Birth before 24 Oct 1802 • St Peter, Nottingham, England: this is the date of baptism: St Peter, parents John and Ann (father John confirmed in his death cert).[1][2]
Baptism 24 Oct 1802 • St Peter, Nottingham, England 'William Archibald', St Peter, parents John and Ann Ashton, no other details [Source: freereg] (He is 'William Archibald' in his death certificate)
Crime: poaching and assault on gamekeeper 18 Oct 1826 • Ratcliffe on Soar, Nottinghamshire, England: at parish of 'Ratcliffe upon Soar' according to newspaper reports,[3]
Conviction: 8 Jan 1827 • Nottingham Quarter Sessions: William Ashton, sentenced to 7 years transportation for assault on game keeper. Age 24 according to newspaper reports and hulk record.
Residence: 3 Feb 1827 • Chatham, on the 'Ganymead' prison hulk moored at Chatham, (also Wm Stevenson both convicted for poaching on the same day 8 Jan 1827 at Nottingham )
Departure: 25 Jun 1828 on the "Eliza": Indent and muster rolls: Convicted Nottingham Quarter Sessions, 7 years, William Ashton.
Arrival 18 Nov 1828 • Sydney Convict aboard the Eliza III, left England on 29th June 1828. Arrived on 18 November 1828. Tried and convicted at the Nottingham Assizes on 8th January 1827, sentenced to transportation for 7 years.
Convict Indent: William Ashton, Aged: 24 years, Native place Nottingham; Religion: Protestant; Trade or calling Bargeman, Married, Offence: Beating game keeper, Tried: 8 Jan 1827, at Nottingham , No previous conviction, Sentence: 7 years, Assigned to J West, Castle Hill. Description: 5 ft 4in, ruddy freckled complexion, dark brown hair, grey eyes, scars on left eyebrow, tattoos: crucifix 1828 on right arm, mermaid W A SA JA etc on left arm.[4]
Ticket of Leave 33/801, 1 Oct 1833 • for Parramatta district on recommendation of bench 31 Dec 1832.[5]
William married Charlotte Hancy (daughter of free settlers William Hancy & Sarah McDonald) in about 1833. At Parramatta according to William's death certificate; at Baulkham Hills according to Charlotte's death certificate. No marriage record has been found. It was possibly a Catholic service at St Patricks at Parramatta. Many of the early Catholic baptisms, wedding & burials were not included in the official records, just as Charlotte's father's burial at St Patricks in 1830 had not been included in the records, even though his head-stone exists and his death was reported in the newspaper. William's wife Charlotte was raised Catholic. Charlotte and their children are recorded in the 1841 Census of NSW as Roman Catholic. It is not known if William Ashton was also Catholic as he recorded in the same census as either Roman Catholic or Church of England (Anglican). (Refer to the Familypedia page for his mother-in-law Sarah MacDonald (1768-1859).) Sometime after 1841 William and Charlotte converted to become Wesleyans. It is possible that they did not formally marry, because according to the convict indent, William Ashton was already married when he arrived as a convict.
They had nine children.
Certificate of Freedom: 10 January 1834: gives occupation: bargeman and butcher, native place Nottinghamshire. Crime: Assault- game keeper. Year of birth 1804. Description on his Certificate of Freedom: 5 ft 4in, dark complexion, Hair - brown mixed with grey, blue eyes, 2 scars left eyebrow, small pock mark over right eyebrow, several tattoos described in detail: "Mermaid heart pierced with two darts - Dove with branch in mouth WASAJA & anchor inside lower left arm - three angels Crucifix INRI Double heart pierced with two Darts 1823 inside lower left arm". [6]
In 1867 William buried his wife Charlotte Hancy in Parramatta Methodist Cemetery (Wesleyan Cemetery) - established in the 1830s. His son John was buried there, also in 1867. William & Charlotte had also had her mother buried there in 1859. This cemetery was converted to The Walter Lawry Methodist Memorial Park in the 1960s and many of the headstones were removed.
Death 19 July 1881 • McGrath's Hill, Windsor, New South Wales: "William Archibald Ashton" b. Nottingham father John, age 78, labourer, time in colony 56 yrs, married age 27 Parramatta to Charlotte Hansey, died of phlegmon of hand, septic pneumonia, duration 1 week, Medical attendant: Dr Fiaschi 11 July. Informant Charles Edward Ashton, son, of Rouse Hill. Children of marriage: two males, four females living, two males, one female deceased.
Burial 20 July 1881 • Wesleyan Cemetery, McGrath's Hill, Windsor: Charles E Ashton and Alfred Ashton were witnesses [source death cert]
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Categories: Ratcliffe, Nottinghamshire | Convicts from Nottinghamshire to Australia | Eliza, Arrived 18 Nov 1828 | McGraths Hill Cemetery, McGraths Hill, New South Wales | Convicts After the Third Fleet