The Shipley, Millman and Bovendorp Families

The Shipley, Millman and Bovendorp Families - George SHIPLEY

George SHIPLEY
      Sex: M
Individual Information
          Birth: 1811 - Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England
    Christening: 3 Sep 1811 - Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England
          Death: 26 Aug 1885 - Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
         Burial: 
Events
• He worked as a Baker in 1837.

• He lived at Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England in 1837.

• He was involved in a court case about Convicted of horse stealing on 21 Mar 1837 in Lancaster, Lancashire, England.

• He lived at Prison hulk 'Fortitude', Chatham, Kent, England in 27 Apr 1837.

• Deportation: 29 Sep 1837, SS Neptune.

• He lived at Tasmania, Australia in 18 Jan 1838.

Parents
         Father: George SHIPLEY (1777-Bef 1837)
         Mother: Ann SMITH (1773-1868)
Spouses and Children
1. *Mary Ann DEACON (May 1813 - Sep 1892)
       Marriage: 6 Aug 1834 - Great Bowden, Leicestershire, England
         Status: 
       Children:
                1. George Deacon SHIPLEY (1835-1926)

2. Ann SMEDLEY (Cir 1816 - 2 Apr 1860)
       Marriage: 27 Nov 1848 - Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
         Status: 

3. Sarah ASHMORE (1811 - Bef 1871)
       Marriage: 23 Sep 1861 - Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
         Status: 

4. Mary Ann (Jane) BOWLING Bowlinger (Cir 1815 - 1885)
       Marriage: 27 Sep 1871 - Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
         Status: 
Notes
Christening Notes:

St Mary's Parish Church
Death Notes:

Collins Street
General:

