George Bowerman (bef. 1791 - 1820)

Born before 29 Apr 1791 in Charlbury, Oxfordshire, England

Husband of Mary Ann (Partridge) Bowerman — married 20 Jun 1814 in Parramatta, NSW, Australia

Descendants

Died 22 Dec 1820 after age 29 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

George Bowerman was a convict after the Third Fleet transported to New South Wales

George BOWERMAN, son of Jonathon BOWERMAN and Martha ALDER, was born before, and christened on 29 April 1791 in Charlbury, Oxfordshire, England^[1] and died on 22 December 1820 in Sydney, Colony of New South Wales at age 29.

George was one of 200 convicts transported on the "Indian", July 1810. He was convicted at the Oxford Assizes of Breaking and entering and stealing and sentenced to be transported for Life, which proved to be the case in more ways than one. He left England in July 1810, on board the "Indian"and arrived in New South Wales on 16 December 1810.

He married Mary Partridge, the daughter of John Partridge (First Fleet Convict, Scarborough, 1788) and Mary Ann Greenwood (First Fleet Convict, Lady Penrhyn, 1788), on 20 June 1814 in St Johns, Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia^[2][3]and their two sons were Solomon Bowerman and George Bowerman.

On Friday the 15th of September, near the 18-mile stone on the Windsor Road, near to Parramatta, it was alleged that George and his brothers, Solomon and James, had committed Highway Robbery, with several others (See Trial Transcript below), were committed for trial, found guilty and ultimately sentenced to be executed by hanging.

Although George pleaded his innocence to the very end, he was convicted with the others and executed on 22 December 1820. ^[4]

It was reported in the Sydney Gazette, dated 25 August 1821 that a man by the name of William Geary, who was about to be executed himself, exhonerated George Bowerman of the crime committed in 1820 and claimed that it was he, Geary, who had perpetrated the offence. "Geary solemnly exculpated George Bowerman (one of the three brothers that were executed some months since for a robbery on the Windsor-road) from all knowledge of the transaction for which he had innocently paid the forfeit of his life. He (Geary) declared himself to have been the man, in company with the other Bowermans that had perpetrated the robbery; and that George Bowerman was the unhappy man identified in the place of Geary." Whether this is true for certain, we may never know, as the evidence seemed to point in George's direction to being very much involved, if the Trial report (below) is accurate. What is known is that George Bowerman positively asserted his innocence right up to his death.

After his death, his wife formed a relationship with William Thomas who as it turns out, was the "servant of the crown" who was appointed to help her run her property and together they went on to have eight children. ^[5] William was the father of Mary Ann's following eight children. The children of Mary Ann and William Thomas were registered as Bowerman.

