CERTIFICATES OF FREEDOM
Courtesy of National Library Australia
"TICKETS OF LEAVE / CERTIFICATES OF FREEDOM / PARDONS
Convicts were normally sentenced to seven or 14 year terms but others had sentences ranging from 10 years to life. About half the convicts were transported for seven years, and a quarter were sentenced for 14 years.
If they were well behaved, convicts were not usually required to serve out their full term and could apply for a:
- ticket of leave
- certificate of freedom"
- conditional pardon; or
- an absolute pardon.
With good conduct, a convict serving a seven year term usually qualified for a ticket of leave after four or five years, whilst those serving 14 years could expect to serve between six to eight years. 'Lifers' could qualify for their conditional pardon after 10 or 12 years.
A convict was required to carry their ticket of leave at all times.
They were often listed in the press of the day, or Government Gazettes or both. They can also be found on paid sites.
This Certificate of Freedom belonged to a convict, Gerard Foley, who was in Western Australia... you can read his story here..
from the State Records Office of Western Australia.
This is the listing for my fourth great grandmother, Bridget Eslin... arrived as a convict on the "Sugar Cane" in 1793, was granted a certificate of freedom on 6th February, 1811.
Please click on images to enlarge...
TROVE offers both newspaper announcements as well as Government Gazettes.. They can be referred to as Certificates of Freedom or Tickets of Leave...
They often included the ship that the convict arrived on.
Sydney Monitor (NSW : 1828 - 1838), Saturday 20 March 1830, page 3
Obviously this man wasn't too keen on returning to his former place of employment to collect his certificate...
New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900), Wednesday 2 May 1832 (No.9),
This list includes the ship that the convicts came on... do enlarge..
Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), Thursday 3 July 1834, page 4
This item below isn't easy to read in parts, so maybe this will help..
This item below isn't easy to read in parts, so maybe this will help..
Asia 1, Malcolm Livingstone, William Winterbottom, George Thorpe;
Asia 6, John Lockett;
Asia 7, Catherine Connor;
Brothers 2, Elizabeth Curry;
Bundorah Merchant 1, William Palmer;
Cambridge, John Purcell, James Farrell, Peter Quinn, Patrick Breaton, David Baxter, Patricia Nowlan;
Champion, James Holt;
Countess Harcourt 4, James Carter, Ralph Sampson, James Kerr, Thomas Martin;
Countess Harcourt 5, John Renshaw, William Scott, John Tapp, Thomas Fowler, Duncan McCallum;
Earl St. Vincent ?, William Garratt, alias Richard Petty;
Eliza 3, Timothy Kilfoyle, Daniel Healy, Edward Memnoth, Michael Hlliday or Hallisay, Daniel Luey, William Fennelly, Daniel Brekle, Daniel Lahey, Thomas Ahern, Timothy Dineen;
Elizabeth 3, John Smith, Thomas Derbyshire, John Mann, Maurice Mann, Maurice Evans, James Phillips, Abraham Lewis, George Martin, Henry Shephard;
Elizabeth 4, Mary Teale, Ellen Burke, Ellen Shea or Murphy, Ann Nowlan, Honor Coghlan, Mary Ryan, Mary Ann Atkins, Letitia Cobb, Margaret Power;
England, William Simpson;
Fiorenti (?) 1, Thomas Beckett, Joseph Fox;
Grenada 1, John Fray;
Guildford 6, John Gwilliam;
Guildford 7, George Ebrey;
Harmony, Catherine Smith, Ann Bennett, Elizabeth McMahon;
Houghley 2, Robert Smith, Daniel Holding;
John 1, William Moverley, Charles Jones;
Isabella (? 2), Edward Linehan;
Layton, Charles Osborne;
Lord Wellington, Sarah, the wife of George Hoghe;
Louisa, Alice Parish, Caroline Higgs, Eliza Christmas;
Manlius, William Dick;
Mariner, James Kenny;
Marquis Hastings 2, William Jackson;
Marquis Hastings 3, Francis Hayes;
Marquis Huntley (8?), David Conway, William Whelan, Martin Cash, John Clarke, John Gorman, Edward Petty, James Hennessy, Michael Donnelley, Septimus Davis, Michael Hooolahan or Redmond, Patrick White;
Morley (?) 3, Ann Curtis, Ann Welch;
Morley 4, Peter Duffey, Hugh Savery or Lavey (?), William Lyons, James McGregor, John Smith, Patrick Molloy, Joseph Donnellan or Donnelly, William Marmion;
Phoenix 3, Henry Dawes, Moses Samuel, George Williams;
Prince of Orange, Isaac Marsh;
Prince Regent 4, John Rushworth, Roger Ellison, Henry Wanklin, Charles Lessing;
Providence 2, Louisa Thorn;
Royal Admiral 3, Henry Hughes;
Shipley 3, Henry Gill, John Fewster, Joseph Robson;
Sophia, Anthony McKenna;
Surry 2, William Hempenstal (?);
By His Excellency's command
ALEXANDER McLEAY
It seems that there were so many Certificates of Freedom, being issued that there had to be found a quicker way...
New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900), Wednesday 22 August 1838 (No.351)
Note in this release, that the ship's name comes after the convict's name... a bit easier to search.
New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900), Wednesday 4 November 1840 (No.71)
Three of us Killingtons came to Australia as convicts. A man (William) to Tasmania and two Killington women to Sydney.I cant find much on them though?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, June. As the name isn't very common, I assume you have looked at TROVE and all the regular sites, such as State and National Libraries and Archives.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of this series, I will add a list of all the places I have looked at while researching these articles. Maybe you will find something new there. Do you know what country they came from? You could always try the National Archives there, whether they be in England or Ireland.