WILLIAM CALVERLEY BATEMAN see more here
(3 x Great Uncle) William Calverley Bateman 1828 - 1898 was baptised in the All Saints Church in the village of Granby, Nottinghamshire on 20 July 1828. He was the son of Matthew and Ann Bateman (nee Taylor). His given middle name Calverley came from his paternal step-grandfather's surname - William Calverley - who had married his paternal grandmother (Ann Bateman) some 12 years after she had given birth to her two illegitimate children, his father Matthew and four years later, his Uncle William.
In the 1841 census, aged 13, he is recorded as being an apprentice cordwainer (shoe-maker), most likely to William Calverley his step-grandfather, as he was then living with him, along with eight other relations, in the one house in Granby. At this time his father and mother had moved some years earlier to work and live on the estate of Holme Pierrepont Hall nine miles away near East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire. Was this potential lack of "parental guidance" a sign of just how William's life was about to turn out?
In the nearby village of Plungar, William was now about to meet a bonnet maker, Mary Ann Green who he marries in May 1850. The newly-weds go to live with Mary's parents in Plungar where, and according to the March 1851 census she gives William his first of three children; Emily b February 1851 (but who would later die in December 1852), Matthew b April 1852 and later another daughter Emily Ann b July 1857.
Perhaps it was his life as a cordwainer (with its distinction that a cordwainer works only with new leather as opposed to cobblers who work with old) that led William into crime to fund his work. It is clear that from about 1850 he entered into petty larceny and theft involving a small amount of money or items of low value removed with intent from the possession of its owner. Petty larceny it seems then led to Felony. Whether he had a partner in crime is not clear but, after two months of being held in Leicester Gaol awaiting his trial, it was on 28 June 1852, the Leicestershire Mercury reported "William Calverley Bateman, age 23, is charged with stealing on the 22nd January 1852, a spade, a bill-hook, and a pair of hedging mittens the property of William Watehorn. He pleaded guilty. He was also charged with stealing a wash-tray, the property of David Welbourne. To this charge he also pleaded guilty. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of felony - breaking into the dwelling-house of Francis Mann at Plungar and stealing 200lbs of bacon, and also to stealing tools, paint etc. at Plungar from the property of G W Snaith".
He was sentenced to one weeks imprisonment on each of the three petty larceny charges but then ten years transportation on the felony. The reporter had added "We understand there were no less than eighteen charges against the prisoner who is apparently a respectable young man, and until lately has borne good character".
William was taken straight to the Leicestershire County Prison but was transferred on the 30th October 1852 to Bedford Prison before yet another transfer on the 25th June 1853 to the "Warrior" hulk lying in Woolwich. This so called "ship" was unable to go to sea having been stripped of its masts, rigging and rudders, and was instead fitted with prison cells. Typically, each hulk held between 200 and 300 convicts in dire conditions. Disease was rife and spread quickly as there was no way to separate the sick from the healthy in the cramped conditions. Mortality rates were high, with around one in three inmates dying on board.
It appears however that "luck" was on William's side for no record of a transportation can be found, instead it appears that after one-year, he was moved on the 17 May 1854 from the Warrior hulk in Woolwich to Gibraltar and where it is assumed he would have been put to work (hard labour) building the fortifications. Two more years later, on the 10 July 1856, he was sent back to England and placed into the notorious Millbank Prison in Pimlico, London which again for part of its history served as another holding facility for convicted prisoners before their transportation to Australia. William's luck holds out even more for on 25th August 1856, a Licence (or ticket-of-leave) was granted to him for an early release and thus he was not transported.
William returns to his home in Plungar to be with his wife Mary Ann and the children that he had hardly seen since their birth. One would have thought that he would now have been content to stay out of crime, particularly as Mary gives birth to daughter Emily Ann in 1857. Not so, for after spending most of December 1860 held on charges in Leicester Prison, on December 31 18950 he was again brought before the Courts and as before, faced the serious charge of Felony.
The case was again reported by the Leicester Mercury; "William Calverley Bateman, age 33, a shoemaker, was charged with stealing one cwt. of leather, value £7.12. 4d. (£675 in 2019) the property of a Thomas Hall from Redmile, on the 8th December 1860. The jury returned a verdict of guilty and (sadly) Bateman's previous conviction in 1852 of breaking into a house at Plungar and stealing two cwt. of bacon, for which he had been sentenced to 10 years' penal servitude was also noted. The jury were told William had been released early on Licence (a ticket-of-leave) and had been back in his home area some four years. The Chairman in sentencing William observed that this ticket-of-leave had been an indulgence to him". The sentence of the Court was that he be transported to penal servitude of eight years".