The Trial of George Bowerman

The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842) Sat 2 Dec 1820 Page 2 Sydney.TUESDAY.: - "George Bowerman, Solomon Bowerman, James Bowerman, and Martha Carter, were indicted for robbing Mr. George Bowman, and Miss Ann Bow- man, his cousin, on the King's highway, on the night of Friday the 15th of September, near the 18-mile stone on the Windsor Road, near to Parramatta. The trial commencing with the evidence of Mr. George Bowman, he deposed, that conveying some goods to Richmond in his cart for the consumption of his farm, and preferring travelling by night, which is a common practice, he left Parramatta after sunset; and the moon not shewing herself it became very dark: he could nevertheless perceive moving objects at a short distance. From the forest that skirted the road he saw a man come out, and then another. One stopped the horse, and the other with an uplifted bludgeon commanded him to stop with the most terrifying menaces. A third appeared and occupied the other side, while the man at the horse's head, with a long black barrelled gun, which, though too dark to distinguish features at five or six feet distance, impressed Mr. Bowman with the idea of its having no ramrod, he kept constantly levelled, with as constant threats of shooting him, expressed with frightful imprecations. While ransaking [sic] the property, always aiming to keep Mr. Bowman in a state of inconceivable trepidation, one of them said they had murdered a man that day already, and they did not wish to kill any more, while the man on the left side was engaged in plundering his cousin. These two men approaching so very near, their faces became perfectly distinguishable, and were as perfectly regarded by Mr. and Miss Bowman, though repeatedly commanded not to look at them on pain of death. Mr. Bowman used expressions of commiseration to calm their apprehensions: he assured them he considered them as unfortunate men, driven by necessity to that unhappy course of life: to which one replied, "We are unfortunate fellows, and I suppose this will be our ruin." At this juncture a cart was heard coming up; and with all the haste they could make they made off with their booty, consisting of calicoes, wearing apparel, sundry articles of family consumption, and two jars of spirits. Mr. Bowman described George Bowerman as the man upon the left hand; and the one upon the right, whom he had most attentively regarded, he swore positively to have been Solomon Bowerman, who did not appear at all tenacious of his being looked at. The other cart was unable to afford Mr. B. any assistance. Information was without delay forwarded to the chief constable of Parramatta; and in eight days Mr. B. was sent for to view the persons apprehended on suspicion, and knew two of them at first sight. A great part of his lost property had been found among them, and the long black barrelled gun, without a ramrod, was also in safe custody, and now produced in Court, minutely corresponding with Mr. Bowman's description of it. A great part of the property of which Mr. Bowman had been robbed was too remarkable to be mistaken, particularly the wearing apparel, and some canvas bags marked with his initials in paint, which Mr. Bowman identified and swore to. Miss Ann Bowman deposed to all the previous account of the robbery, and also identified most of the property produced; and swore particularly to George Bowerman being (he man who had seized her by the shoulder, and demanded whatever property she might have about her person.

Mr. Sherwin, chief constable of Parramatta, deposed, that in consequence of the information he had received, he took two constables with him, Murray and Dillon, to search for the delinquents; and recollecting the circumstance of hearing two voices among the North Rocks, bounding Parramatta, on the Saturday morning after the robbery upon the Friday night, the distance from the scene of robbery three miles, he repaired thither, and sent one of his attendants into the house of George Bowerman, on Sunday morning the 15th of September, he being unknown. George was so much inebriated as to be wholly insensible: his wife was there, and articles of property visible, wholly unsuitable to so poor a habitation. A search immediately was made, and the greater part of the property found that was now produced and sworn to by Mr. and Miss Bowman; and the gun found slung, loaded, and the ramrod upon a shelf. At the prisoner James's he found two of the pieces of muslin concealed among some dirty coarse bags. These the female prisoner at the bar claimed as her own, saying that she had purchased them during the life-time of her late husband, not being then aware that they matched with the pieces found at George's; Solomon lived in the same house with James and being equally implicated, were directed to attend at an examination before the Bench of Magistrates next day.

Murray and Dillon, constables, corroborated the foregoing testimony; both adding that they had found articles of Mr. Bowman's apparel concealed on James's out-grounds, they cultivating small detached allotments of ground.

The evidence for the prosecution terminating, the prisoners went upon their defence, which was chiefly confined to George Bowerman; who called witnesses in its support ; but all was incongruity; the facts were incontrovertible. It was in evidence however that George Bowerman had sold small bits of tobacco, and that the female prisoner lived at James's, and for George a feeble effort was made to the substantiation of an alibi.

