Convict to Tasmania

Having determined that William Ward arrived in NSW aboard the Almorah, we can look up the records of the Almorah convicts. There are several lists of the convicts, including the original manifest and the records made after arrival the Colony. These provide very similar information, including the name of the convict, where and when tried and the sentence. They tell us that William was tried at Middlesex (Old Bailey) on 4 December 1816 and was sentenced to 7 years transportation.

From this I have been able to track William's progress through the prison system.

• Arrested near Duke Street London on 15 Nov 1816.
• Committed at Newgate Prison on 23 Nov - his age is given as 18.
• Tried at Old Bailey on 4 Dec - found guilty and sentenced to transportation for 7 years His age given as 17.
• Transferred from Newgate Prison to the prison hulk Bellerophin on 4 Jan 1817. He is still shown as 17.
• Transferred from Bellerophin to Almorah on 15 Apr.
• Almorah sailed from England on 26 April (source Convict Ships by Bateson)
• Almorah arrived in Sydney on 31 Aug. William and most of the other convicts were transferred to the Pilot for the final voyage to Hobart.
• William finally steps ashore in Hobart Town on 1 Oct 1817.

All the resources backing this up are on the resources section of my website, with the exception of Bateson's book on Convict Ships. This book provides more details on the Almorah and Pilot for those interested.