 aboard the Lady Juliana. Both ships were part of the infamous Second Fleet known colloquially as the death fleet. The journey, the destination and William's meeting with Esther was to prove a turning point in his life. |
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