Chapter 7: Life as a free man

I liked the Williams River area and the work I had been doing.  I decided to make my home there, working on the different properties in and around that area.

I started saving every penny I earned, so I could one day. buy a nice piece of land that I could call my own.

While working at a property owned by Thomas & Mary Trotter at Allyn River, I spied their lovely daughter Ann.

She was only young at the time but I knew she was the one I wanted to marry.

I started to make myself more presentable in her Parents eyes by working hard, and going to church regularly. I also realised that I had never been baptised so I thought I should also attend to that.

On the 14^th January 1844 I was baptised into the Church Of England Parrish in Seaham in the Hunter River region.

With that done with her parent’s approval I started courting Ann, who at the time was only sixteen, but we were both deeply in love.

Ann was the fifth child of the eleven children, born in Wrexham Wales and arrived in Australia with her Family in 1836 when she was ten years old.

She knew the old country so we had a lot in common to talk about.

Ann and I were married on the 29^th of June 1845 in a little Church of England church at Gresford on the Allyn River. Ann had only just turned Seventeen, so she had to get her parents consent, which they gave freely.

It was a lovely big happy wedding for all of her brothers & sisters were in attendance. The reception was held back on the Trotter’s property with all the food loving prepared by the ladies of the family and what a do it was. The only sad thought I had was for my family wishing they could share this wonderful occasion.

Chapter 6: New Land New Life

 

I was very shaky when I first went ashore for it had been a long time since I had stood on dry land. I couldn’t believe that I had finally arrived in the new country, but when I looked around everything was so alien to me, even the air smelt different.

I didn’t have much time to think about it, for we were all hastened over to the marshalling area where a lot of what looked like wealthy men were standing. They started to walk among us, one man pointed at me, and I was taken to one side. Soon there were four of us, another boy, about my own age and two older men.

“How do you do” said the Man “my name is George Mossman you will call me Mr Mossman, you will be working for me on one of my property on the Williams River.” He told us.

To get there we would be traveling by boat.

 From Sydney we travelled to a place called Newcastle by sailboat, and then from there we went by steamer up the Hunter and Williams rivers. This only took a couple of days,

 If we had travelled by land it would have taken us weeks.

Mr Mossman had a very large property and I was to be one of his farm hand.

Once I got use to the ever-ending heat, the flies and the mosquitos, I really loved the hard work I was now doing.

 I had various Jobs, clearing land, digging out tree stumps, cutting down trees, looking after animals, planting and tending crops.

Mr Mossman was a good man and if you worked hard and did what he told you to do you were treated justly, so this is what I tried to do at all times.

 Mr Mossman grew a few different crops like wheat, maize, and tobacco so I tried to learn as much about growing these crops as I could for I was sure this would helped me when I became a free man and it sure did.

I received my Certificate of Freedom on the 25 July 1842; I should have received it earlier for it was dated 10 December 1841, cheating me of seven months of freedom.

Now I had to decide what I was going to do for the rest of my life.

Chapter 5: Transportation

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On 31st August1935 I was told to pack up what little possession I had, and with many others boys who were with me on the Euryalus, I was transferred to the “John Barry” for transportation to Port Jackson on the other side of the world, about 14000 miles away from my family who I knew I would never see again.

Many other males from other hulks were also transferred to this ship so it took a few months before we were on our way     

 The John Barry departed Torbay on 21 September 1835 with me and 320 other male prisoners on board.

When the ship was out on the high it was very squally at first and most of us were very seasick. I had never been so sick in my life before and at the time I was wishing it was over, I soon acquired my sea legs, I started work in with the other convicts on-board. 

We were very fortunate to have a very good Surgeon on board with us. He was a well-experienced Surgeon Superintendent this being his sixth voyage and he recognised the benefits of exercise as well as cleanliness. He insisted on co-operation between the prisoners and enforced a strict obedience to a routine that he had found earlier to be of advantage.                                                                     

 We were put into seven groups, so every seven days the group I was in had to be on deck at daylight, without shoes or stockings, for the purpose of exercise in washing decks and filling the bathtub and buckets for our own use, and the for use of everyone else who followed after us, so that by seven o'clock we had all washed. After breakfast we had to bare our arms and legs to be examined for any infections. Our blankets and pillows were also inspected and aired once a week. We also took turns cleaning below deck as well.    

We made a couple of ports of call to take in fresh food and water so in all we were looked after pretty well, not like some other convict ships I had been told about.        
 When we were just off the Canary Islands we were struck by a sudden storm, which threw the boat up onto the beams end and drove us ashore, nearly on to the rocks. The ship righted it self but the topmast broke and the jib was in taters. We convicts down below were sure the boat was going to sink and we all went into a panic, some even tried to break open the hatches but with no avail. After what seemed like hours the storm abated and with the little sail that was left the crew was able to steer the boat back to safer waters.                                                                            
 We were very lucky to have two good carpenters on board, and plenty of spars; in two days the whole mask was repaired and we were on our way heading for the new land.                                     
 The John Barry arrived in Sydney on 17 January 1836 with 318 male prisoners on board only two of my fellow convict had died on the voyage.                                                               
    We were all ordered to get ready to disembark and as I was leaving the ship I though to myself, “What is going to happen to
me now”.

