Where was my convict forebear really from?
QMy great great grandfather, John Robinson, was convicted in the Kent Assizes on 15 March 1819 for forgery. Originally committed to hang, the sentence was reduced to 14 years’ transportation to Van Diemen’s Land ( Tasmania). On his sentencing documentation his birth date is 9 October 1799, with his native place given as “Bristol”.
In September 1819 John was shipped out on the
Drumodery after spending six months on the prison hulk
Retribution. After landing in Hobart in January 1820 he carved out a life in Oatlands.
Unfortunately I have no details about John’s life up until the Kent Assizes. On two occasions I have employed consultants, with no luck. I have also researched birth, marriage and death records for both Bristol and the parish of Briston, Norfolk. Tony Robinson
AThis problem is all too frequent when trying to trace a migrant ancestor’s UK roots, especially with a popular surname.
Tasmanian death certificates did not record places of birth until 1897, so there is no corroboratory evidence regarding John’s place of birth, and dates and places of birth on criminal records are notoriously unreliable.
There are several types of criminal records, ranging from the actual court records through to Calendars of Prisoners and Goal Delivery records, which should all be consulted. David T Hawkings’s book Criminal Ancestors provides helpful guidance about where to look, while ukgdl.org.uk/ county/kent/prisoner_records gives some useful online listings.
You should also consult newspapers for details of John’s background, in particular the Kentish Gazette (online at
britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk and, for Pro-level subscribers, findmypast.co.uk), South Eastern
Gazette, Kent Advertiser and the Police Gazette. Copies of the last three do not appear to be online for this period, but can be found at the British Library ( bl.uk).
If John was tried at Maidstone, there are extant settlement registers 1716–1819 at Kent History and Library Centre ( bit.
ly/KentHLC). If there is an entry for him, it should confirm his place of origin. Look to see if John left a will – there is a chance that he may have mentioned relatives back in England.
If you are up for a major research project with slim chance of success, a study of will indexes such as archives.bristol.gov.uk/ willsindex.aspx could help you target any Robinson wills in the Bristol area that are worth buying and may mention “my relative John Robinson in Hobart”.
Any baptism searches should include not just Bristol but surrounding parishes and nonconformist records. The latter are available via bmdregisters.
org.uk and at ancestry.co.uk. Finally, well done for checking baptisms for Briston – “Bristol” in the assize record could easily have been a typographical error – and, if you need to recruit professional help, you can find an appropriate genealogist via agra.org.uk. Celia Heritage