In the 1841 census, aged 13, he is recorded as being an apprentice cordwainer (shoe-maker), most likely to William Calverley his step-grandfather, as he was then living with him, along with eight other relations, in the one house in Granby. At this time his father and mother had moved some years earlier to work and live on the estate of Holme Pierrepont Hall nine miles away near East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire. Was this potential lack of "parental guidance" a sign of just how William's life was about to turn out?
In the nearby village of Plungar, William was now about to meet a bonnet maker, Mary Ann Green who he marries in May 1850. The newly-weds go to live with Mary's parents in Plungar where, and according to the March 1851 census she gives William his first of three children; Emily b February 1851 (but who would later die in December 1852), Matthew b April 1852 and later another daughter Emily Ann b July 1857.
Perhaps it was his life as a cordwainer (with its distinction that a cordwainer works only with new leather as opposed to cobblers who work with old) that led William into crime to fund his work. It is clear that from about 1850 he entered into petty larceny and theft involving a small amount of money or items of low value removed with intent from the possession of its owner. Petty larceny it seems then led to Felony. Whether he had a partner in crime is not clear but, after two months of being held in Leicester Gaol awaiting his trial, it was on 28 June 1852, the Leicestershire Mercury reported "William Calverley Bateman, age 23, is charged with stealing on the 22nd January 1852, a spade, a bill-hook, and a pair of hedging mittens the property of William Watehorn. He pleaded guilty. He was also charged with stealing a wash-tray, the property of David Welbourne. To this charge he also pleaded guilty. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of felony - breaking into the dwelling-house of Francis Mann at Plungar and stealing 200lbs of bacon, and also to stealing tools, paint etc. at Plungar from the property of G W Snaith".
He was sentenced to one weeks imprisonment on each of the three petty larceny charges but then ten years transportation on the felony. The reporter had added "We understand there were no less than eighteen charges against the prisoner who is apparently a respectable young man, and until lately has borne good character".
William was taken straight to the Leicestershire County Prison but was transferred on the 30th October 1852 to Bedford Prison before yet another transfer on the 25th June 1853 to the "Warrior" hulk lying in Woolwich. This so called "ship" was unable to go to sea having been stripped of its masts, rigging and rudders, and was instead fitted with prison cells. Typically, each hulk held between 200 and 300 convicts in dire conditions. Disease was rife and spread quickly as there was no way to separate the sick from the healthy in the cramped conditions. Mortality rates were high, with around one in three inmates dying on board.
It appears however that "luck" was on William's side for no record of a transportation can be found, instead it appears that after one-year, he was moved on the 17 May 1854 from the Warrior hulk in Woolwich to Gibraltar and where it is assumed he would have been put to work (hard labour) building the fortifications. Two more years later, on the 10 July 1856, he was sent back to England and placed into the notorious Millbank Prison in Pimlico, London which again for part of its history served as another holding facility for convicted prisoners before their transportation to Australia. William's luck holds out even more for on 25th August 1856, a Licence (or ticket-of-leave) was granted to him for an early release and thus he was not transported.
William returns to his home in Plungar to be with his wife Mary Ann and the children that he had hardly seen since their birth. One would have thought that he would now have been content to stay out of crime, particularly as Mary gives birth to daughter Emily Ann in 1857. Not so, for after spending most of December 1860 held on charges in Leicester Prison, on December 31 18950 he was again brought before the Courts and as before, faced the serious charge of Felony.
The case was again reported by the Leicester Mercury; "William Calverley Bateman, age 33, a shoemaker, was charged with stealing one cwt. of leather, value £7.12. 4d. (£675 in 2019) the property of a Thomas Hall from Redmile, on the 8th December 1860. The jury returned a verdict of guilty and (sadly) Bateman's previous conviction in 1852 of breaking into a house at Plungar and stealing two cwt. of bacon, for which he had been sentenced to 10 years' penal servitude was also noted. The jury were told William had been released early on Licence (a ticket-of-leave) and had been back in his home area some four years. The Chairman in sentencing William observed that this ticket-of-leave had been an indulgence to him". The sentence of the Court was that he be transported to penal servitude of eight years".
The 7th April 1861 national census records William still being held in Leicester Prison. Soon though he was being escorted to the transportation ship Norwood, a 849 ton ship built at Sunderland in 1854. It left Portland, Dorset on 16th March 1862 bound for the Swan River Colony - a British settlement established in 1829, in Perth, Western Australia.
