| Thomas Pledger | ||
| Convicted
of stealing a sheep and sent to Van Dieman's Land (Tasmania) Thomas Pledger was born in the small village of Wendens Ambo, Essex 1796. His early working life was as a rural worker, shepherd and ploughman. In 1821 at the age of 25, he married 18 year old Sarah Westwood in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire. Thomas and Sarah had a number of children in quick succession Segar (1825), Emma (1827), Martha (1829), Isaac (1830) [my great-grandfather], William (1832), John (1835) and George (1840). The family probably lived in Ash Road, Little Hadham, Hertfordshire.  Wendens Ambo, Essex 1838-39 was a period of depression and high unemployment in rural areas in Britain. A series of bad harvests, bank crashes and high food prices had caused much disruption to the lives of working people. In 1839, Thomas (44) and his son, Segar (14) were accused of stealing a sheep from Ford Street Farm owned by Randal Acres at Braughing, Hertfordshire. Braughing, was a small village a short distance to the north west of Little Hadham. This article from ‘The Reformer’ newspaper 4/1/1840 summarizes the nature of the crime and the court proceedings: “ Beverley Westwood, labourer, Bishop’s Stortford, Seager Pledger and Thomas Pledger, labourers, Little Hadham, were charged on suspicion of having stolen one wether sheep, of the value of 45 shillings, the property of Randal Acres. Mr Dowling appeared for the prisoner Westwood. Seager Pledger was discharged for want of evidence against him. Thomas Pledger (his father) it appeared was shepherd to the prosecutor and from the statement of Westwood, his son in law had given him the sheep in lieu of some money owing to him. Westwood was detected by the police while taking it away. He was found guilty and sentenced to twelve months imprisonment with hard labour. Thomas Pledger ( who made his escape from the Bishop’s Stortford police-station and had but just been apprehended) was also found guilty, and sentenced to ten years'’transportation." At Hertford Quarter Sessions, Thomas was convicted (30th December 1839) to be deported for 10 years. For a full account of the court proceedings click here.  Hertford
Quarter Sessions Court
(still in use) in background and entrance to Hertford Gaol ( now
demolished - behind cart).Segar was not convicted but economic necessity may have required him to join the army once he reached an eligible age. The 1841 Census shows Segar as an agricultural labourer age 15 at Bengeo, Hertfordshire. Now that the family had lost its chief bread-winner, Segar joined the 16th Foot regiment as soon as he was eligible. However a long illness while serving in Dublin, led to his release from service in 1843. Sarah's circumstances were just as tragic as her husband's. The 1841 Census shows Sarah and her four youngest children (Martha, Isaac, William and George) at the Union Workhouse in Bishop's Stortford (ages incorrect eg. Isaac was 11, Martha 12, William 9 possibly because older children were split from their mother and siblings within the institution):  A plan of the Union Workhouse and what life was like inside it, can be found here. It is likely that John has already died, no record of George appears after this date, except a death in 1841 and also a William died in 1841. Now a convict, Thomas was sent from Hertford Gaol on 13th January, 1840 and then to the Warrior Hulk on the Thames at Woolwich. (Illustrated London News: Hulk Warrior 1846) The hulk was just one week old. Thomas departed on the 17th April 1840, to go to Van Diemans Land on the Asia (Asia I (9)) which left on the 27th April 1840 and arrived on the 6th August, 1840. There were 276 convicts on board with two deaths. "Nothing of moment occurred on the voyage out to Van Dieman's Land. On first landing from the ship at Hobart Town we were ranged up round the yard called the Hobart Town Tench. This place had a church in one corner and a treadmill in the other, besides various offices. The superintendent was a man named Gunn. He was six feet five inches high, but had only one arm, the other having been shot off by the bushrangers. The first to inspect us was the Governor himself, Sir John Franklin, who addressed to us a long harangue on the advantages to be gained from good conduct, and the consequences sure to follow bad conduct or breach of discipline." William Derrincourt (William Dedicoat), 1899, Old Convict Days, Unwin [William Dedicoat or Day travelled on the 'Asia' with Thomas and later wrote about his experiences.] Thomas was assessed and sent to work with the Gang at Sandy Bay (Hobart). His record shows that he was a Protestant, could read only and his conduct was good. As a prisoner 3rd class he was relatively trustworthy and probably assigned to public works. The only blemish on his record was being drunk. So, on 19th April 1842 he was sent to two months hard labour on the roads at Bridgewater (possibly near the convict built causeway 1830-1836). Convict treatment could be quite brutal especially on the road gangs where flogging and harsh punishment was common. A shirt and punishment shoe worn by convicts at this location have been acquired by the National Museum of Australia. Thomas was assigned to William Thomas Parramore a former Private Secretary to Lieutenant Governor Arthur and a lawyer from 1828 to 1847. The wealthy, Parramore and his brother, Thomas and family owned large tracts of land for sheep and cattle grazing on the Macquarie River in central Tasmania. Parramore was an early pioneer of the Australian fine wool industry. Thomas probably worked as a shepherd and farm labourer, first at 'Anglewood' at Richmond and then later at 'Wetmore' south of Ross. Locations noted on Thomas's convict record include Richmond (October, 1844) and Campbell Town (May 1845 to October, 1847).  