The defence concluding, His Honor the JUDGE delivered his charge, which was plain, perspicuous, emphatical, and convincing. All the prisoners at the bar, His Honor commenced by observing, stood charged with a capital offense; and the duty that devolved upon the Court was of a truly serious nature, as was the charge against the prisoners. One had attempted the proof of an alibi, in which too great caution could not possibly be observed; it should be always such as to leave no doubt behind: but here all was contradiction, and was only calculated to affect the minds of a Court in the most extraordinary manner, as the proof against all the prisoners had been very strong, and the more especially against George Bowerman. Both the prosecutors had sworn positively to his person. They had had perfect opportunity of seeing his face, being close to them, and they were from five to ten minutes looking at him. Again and again they had declared him to be the person as soon as they had seen him; and now, before the Court, they still persisted in their declaration, made under the awful solemnity of their oaths " that is the man " yet had there been nothing else to come in support of this their positive declaration, but their own personal observation made at such a time, and under such circumstances of terror-notwithstanding that two persons had agreed in the identity of the person, yet the judgment would have been extremely embarrassing to the Court: but here the case was very different; for in support of this identity of the person, the greater part of the property of which the prosecutors had been robbed was found in his possession. The prisoners are of one family; they lived in close connexion with each other; and they were three in number, the very number by whom the crime had been effected. lt was impossible to say whether they had had any previous, information of the prosecutors going that night. They lived near Parramatta, and might have been so informed, or whether they had acted as robbers do who take the chance of the road. His Honor remarked on several expressions which the prosecutors had stated their having used while in the act of plunder, and com- pared them with circumstances that had subsequently disclosed themselves; and then turning to the line of evidence in the order that it had been received, compared, and remarked at length upon it. The Court, His Honor remarked finally, were now fully in possession of the charge; but as far as respected Martha Carter, the consideration remained, whether as she had made herself a party by owning a part of the stolen property, she was to be deemed an accessory after the fact, or in any other light: which under the relative circumstances and incidents that accompanied the case, was a truly interesting question: but after a short conversation of the Members, a verdict was returned- All Guilty."

The "Exoneration" of George Bowerman

The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842) Sat 25 Aug 1821 Page 3 SUPREME COURT EXECUTIONS.: — "On Wednesday morning last were executed, pursuant to their sentence, the following unfortunate men; condemned to die at the present criminal sessions; viz. Francis Pasco, Pasco Haddycott, Miles Jordan, and John Ryan.

Also, yesterday morning the following suffered the awful sentence:— William Geary, Thomas Smith, John Whiteman, John Cochrane, Charles Young, John Mills, and William Kennedy.

On the verge of eternity, Geary solemnly exculpated George Bowerman (one of the three brothers that were executed some months since for a robbery on the Windsor-road) from all knowledge of the transaction for which he had innocently paid the forfeit of his life. He (Geary) declared himself to have been the man, in company with the other Bowermans that had perpetrated the robbery ; and that George Bowerman was the unhappy man identified in the place of Geary.—We must leave the Public to judge as to the reliance that may be placed on such a statement, at so awful a period ; but, it may be remembered, that the deceased George Bowerman positively asserted his innocence to the last moment of existence. During his trial, Geary alleged, and in fact it was proved, that he had committed no violence, no act of inhumanity ; but, at the place of execution, he declared that he had permitted an innocent man (the father of a family) to become a sacrifice to his wanton rapacity!"

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J3JY-FRW : 30 December 2014, George Bowerman, 29 Apr 1791); citing CHARLBURY, OXFORD, ENGLAND, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 95,225. Citing: Name George Bowerman Gender Male Christening Date 29 Apr 1791 Christening Date (Original) 29 APR 1791 Christening Place CHARLBURY, OXFORD, ENGLAND Father's Name Jonathan Bowerman Mother's Name Martha
2. ↑ Marriage: New South Wales Australia Marriages: Registration number 1639/1814 V18141639 3A Groom's Family Name BOWERMAN Groom's Given Name(s) GEORGE Bride's Family Name(s) PARTRIDGE Bride's Given Name(s) MARY District CB
3. ↑ Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, St. John's Parramatta, Marriages, 1790-1966 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Citation details: N0 415 Citing: "George Bowerman, Prisoner per Indian, age 24, of the parish of St John Parramatta and Mary Partridge, free, 18 of ditto were married in this church by banns this 20th day of June 1814 by me Samuel Marsden." George and Mary made their X marks in the register in the presence of Richard Partridge and Mary Partridge who both made their X marks.
4. ↑ Death:Lachlan Macquarie’s journal records: ‘Friday 22. Decr. 1820. The following Felons, vizt. Jno. Bagnalls, George Bowerman, Solomon Bowerman, and James Bowerman (– three Brothers –), Nichs. Cook, and James Classey, were executed in pursuance of their Sentence.
5. ↑ Convict Records George Bowerman See Community Contributions for other information." As a result of the wrongful execution, Mary Ann was granted a special 'allowance. She had a servant of the crown appointed to ‘help’ her manage the property who turned out to be William Thomas (Convict, Batavia, 1818)."