Chapter 4: Life on the Hulk Ship Euryalus

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What a way to start my teenage life I was moved to the hulk ship Euryalus that was moored at Chatham, on 22 July 1833, (five days before I turned 13). Because I was only 12 years old I could not be transported till I was fourteen so I was stuck here for a year.   

 Life on Euryalus was not too bad except my personal freedom had been taken away and I was missing my family terribly, but otherwise I never had been so well looked after. As well as basic accommodation and regular food, I got a little education and some health care for the first time.

There were only boy on the Euryalus ranging from ten to seventeen. Because we were young we were treated a bit easier than the older convict.

Our day started at 5am time to pack up our hammocks and wash. Chapel was at 5.30am and then breakfast at 6am. Next we had to clean our ward and at 8am we start work, making cloths, all this had to be done in silence. Dinner at noon followed by an hour on deck for exercise. At 2pm some went for lessons but others like me went back to work. Supper was at 5.30 pm followed by another hour on deck before muster, then prayers and bed at 8pm.

For me it was the silence and the confinement that were the hardest to take for they were both unnatural.

The year passed slowly, and then I was bound for a new adventure.

Chapter 3: The Trial:

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 3rd July 1834.

After about a month in that awful gaol I was led into the dock of the Old Bailey courthouse. I sat there scarred stiff and when my name was called out I could hardly stand for I was shaking so much.

“ Benjamin Joyce is here by changed with Theft, simple larceny,for stealing two pair of shoes on the on the 7th of June in the year of our lord 1834” said the court clerk

“How do you Plea”

“Not guilty” I wimped

 “ I now call the first witness Constable Richard Jones”.

“State you name and what you know about the prisoner” I heard someone say

“My name is Richard Jones police constable.

I fell in with the prisoner, in Shoreditch, on the 7th of June - he was carrying two pair of shoes in a bundle - I asked him what he had - he said, "Nothing" - I found the shoes in it, and then he said another boy gave him them to carry - there was another boy with him, who went away - he was about five minutes' walk from the prosecutor's.”

“Did you find any other boy Constable” “no I didn’t your Worship” 

“But there was” I said to myself but know one wanted to here my side of the story.

“Next witness is William Blackmore what do you know about this crime.”

“My Name is William Blackmore I am in the service of Mr James Augustus Whiskard, who lives in Bishopsgate Street, these shoes were taken from his door, I did not miss them till the officer brought them in to me.”

Then before I knew what was happening and not even asked my version I heard someone say “ You have been found guilty’ of simple larceny and the sentence is transportation to Australia for Seven Years”.

And with that I was led away from the dock, and taken back to prison, I was not even aloud to say goodbye to my family.

Chapter 2: the arrest

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 On that fatefully day on the 7th of June 1834 when I was twelve years old, I was out on my usually wanderings when I met up with one of my street urchin friends named Tom, who was carrying a large bundle. “What is in the bundle Tom” I asked, he was about to answer my question when all of a sudden Tom said  “ hold these for me will you” and he shoved the bundle into my arms and before I had time to refuse, Tom run off down the road.

Unbeknown to me Tom had spotted a Policeman coming up the street and of course didn’t want to be caught with the bundle in his possession.

All of a sudden there was the policeman standing right in front of me.

“ What is that you are carrying, boy;” the Policeman Asked.

“ Nothing” I said, trying to hide what I was holding

“Looks to big for nothing” said the policeman “ let me have a look”

Inside the bundle were two pairs of men’s shoes.

“ They ain’t my” I said, “another boy gave them me to carry”

“And where is this boy now” demanded the policeman who thought he had seen someone else with this boy but wasn’t quite sure.

“ He ran off down the street after he gave them to me” I wailed.

“Well you are the one with the stolen shoes in your possession so you will be the one who is going to be charged” said the policeman, grabbing me by the scruff of my shirt collar he march me down to Middlesex Gaol

This was the start of the most terrifying time in my life for I didn’t know what was going to happen to me.

I was put into a very dark cell it was so dark I couldn’t tell the day from night but there I had to stay to wait for my trial at The Old Bailey court.

The day that changed my life:(Based on the life of Benjamin Joyce)

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Chapter 1: My early life

I am growing older and I am sitting on my favourite bench over looking my beautiful land at Bo Bo Creak NSW, Australia, thinking of the amazing life I have had and what it could have been like if it hadn’t been for that fateful day long ago that had changed my whole life

Middlesex England

My Name is Benjamin Joyce I was born in Frome Somerset England on the 27 July 1821. I lived with my Father who was a weaver by trade also named Benjamin, my Mother Sophie and my brother Frank and my little sister Sophie.

 My Family was very poor, because my father couldn’t find enough work, so my family move to Middlesex.

The Little terraced house that we moved to could be described as nothing but squalid, cramped and damp.  The cellar rooms in which we lived were often flooded by effluent. There were two rooms each nine to ten feet square which we shared with another family. Many people caught diseases like cholera from the filth, sewage and rubbish left outside in the streets. Even worse, we children had to play in the sewage with bare feet.

 There was never enough food to feed the family, although my father found work as a weaver, the wage he received was hardly enough to pay the rent and the little bit that was left over had to feed & cloth five members of the family.

There was no schooling, Children as young as five or six were forced to work thirteen to sixteen hours a day for slave wages and barely any food, so I grew up illiterate.

I was always hungry and roamed the streets looking for any food I could find and in doing so I mixed with the wrong kind of people. This led me into a lot of trouble but thinking back I am very glad for the trouble I found myself in.