To contemporaries, the punishments meted out by English courts in the early nineteenth century appear merciless and out of all proportion to the crimes committed. Many of the so-called ‘crimes’ were most probably  acts of desperation by starving and destitute people. An earlier post told the story of James Watmore of  Detton Mill, Neen Savage in Shropshire, who was transported for life for stealing two sheep. In ‘Whatmore Panorama’ Geoffrey Whatmore tells the story of another member of the Whatmore family who was transported.

 

On 2 March 1829, a John Whatmore was convicted at the Surrey Quarter Sessions of stealing some brass and lead pipes. For this crime he was sentenced to fourteen years transportation to New South Wales. His voyage began on 20 May 1829 on the transportation ship ‘The Norfolk’.

 

John Whatmore was not a Surrey man, for at his trial it was stated that he was born in Worcester and that his occupation was a glass cutter. John was 23 years old at the time of his trial so he was born about 1806, but I have been unable to trace definitely his baptism. There was a John Watmore baptised on 25 April 1806 at Doverdale near Worcester, the son of a Hannah Watmore – possibly the Hannah baptised on 12 December 1790 at Upper Arley. This John, however, seems likely to be the one who married an Eliza and who lived at Yardley, Warwickshire with his wife and four children.

 

We do at least know what  the John who was transported looked like – he was five feet three inches tall and had light brown hair and grey eyes (‘Whatmore Panorama’). Geoffrey Whatmore’s researches also show that he was not a habital crimal as he obtained his ticket of leave in 1832 for apprehending two bushrangers and eleven runaways. He married Sarah Chapman (born at Benenden, Kent) on 18 August  1845 at Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia.

 

sydney.jpg  Click to enlarge

 

Source: ‘History of New South Wales’  Volume 2 by Thomas Henry Braim  Published by Richard Bentley  London 1846

 

Information submitted to the Rootsweb World Connect Project provides further information about this family.

 

John and  Sarah had a large family all born in New South Wales. The children were:

 

Mary Ann Whatmore born 1845  and died 17 September 1862 at Castle Hill

 

Eliza Whatmore born 21 August 1848 at Dural

 

Sarah Whatmore born 1850 and died 1862

 

Elizabeth Whatmore born 1852 who married Samuel Sherwood in 1873 at Newton

 

Louisa Whatmore born 19 March 1855 at Duval

 

John Whatmore born 24 August 1857 at Box Hill. He married Mary Jane Curtis on 15 April 1885 at Pitt Town. John died on 17 June 1904 at Rouse Hill.

 

Charlotte Whatmore born 30 October 1859 at Box Hill. She married Thomas Ross on 1 January 1881 at Parramatta. Charlotte died on 9 May 1944 at Windsor.

 

Rachael Whatmore born 1862 who married Samuel J Sprowles in 1884 at Central Cumberland.

 

Robert Whatmore born 1864 who married Harriet Susanna Sherwood in 1885 at  Central Cumberland.

 

Hannah Amelia Whatmore born 1865 who married Harry Josiah Sargeant in 1883 at Winsor.

 

Samuel Thomas Whatmore born 21 July 1868 at Rouse Hill and who died in 1880 at Rouse Hill.

 

William Henry Whatmore  born 14 November 1870 at Box Hill who married Elizabeth McIntosh in 1898 in Sydney.

 

John Whatmore from Worcester died in 1871 and his widow remarried on 25 February 1877 to a Henry Nichols.

 

Several members of this family were recorded at times as Whitmore.

 

If you know anymore about this family please contact me at rhyswhatmore@btinternet.com

 

An account of convict life in New South Wales can be downloaded at this link:

 

http://www.archive.org/details/convictlifeinne00whitgoog

  

If you would like to read other stories of Watmoughs, Watmers, Watmores and Whatmores, why not order a copy of ‘Whatmore Panorama’. For details follow this link: http://www.genfair.co.uk/product_list.php?sid=115&page=1