Misc. event Type: I.G.I. Christening Misc. event Place: 1811 Baptism Date: 3 SEP 1811 Baptism Place: St Mary's Parish Church, Burton Latimer Emigration Date: 1837 Emigration Place: Transported to Tasmania Occupation Date: 1834 Occupation Place: Baker George, my great great great grandfather, was born in 1811 to George Shipley and Anne at Burton Latimer. He was baptised at St Mary's Parish church there on 3rd September 1811. He had three siblings; two older sisters, Mary Ann born 1806 and Jane born 1808 and a younger sister, Fanny, born 1813. There had also been two other siblings who died at birth in 1803 and 1804. It appears that by 1837 Mary Ann had also died for, in her petition for clemency of that year, his mother stated that " she was a widow, mother of six children of whom only three survive" - it is known that her children George, Fanny and Jane lived for many more years. George married Mary Anne Deacon on 6th August 1834. The marriage took place in the parish of Great Bowden. George was "of the parish of Burton Latimer" and Mary "of this parish" i.e. Great Bowden. George signed his name and Mary made her mark. The witnesses were Jane Shipley (George's sister) and James Deacon (probably Mary's brother). Jane signed her name and James made his mark. George and Mary Anne's son George Deacon - their only child - was born in 1835 and christened on 29th December at Holy Trinity, Coventry. On their son's birth record his father's occupation is given as baker. On the 21st March 1837, at the age of 25, George was convicted to "life" and transported to Tasmania - then known as Van Diemens Land. His crime had been to hire a pony and trap, (from Mrs. Clementina Deakin of Tamworth, Staffordshire) and then to try and sell it. He was tried, without defence, at Lancaster assizes and found guilty. He was imprisoned in Lancaster Castle and some seven months later, on the 7th October 1837, was transported from Sheerness on the ship " Neptune" along with 199 other men - three of whom died on the journey. The ship arrived at VDL on 18th January 1838 - a journey of more than a hundred days. Three petitions for clemency were made. The first, on March 30th 1837 by W.H. Henslowe, Minister and the Rev J. S. Grimshawe, Rector of Burton Latimer, to the Right Honourable Lord John Russel at Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire, mentions George's penitence, the fact of his being the only son of a widowed mother, (it can therefore be assumed that his father had died before that year and that George was trying to run the family business) his family's exemplary conduct and character, his being driven to crime by his inability to make up his payments as a baker and the fact that he was him self similarly robbed but forbore to prosecute. The second, in February 1841 by George himself, to The Queen's Most Excellent Majesty and supported by letters from his master Mr Hugo of Liverpool Street, Hobart Town Tasmania and the Rev. Grimshawe, details his good character previous to his conviction (which was his first offence) and his good behaviour since being assigned to his master in Tasmania; also the fact that after the first petition, upwards of three years previously, he was advised that if he conduct himself well some mitigation of sentence might be granted him. The third in February 1847 by his mother - again to The Queen's Most Excellent M ajesty, tells of the fact that George was undefended at his trial. She felt that, had he been so, the outcome would have been very different because "he did not contemplate stealing the horse when he hired it" and "the offence would not have amounted to a felony but to a breach of trust which would not have subjected the prisoner to so severe a sentence". George's good conduct is again cited and she goes on to tell of her great loss and hardship since her son's conviction and begs that Her Majesty will see fit to "restore her son to the home of his aged parent and to the bosom of his bereaved wife and family". Sadly, none of these petitions were successful - Anne, George's mother, never saw him again although it is apparent that they did manage to communicate by letter from time to time. George was granted a ticket of leave in 1846 and a conditional pardon in 1849 and he married several times in Tasmania. The first occasion was in 1848 when George was 37. It was a "convict marriage" to Ann Smedley, spinster, aged 32 , who had also been transported from England on the ship "Tory" in 1845. The marriage took place on 27th November in St. Georges at Hobart [it was a bigamous marriage, as was Mary Ann's second marriage]. Anne died on 2nd Apri l 1860 from "inflammation of the chest". Her death record gives her husband's occupation as "labourer". In 1856 the electoral roll gives George's address as lodging house, (Juror house) 80, Wellington St., Launceston. ( annual rent 50 shillings) and in 1861 his son's marriage certificate gives his father's occupation as "boarding house keeper". The next marriage was to Sarah Ashmore, a widow, aged 50. (George was also 50 - again he is not described as a widower). It took place on September 23rd 1861 in the Baptist Chapel at Launceston. No other details are known except that Sarah too must have died (presumably the mortality rate was high in Tasmania at that time) for George married again for the fourth and last time. This time it was to Jane Neighbour nee Bowling/Boling/Bollinger. Jane was also an ex-convict. Originally she was transported from England in 1851 having been convicted of "larceny by a servant" - on 25th November 1850 she had stolen money and clothing from Mr. Lea of Leadenhall St., London. On her convict record she was described as "a plain cook, aged 32 , height 5ft 1in, complexion pale, visage full, forehead high, nose small, eyes blue, eyebrows sandy , hair russet" and she had a scar on the centre of her forehead. She was a widow/single with no children and came from Stepney. She could read and write. She had three brothers; John, James and Thomas who had also been transported, sentenced to 10 years, about seven years before her. Jane got a ticket of leave in October 1857 and married William Neighbour, a butcher, on 24th July 1858 at Hobart. Her maiden name was given as Mary Ann Boling ( presumably she was also known as Jane - apparently convicts often used more than one name in order to hide their past misdemeanours) William died of a pulmonary abscess in 1862. Unfortunately, on 18th April 1866, Jane (Mary Ann) was caught stealing bacon and sentenced to six months hard labour. (Jane Neighbour's convict record was added to that of Mary Bowling - thus confirming that they were one and the same). George, then a widower aged 60 and Jane (Mary Ann) a widow aged 45, married on 27th September 1871 in the Wesleyan church at Hobart. His occupation was given as baker and hers as housekeeper. (It looks like she was under-stating her age as she could well have been in her fifties by then). They died within a week of each other; he on 26th August 1885 of bronchitis and old age, she on 3rd September of cardiac disease and dropsy. Their funerals were not those of paupers - the joint funeral expenses came to 19 pounds - a lot of money in 1885. George left a will and in it he did "give and bequeath to Mary Jane Bolling now residing with me all furniture and personal effects of which I might die possessed and also all monies and personal estate in Tasmania of which I may die possessed for her own use". It is assumed that Mary Jane Bolling was either the daughter of Jane Neighbour nee Mary Ann Bowling/Boling and was born after her arrival in Tasmania in 1851 and before she married William Neighbour in 1858, or that she was a daughter of Thomas Bowling, Mary Anne's convict brother. (A female child was born to a Thomas Bowling and Ellen Davis at Launceston in 1857. Thomas and Ellen married in 1858). George went on to say that she should have an annuity of thirty nine pounds, paid by quarterly installments, for life and this money would come from "any rent/personal estate in Great Britain - to be sold or mortgaged if necessary to pay the annuity." (Presumably this "estate" was his inheritance from his s ister Fanny) To his only son George Deacon Shipley "at present residing in Hertfordshire" he left 'the residue of such net proceeds (if any)".

Marriage Notes (Mary Ann Deacon)

Wednesday
This marriage is listed in the Great Bowden parish register - George is referre d to as bachelor of Burton Latimer: Mary Ann as spinster. George signed his na me and Mary Ann made her mark. The witnesses were Jane Shipley,who signed he r name and James Deacon who made his mark. This could be the James that was b aptised there on 25th September 1814, son of James and Elizabeth. It is assume d at present that he was Mary Anns brother. This information came from Peter Shipley who accessed it at the society of gene alogists. I have a copy of the entry in the parish register.

Last updated 3 October 2012