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| Linton
in Pictures |
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A History
of Linton
in Photographs
Available here |
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TRANSPORTATION
TO AUSTRALIA IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 19th CENTURY
There were over two hundred capital offences on the statute
book in 1820 and around 35,000 British people were sentenced
to death between 1770 and 1830. In reality about 20% of these
were hanged, 55% were confined in prisons and 25% were transported
to Australia.
From the 1830’s the number of death penalty verdicts sharply
declined and almost 95% of those actually sentenced to death
were given some kind of alternative sentence. The Cambridgeshire
Quarter Sessions were reported in the local newspapers and there
were seven cases between 1810 and 1852 which involved Linton
people.
The sentence of transportation was rarely given to first time
offenders and although some of the crimes appear to be trivial
those convicted were usually long term offenders.
In 1810 James Cornhill of Linton received pigeons
which had been stolen from Barham Hall and he was transported
for seven years. Crime was rampant at this time and Pembroke
College, the new owners of the Barham Estate were keen to deter
local criminals.
When the new Linton Union Workhouse was built in Symonds Lane
in 1836 a local 33 year old labourer called Joshua Rist
stole 130 pounds (weight) of lead from the yard and was spotted
by the builder’s foreman. Rist stated that he found it
on the road where he believed it had fallen off a waggon ! Theft
of property was regarded as a serious offence and he was sentenced
to seven years transportation.
Some criminals were incredibly stupid. John Bush
aged 27 years broke into the cellar of the farmhouse at Little
Linton and stole meat from the tenant farmer Richard Rodwell.
It was winter and snow was thick on the ground. The local Linton
constable only had to follow the footprints left in the snow
to trace Bush to his house in the Hadstock Road. The judge considered
this a serious offence and imposed a ten year transportation
sentence.
Life sentences were much rarer and tended to be given for the
theft of valuable livestock or violent burglary. Thomas
Wright, a 30 year old habitual offender from Great
Abington stole a sheep from the local butcher Thomas Edwards
in March, 1837. He was given a life sentence. In Australia this
normally meant about twelve years as a convict before a prisoner
was freed.
Women made up about one fifth of those transported. Ann
Stinton of Horseheath was 15 years of age and was a
live in servant at the home of Susannah Middleditch, a widow
who lived in the house next to the former Barclay’s Bank
site. She ran a high class drapery and haberdashery shop and
Ann stole a piece of lace, some silk tassels, some satin ribbon
and over seven pounds in gold sovereigns and notes. Her mistress
forgave her when Ann confessed but further searches at her Horseheath
home uncovered a wealth of stolen property. Ann was sentenced
to seven years transportation in 1817. On appeal this was reduced
to five years in an English prison. This reduction shows that
there was an element of compassion even in the harsh environment
of the first half of the nineteenth century.
Transportation to Australia ended by 1868. |
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