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WORT John , Born 1840, Brmingham

T

Tony Cocks

Parkhurst Boy
Hello,

John WORT, born Brmingham 1840, parents Joseph and Ann, but mother widowed (?) by 1851 according to Census. Brothers/sisters, George, William, Henry, Alfred, Ann. Emma and Thomas. He was gaoled twice, 18 months 14/05/1856 to 12/10/1857 and 5 years 24/03/1858 to 23/03/1863.

I can find no other details after the 1861 Census when (possibly) he was serving his sentence in Cold Bath Fields House of Correction in London as "JW" on the Census.......the other "JW" entry is for Parkhurst Prison and can be ignored.

Is anyone able to help post-1861 please?

Thank you

Tony Cocks
 
Tony, do you have the newspaper article from march 3, 1858? it mentions that three days after he had stolen from his master he had enlisted as a soldier although he couldn't go as he was committed to trial. Could he possibly have become a soldier after serving his sentence?
 
Tony, I think he was transported as ancestry has a criminal record. He was given 5 years for larceny and the Birmingham Gazette 8th March 1858 mentions it was his sixth conviction for felony. He stole the till from his employer containing 21s.

Suzanne
 
Hello pollypops and Suzanne,

I think the Ancestry transcription is incorrect as the official record shows that his 5 year sentence was "penal servitude" and there is no Australian Convict Transportation Register entry.

I only subscribe to 19th Century British Library Newspapers and sadly that does not cover the Birmingham Gazette.......it is interesting that that states he had six previous convictions for felony as the Criminal Registers only quote the 24/03/1858 conviction.

The army could be a possibility....questions were never asked about criminal backgrounds!!!.....but what access I have is not hopeful.

For the moment,

Tony
 
Hi Tony, this is from the Birmingham Daily Post 3rd March 1858. It also states that he has been in trouble 5 times before and that he has been in a Reformatory School.
You are also correct that the army didn't care about criminal records - it seems an officer turned up to try and 'claim' him because he had enlisted.
 

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Good Morning pollypops,

Now.....why didn't that report appear when I first trawled through 19th Century British Library Newspapers or did I just miss it.....senior moment, failing eyesight, any excuse!!

Incidentally, what little access I have to military records has been unsuccessful.

For now,

Tony
 
Thank you Clarkie........his early death would certainly answer the question about the lack of later information.

Tony
 
Tony, I think the search on the newspapers is a bit unpredictable - in the past I have found an article and then when I have tried to find it again I have entered exactly the same word/words in the search box and it doesn't show up.

If he died that would certainly explain why you can't find him - what a shame - he would have only been 25 and it seems he was in trouble for most of his life.
 
pollypops,

I think I will go with the early death suggested by Clarkie.....it seems reasonable and my database Biography will be suitably noted as findings provisional.

For now,

Tony
 
Tony

There is a burial record for John Wort in 1865 at Witton Cemetery, Register Number 10409. No age or birth year is given though. Perhaps the Cemetery Register may have further details regarding his age?

Suzanne
 
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