Richard Taylor (1809 - 1855)

Born 1809 in Kettlewell, Yorkshire, England

Descendants

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Convicts After the Third Fleet 1792-1868

Biography

Richard Taylor was a convict after the Third Fleet.

Richard Taylor^[1] was christened at Kettlewell, Yorkshire on 14 May 1809.

He was convicted of recieving stolen property at the York (West Riding) Assizes, sentenced to 10 years transportation to Australia. It is believed he stole some leather.

He was transported on the Eden in 1840, which left England on 8th July, arriving at Sydney Cove on 18th November 1840, with 270 fellow convicts.

Some of his letters have survived and he is quoted in The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes:-

'From his 'unhappy situation' in York Castle, awaiting transfer to the hulks, Richard Taylor tells his father 'I wish I had taken your advice...I listen to my fellow prisoners until my heart goes Cold as Clay'. But no letter comes from his father, and Taylor, fearing that he has been spurred and forgotten, writes in agitation to his 'Dear unkles':'

You must let him know that I ham very well, and he must think about me as little as he can, as I ham quite innocent and I hope god will be mersful to me and I shall see you all agane but if not I must live for a better world. For my part I [am] determined to lead a godly life.

It is understood more letters survived and in them Richard laters writes to tell his relatives of the good life in Australia and suggests they should all come to the colony.

He later worked as a cook at Sydney Hospital. He was to then learn bookmaking which he practiced at Narellan in NSW.

He died suddenly at Narellan NSW aged 47 in 1855 and is buried in St Peters Churchyard Campbelltown NSW.

Extracted from genealogy report of B. Wilson^[2]

According to NSW State Records Fiche 744/77 lists Richard Taylor as being on board the Ship ‘Eden’ (2), which sailed from Sheerness, England on 10.7.1840 under Master Henry T Naylor and Surgeon-Superintendent George Ellery Forman, arriving in the colony on 18.11.1840.

On his entry to Australia data it states that “he was found guilty of “Receiving Stolen Goods” at York Assizes, Yorkshire, England on 6.4.1840 and was sentenced to 10 years transportation to NSW (Indent No 254).” Richard was aged 31 and could read and write, Protestant, Single, a native of Yorkshire, a Cotton Spinner by trade. He had no further convictions and was described as 5’5 ¼” with a dark sallow complexion, brown hair and hazel eyes, lower front teeth were irregular, eyebrows meeting, scar on nose, raised mole on right check and indented scar right side of jaw and hairy chest, Richard was assigned work as a cook at the General Hospital, in Sydney whilst there he was to learn the trade of shoemaker. He was granted a Ticket of Leave No 46/200 dated 14.2.1846 as prisoner No 40/2085 and was to remain in the district of Camden. This passport’s application was made through the Hyde Park Barrack’s Bench on the 10.10.1845.

In 1847 while he was a Ticket of Leave Convict he is shown in the “Register of Convicts Given Permission to Marry” marrying a Julia (Lynne) McCarthy or McCarty at Narellan, she was born around 1810/1811 in County Cork, Ireland, they were married by the Rev. Robert Forest, the first minister of St Johns Church, Camden.

Richard was a Shoemaker (this from both George & Ellen Taylor’s Marriage Certificates). Richard Taylor died 6.1.1855 at Gledswood (near Narellan) he was buried 8.1.1855 aged 47 years, at St Peter’s Church of England Cemetery, Campbelltown (his headstone is still there) his occupation shoemaker. He is also listed in Convict Records as dying on that date at Camden.

A letter from Richard dated 30.9.1850 from Narellan sent to his father in Burnley, England mentions that he has married a Julia Hand of Banden near Cork in Ireland and that he has 3 children Ellen 7 years old on “4th January next”, Anne 4 years old on the “9th of last April” and my son George is 12 months old of “November next”. He also mentions that he is now a “free man and have a piece of ground of my own on which I am building”.

Known Children:

• Ellen Taylor, born 3.1.1844, Female Factory, Cumberland (Parramatta) NSW BDM No V1844809 145/1844, baptized on 7.1.1844 at St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church Parramatta. She died 1923 at Ryde aged 79 years. She married William Michael Walsh at Penrith 11.1.1864.
• Ann Taylor, born 23.3.1848, baptized 23.4.1848 at St Andrew’s Church of England Narellan (Camden).
• George Richard Taylor born 6.11.1849 at Narellan near Camden NSW.

Sources

1. ↑ Profile created by Veronica Williams 22:27, 25 March 2015 (EDT).
2. ↑ Genealogy Reports, TAYLOR Family, B. Wilson (quaama@hotmail.com), April 2015.

• Convict Records, accessed 26 Mar 2015.

• The Fatal Shore, by Robert Hughes, accessed 26 Mar 2015.