Ross Bridge, Tasmania - Convict built 1836. Thomas gained a Ticket of leave on the 6th September, 1845. It was around this time that Sarah's cousin, William Westwood ( from Manuden near Farnham in Essex) known as Jacky Jacky the escaped convict and bushranger was captured not far from Wetmore on the Blackman River. It is not known whether Thomas actually knew William Westwood, however the hunt for the bushranger was well publicised in the local newspapers and the coincidence of location is of interest. In March 1848, an application was made for a free passage for Sarah, Segar, Emma, Martha and Isaac to come to Van Diemans Land. The application was supported by a character reference provided by W. T. Parramore at 'Wetmore'. A scene of the Macquarie River looking south towards Wetmore from Ross was painted by Charles Edward Stanley in November, 1847.  Entrance to 'Wetmore' 5km south of Ross, Tasmania. Parramore's reference described Thomas as being 'steady' and 'industrious' and able to support a family. For unknown reasons the emmigration never eventuated. Thomas applied for a pardon on 30th January, 1849. A Free Certificate was granted on 4th January, 1850. With the main bread-winner absent, the family in Hertfordshire would have been desperate for sustenance. Living in a small village with the stigma of criminal behaviour and a large family, Sarah's future would have been daunting. Segar was in the 16th Foot Regiment till he was invalided out after four years. Isaac, joined the 46th Foot Regiment in 1848. Emma and Martha worked as servants. Martha (1829) had an illegitimate daughter named Betsey Pledger born 28 January1849 in Little Hadham. Meanwhile, in Tasmania, Thomas had a liaison with Jane Quin and probably lived at Sand Hill near Launceston. Jane may have been born in 1815 and possibly lived on a farm at Breadlebane near Longford in northern Tasmania. On the 26th February 1850, Thomas boarded the baque, 'Rattler' in Hobart and sailed steerage class for England. In early September, 1850, a son William Pledger was born. In 1874, a William Pledges (occupation: carter) marries Mary Jennings at his house in Warwick St Hobart. Neither could read or write. Thomas went straight back to England once he gained a pardon. Conditions in Tasmania were quite depressed by the end of the 1840s. Tasmania had become one giant prison with over 70,000 transportees living there. There was little work and wages were low. The British government was reluctant to fund the convict system and reformers in England protested against the harsh system. The discovery of gold in Victoria and NSW in the early 1850s caused the British Governement to be even more reluctant to continue funding the transport of convicts. Convict transportation soon came to an end in 1852. In the Little Hadham,1851 Census, are listed: Thomas age 55 and Sarah age 48 and grand-daughter Betsey age 2. The 1851 census of Bishops Stortford, shows Emma age 24 who was a servant and Martha age 16 also a servant, both at North Road Bishops Stortford. Martha has probably given the wrong age. In the 1861 census Thomas 66 and Sarah 69 (note age discrepancy – should be 58). They were living at house 156 the Ash, Little Hadham. The 1871 Census gives the family location as house 22 the Ash, Little Hadham, Hertfordhshire, Thomas (77) and Sarah (69) and Susan (53) daughter-in-law, born Monkton, Kent. Thomas died Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire 1873 Sarah died in 1877. Thomas's grand-daughter, Betsy was living at Little Hadham (Albury Rd) in 1891 with her husband John and 6 children. 13 April 2009 |
Wendens Ambo (top right) and Little Hadham and Braughing (bottom left)  Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.  Convict record of Thomas Pledger Acknowledgement: Much of the birth, death and marriage and census information on this page has come from research by Megan Ridgewell in the UK. If you would like to contact her about her research into the Pledger family, contact her at the following email address: megan at ridgewell.net Copies of UK Census records for 1861 and 1871 can be obtained through http://www.ancestry.com Information about the trial and hulk comes from Ken Griffin. Information about Segar Pledger in the British Army has been verified from records in the National Archives, Kew. Isaac Pledger records are held by the Pledger family. The Tasmania Archives have provided copies of Thomas’s convict record, application for free passage and the birth record of William Pledger. William Pledger record in the State Library of Victoria and the Public Record Office of Victoria. Court proceedings: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies Centre |