The voyage, with 290 convicts onboard was captained by Frank Bristow and took 85 days before arriving in the Port of Fremantle, Western Australia on 9th June 1862. On arrival in Western Australia William was taken to the Fremantle Prison built by convicts between 1851 and 1859 with its design reflecting the less physically violent approach to convict management. It was built along the same lines of Pentonville Prison London, one of England’s first prisons to focus on "reform and complete isolation" being the most effective form of rehabilitation. Prisoners therefore were not allowed contact with each other and were held in cells in complete isolation and absolute silence.
When William entered Fremantle Prison he was given two dates to work towards, a ticket-of-leave date; 19th May 1863 and a conditional pardon date; 29 October 1867. The dates would only be reached by William if he became a model prisoner and, whilst the former date meant he could work outside of the prison and receive a wage, the second date meant freedom, albeit only in the Colony and not in England.
On the 13th March 1864, and after nearly four years of being imprisoned, William would have had the news that his wife Mary Ann (44) and the two children Emily Ann (6) and Matthew (11) were setting sail from London for Fremantle on the ss Strathmore. They were on an assisted passage at a total cost of £2 (in 2019, £175). They arrive in Australia 90 days later, in May 1864. The incentive for their journey, apart from the assisted cost, must have been that on their arrival they would have found William was partially "free" from prison by being on his ticket-of-leave and so was working locally in Fremantle.
To-date it has been difficult to locate William or Mary Ann's movements once she arrived with the family. It can be assumed however that the town of Pinjarra 50 miles south of Fremantle eventually became the family home because of the known dates and the location for their daughter 16 year old Emily Ann marrying the 25 year old Edward Fox in 1873, and their son, the 24 year old Matthew marrying the 18 year old Jane Elizabeth Hudson in 1876. William must have, by then, been resident with them because both of these dates surpasses his conditional pardon date of 29 October 1867.
William and Mary Ann's family grows even more with the birth of their grandchildren; to Emily Ann he sees Louisa b 1874, Ernest b 1877 and Emily b 1878 in or near to Pinjarra, to Matthew they see George b 1876 and William b 1878. But then, just as they should be happy with their lives, tragedy strikes William and the two children when their beloved and clearly faithful wife and mother Mary Ann dies in Pinjarra on 30th November 1878 aged 61.
William's daughter, Emily Ann, goes on to have another child Mary Emma b 1880. However, that same year and still in Pinjarra, William re-marries to Rebecca Chamberlain-White a 40 year old widow originally from Warwickshire, England who gives William another daughter, Annie Bateman b 1882. During the time of this second marriage William's son Matthew completes his own family with Lavinia Gertrude b 1884, Emily Ann b 1886, John James b 1892 and Grace Bertha b 1893 - all in Fremantle, Western Australia.
On the 1st July 1893, in Pinjarra, William's second wife Rebecca dies age 52, leaving him to care for their 11 year old Annie. William has his two wives buried side by side in Pinjarra's St John's Church graveyard. As he did when he lost Mary Ann, William re-marries. His third wife is 20 year old Victoria Janet Davis, he is now 67! This marriage too is destined not to last.
On the 3rd March 1898, in his home at Camp Street, Pinjarra, William dies after battling cirrhosis of the liver for some six months. He was 72 years old (as per his death certificate) and is survived only by Matthew, Emily and Annie - because his third wife, Victoria Janet had died earlier in the same year as him, 1898.
The voyage, with 290 convicts onboard was captained by Frank Bristow and took 85 days before arriving in the Port of Fremantle, Western Australia on 9th June 1862. On arrival in Western Australia William was taken to the Fremantle Prison built by convicts between 1851 and 1859 with its design reflecting the less physically violent approach to convict management. It was built along the same lines of Pentonville Prison London, one of England’s first prisons to focus on "reform and complete isolation" being the most effective form of rehabilitation. Prisoners therefore were not allowed contact with each other and were held in cells in complete isolation and absolute silence.
When William entered Fremantle Prison he was given two dates to work towards, a ticket-of-leave date; 19th May 1863 and a conditional pardon date; 29 October 1867. The dates would only be reached by William if he became a model prisoner and, whilst the former date meant he could work outside of the prison and receive a wage, the second date meant freedom, albeit only in the Colony and not in England.
