Query on parents, date of birth and baptism

Different internet trees have different parents for Martha

• James SHAW 1768-1809 and Martha HAIGH 1768-1813 - with a birth date of 28 Feb 1808 and baptism date of 10 April 1808
• William SHAW 1758-1815 and Harriett Martha WAITE 1785-1839 - with a birth date of 22 May 1808

Her 1823 trial gives her age as 15 - therefore born c1808
Her death date has not been confirmed

• there is an 1862 death record for Martha WELLS age 53 at Bathurst, no parents listed

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MARTHA SHAW (Born Circa 1808) and an ANN POWELL were indicted at the Sixth Sessions, 1823, of the Old Bailey, for stealing on the 22nd May, 1823, a hat, value 10/- ($1 in modern currency). Martha Shaw and Ann Powell were both found guilty and sentenced to transportation for 14 years. Both girls were 15 years old. P.R.O. REEL 2739, Criminal Registers, recorded that Martha Shaw was committed at Middlesex Gaol Delivery on 25th June, 1823, for “Larceny with a Person”. A.O. Reel 2418, Musters and Papers - Convict Ships - List of Female Convicts Under Sentence of Transportation in Great Britain, Ordered on Board the Ship BROTHERS on 23rd October, 1823, showed under Character that both Ann Powell and Martha were Bad Girls, but there were not many compliments paid to any of the lassies listed on this particular document.

The ship BROTHERS departed from Downs, on the 6th December 1823, with 90 Female Convicts and a few passengers and seven days after the ship’s departure from England, that is on the 13th December, 1823, a Convict Mutiny occurred which resulted in an attack on the Ship’s Surgeon Superintendent, James Hall, by six of the ladies, when he was knocked down in the prison, beaten and kicked, the ladies were said to have been assisted in their endeavours by the Chief Mate, James Thompson Meach, in that he had rescued one of the ladies and also struck Mr. Hall. Mr. Hall stated in his report to the Colonial Secretary that James Thompson Meach had threatened to throw him overboard in a gale of wind, or bribe men at Sydney to throw him over the Rocks. Mr. Meach is said to have had false keys which he had used to let a Mary Smith out of the prison and another prisoner, for the purpose of prostitution. The ladies involved in this episode were Lydia Gardner, 18 years, Ellen Meadows 20 years, Catherine Ryan 17 years, Elizabeth Wreay 18 years, Catherine McManus 22 years, and Ann Russell 19 years. Mary Smith was apparently looking after Mr. Meach’s needs up unto; this time.

Mr. Meach was relieved of his duty and there were a series of court cases after the vessel arrived in Sydney, but Mr. Meach was cleared of the charges laid and apparently went back to sea at a later date.

The BROTHERS sailed directly to Hobart Town and arrived there on the 15th April, 1824, when at least 49 of the convict ladies were disembarked including ANN POWELL, one having died during the voyage, and the BROTHERS departed from Hobart on the 25th April, 1824, and continued her voyage to Sydney where she arrived on the 7th May 1824. All the ladies involved in the aforesaid Mutiny were on board when the ship arrived in Sydney. Forty ladies were mustered on arrival in Sydney and on the papers covering this Muster, our Martha was shown to be in good health, but ‘TURBULENT”. On the Shipping Indent Martha was described as Height, 4’8-1/2” - Complexion, Fresh/Freckled - Hair, Dark Brown - Eyes, Grey - Calling, Housemaid. In the document addressed by Mr. Hall to the Colonial Secretary he stated that except for six o r seven of the ladies the conduct of the other ladies was good, which statement is presumed to mean that they behaved in a moral manner.

A small amount of research was conducted into the fate of ANN POWELL, in the Tasmanian Records and it was found in the Burials in the Parish of Hobart Town, in the County Buckingham in the Year 1835, ANN POWELL - ABODE - HOBART TOWN FROM FACTORY - BURIED 30TH JULY, 1835 - AGE 33 YEARS - SHIP’S NAME - BROTHERS - QUALITY OR PROFESSION - CONVICT. Ann would not have been more than 27 years of age at this time and it is an indication of how difficult it must have been in Tasmania and how sad and an indictment of the system which existed at the time.

A check in the 1825 Muster showed that Martha was at the Parramatta Female Factory at the time this was conducted.

Martha seems to have continued to have been TURBULENT and a Notice dated 9th March, 1826 inserted in t he Sydney Gazette of the 11th March, 1826, by the Principal Superintendent of Convicts Office, Sydney, listing details of Convicts who had absconded from their employment, included our Martha as follows: MARTHA SHAW - BROTHERS - LONDON - 4 FEET 8 AND A HALF - GREY EYES, DARK BROWN HAIR, FRESH/FRECKLED COMPLEXION - GOVERNMENT SERVANT TO MR. WM. NICHOLLS, WILBERFORCE.

No trace has been found of the punishment Martha received for the offence of “absconding”, but it is more than likely that she was returned to the Parramatta Female Factory as she was resident at Parramatta when she married Thomas.

Martha Shaw may have been killed by aborigines.

Martha separated from her family at Wollombi and took up with a James Crawley. They had a son James, born 1845, died 1849, at Wollombi.

This is offered as the reason why she is almost never mentioned in later family records. On all her children's Death Certificates, except for Hannah, mother's name is not stated.

LINKS

• https://australianroyalty.net.au/tree/purnellmccord.ged/individual/...
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Shaw-3333
• https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/shaw/martha/116803
• https://gsq-blog.gsq.org.au/my-ancestors-folklores-true-or-false/
• https://gsq-blog.gsq.org.au/the-story-of-martha-shaw/
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LCT8-CNR
• https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/shaw/martha/116803
• https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/wells/thomas/117831
• https://gw.geneanet.org/coraki?lang=en&iz=36512&p=martha&n=shaw