Researchers who have claimed this convict
There are currently 2 researchers who have claimed William Henry Jefferies
- Researcher (7000)
- Researcher (Francis Jeffries)
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Biographies
William Henry Jeffery was born 7 February 1803 in Finsbury, London to James & Esther Jeffery and baptised 17 October 1804 at St Dunstan in the West, London.
He was apprenticed as a baker at the age of 12 and after qualifying at the age of 16, moved to Bristol and found lodging in Old Market Street. He shared his lodgings with Louisa Orchard.
But as the price of bread rose, more people made their own bread and Thomas fell on hard times. In November 1824, he and friends John Duffety and George Sims were involved in four burglaries, but were only charged for the one at Clift House, the residence of the Dowager Lady Smythe.
He was probably turned in by an informant, and on Tuesday 21 December he was arrested with stolen goods in his possession at his lodging.
William was committed to the Ilchester County Gaol on 25 Dec 1824 and the record shows he was age 21, 5ft 7½ in tall, 152 lbs weight, fair complexion, brown hair, light blue or grey eyes, scar over right eye, cut on fore finger of left hand, born London, baker, living Old market St Bristol, unmarried and could read and write.
At the Lent Assizes in Taunton, County Somerset on 26 March 1825 William, Duffety and Sims were found guilty. They were sentenced to death but this was commuted, for William and John Duffety to transportation for Life and for George Sims for 14 years.
They were taken by prison cart on 14 May 1825 to the hulk “York” at Gosport for 5 months and on 22 August 1825 left Portsmouth on the first convict voyage of the “Marquis of Hastings”. She carried 152 male convicts and had no deaths en-route, arriving at Port Jackson on 3 January 1826.
William was assigned to Mr Hannibal MacArthur, the nephew of Governor John MacArthur. He was sent as a shepherd to “Arthursleigh” at Sutton Forest in the Berrima district, at that time on the frontier of civilisation.
The property, which still exists, was established in 1820 when his uncle granted Hannibal McArthur 1,000 acres to go with his other big property, Vineyard near Parramatta. The 1828 census has William at Arthursleigh as a shepherd.
On 2 September 1828, near the Wollondilly River at Arthursleigh, William and fellow shepherd Thomas Fuller overpowered and captured bushrangers William Boyne and John Walsh, who had been terrorising the district. As a result, William and Thomas Fuller were awarded their Tickets of Leave.
27 year old William Jeffery met 20 year old Mary Ann Hennessy, a convict from Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland who had been assigned to James Atkinson from Oldbury estate at Sutton Forest. In October 1830 he applied to marry her. Permission was granted in November 1830 but they had to wait until a minister was in the area to perform the ritual.
William and Mary were married on 28 March 1831 by the Rev Thomas Hassall at the little weatherboard chapel at Arthursleigh, Sutton Forest.
The status of convict women who married Ticket of Leave men is a little unclear. Mary was released from her assignment to James Atkinson but she did not receive a Ticket of Leave. Legally she was still under the jurisdiction of the Principal Superintendent of Convicts and had to serve out the remainder of her sentence. However, she was released from the onerous requirement of reporting for musters. She was not assigned to William; he had no legal jurisdiction over Mary, apart from the marriage vows. Mary was finally granted a Certificate of Freedom on 17 Jan 1840
They had 11 children, six of whom died before their parents.
In 1845, William was recommended for a Conditional Pardon by W Sims, Benjamin & Moses, F Macarthur JP & E C Atkinson JP – he was granted this Conditional Pardon 47/43 on 16 Jan 1847.
In that year, freeman William Jeffery settled on vacant Crown Land at Mary Ann Vale (now Marianvale), south of Marulan.
Submitted by Researcher (7000) on 3 February 2017
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Disclaimer: The information has not been verified by Claim a Convict. As this information is contributed, it is the responsibility of those who use the data to verify its accuracy. Research notes
There are currently no research notes attached to this convict. Sources
- The National Archives (TNA) : HO 11/5, p.301
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