On the 13th March 1864, and after nearly four years of being imprisoned, William would have had the news that his wife Mary Ann (44) and the two children Emily Ann (6) and Matthew (11) were setting sail from London for Fremantle on the ss Strathmore. They were on an assisted passage at a total cost of £2 (in 2019, £175). They arrive in Australia 90 days later, in May 1864. The incentive for their journey, apart from the assisted cost, must have been that on their arrival they would have found William was partially "free" from prison by being on his ticket-of-leave and so was working locally in Fremantle.
To-date it has been difficult to locate William or Mary Ann's movements once she arrived with the family. It can be assumed however that the town of Pinjarra 50 miles south of Fremantle eventually became the family home because of the known dates and the location for their daughter 16 year old Emily Ann marrying the 25 year old Edward Fox in 1873, and their son, the 24 year old Matthew marrying the 18 year old Jane Elizabeth Hudson in 1876. William must have, by then, been resident with them because both of these dates surpasses his conditional pardon date of 29 October 1867.
William and Mary Ann's family grows even more with the birth of their grandchildren; to Emily Ann he sees Louisa b 1874, Ernest b 1877 and Emily b 1878 in or near to Pinjarra, to Matthew they see George b 1876 and William b 1878. But then, just as they should be happy with their lives, tragedy strikes William and the two children when their beloved and clearly faithful wife and mother Mary Ann dies in Pinjarra on 30th November 1878 aged 61.
William's daughter, Emily Ann, goes on to have another child Mary Emma b 1880. However, that same year and still in Pinjarra, William re-marries to Rebecca Chamberlain-White a 40 year old widow originally from Warwickshire, England who gives William another daughter, Annie Bateman b 1882. During the time of this second marriage William's son Matthew completes his own family with Lavinia Gertrude b 1884, Emily Ann b 1886, John James b 1892 and Grace Bertha b 1893 - all in Fremantle, Western Australia.
On the 1st July 1893, in Pinjarra, William's second wife Rebecca dies age 52, leaving him to care for their 11 year old Annie. William has his two wives buried side by side in Pinjarra's St John's Church graveyard. As he did when he lost Mary Ann, William re-marries. His third wife is 20 year old Victoria Janet Davis, he is now 67! This marriage too is destined not to last.
On the 3rd March 1898, in his home at Camp Street, Pinjarra, William dies after battling cirrhosis of the liver for some six months. He was 72 years old (as per his death certificate) and is survived only by Matthew, Emily and Annie - because his third wife, Victoria Janet had died earlier in the same year as him, 1898.
POSTSCRIPT:
The Justice of the Peace for Pinjarra, Edward McLarty was named sole executor of William's will on the 31st August 1898. The same Edward McLarty would give permission 15 months later for under-age Annie to marry Edward Joseph McLernon in St Joseph's Church, Albany, Western Australia on 13th November 1899 since she was just 16 years old.
Descendants Certificates are today issued by Freemantle Prison to recognise descendants of convicts, enrolled pensioner guards and warders who arrived at the Swan River Colony between 1850 and 1887. These certificates recognise the contribution that the system of convict transportation made to the early development of the colony and its legacy in Western Australia's cultural and built heritage.
Alfred Frank Fury who lives in Freemantle has been certified as a descendant of William Calverley Bateman convict 6238. His relationship (including to the author) is through Emily Ann the daughter of Matthew Bateman (William Calverley Bateman's grand-daughter) whose first marriage at 17 years old in 1903 was to Henry Carr. They had three children, one of whom, Alice b 1905 - was the mother of Alfred Frank Fury.
The Justice of the Peace for Pinjarra, Edward McLarty was named sole executor of William's will on the 31st August 1898. The same Edward McLarty would give permission 15 months later for under-age Annie to marry Edward Joseph McLernon in St Joseph's Church, Albany, Western Australia on 13th November 1899 since she was just 16 years old.
Descendants Certificates are today issued by Freemantle Prison to recognise descendants of convicts, enrolled pensioner guards and warders who arrived at the Swan River Colony between 1850 and 1887. These certificates recognise the contribution that the system of convict transportation made to the early development of the colony and its legacy in Western Australia's cultural and built heritage.
Alfred Frank Fury who lives in Freemantle has been certified as a descendant of William Calverley Bateman convict 6238. His relationship (including to the author) is through Emily Ann the daughter of Matthew Bateman (William Calverley Bateman's grand-daughter) whose first marriage at 17 years old in 1903 was to Henry Carr. They had three children, one of whom, Alice b 1905 - was the mother of Alfred Frank Fury.