Prosperous’ update – new information about KM Sr’s life on English prison hulks after his transfer from the Glasgow Tolbooth and whilst waiting to board the Pitt in July 1791 bound for NSW
More new information has come in following the publishing of ‘Prosperous’. I heard recently from another fellow descendant Marilyn Russell doing some original research on our family history. Marily Further updates have emerged subsequent to the release of ‘Prosperous’. Recently, Marilyn Russell, another descendant, shared her original research on our family history. Although not a member of this group, Marilyn plans to attend our upcoming lunch and book launch in Evandale on March 14th. I have recently revised the book to address a minor correction in chapter 13 concerning KM’s English prison hulks experience, acknowledging Marilyn’s valuable contributions. n is not a member of this FB group but has told me that she will come to our lunch and book launch in Evandale on March 14th(for those who would like to meet her and discuss some of the information shared here provided to me by Marilyn). I have in recent days updated the book to include a brief correction in ch.13 about KM’s English prison hulks experience (with an acknowledgment of Marilyn’s assistance).
As recounted in earlier posts as well as the book, a young KM Sr had been held in the Glasgow Tolbooth (jail) following a petty theft in June 1786. When his cousin Alex Murray visited with some solicitor on the 24th August for a preliminary hearing (towards a trial planned for 19 Sept): (a) he (Alex) paid a significant bond that influenced events, and (b) with the assistance of the solicitor KM decided to petition for banishment to the ‘colonies’ – in part to avoid a trial, and partly also to seek adventure overseas (we think). This petition was accepted on the 19th Sept before the trial commenced. Partly because transportation to America had just finished and new plans for a penal colony in NSW were planned, KM waited as part of the first Scottish contingent to NSW.
On the 13th June 1789, he and others in this group were taken by cart to Port Leith (Edinburgh) where they departed days later for Portsmouth to be transferred to the first of several prison hulks. He had been kept locked up at the Tolbooth just on three years at that stage). On 30 July 1789 Murray was moved to the prison hulk the Dunkirk at Plymouth, where he was held at night for 88 days whilst working on local convict chain gangs during the day. On 12 Jan 1791 Murray was then transferred to prison hulk the Lion at Portsmouth. For those wanting to know more about the English use of prison hulks for both those awaiting transportation to NSW (and others as an alternative to overcrowded English jails at the time), you can read more at [www.digitalpanopticon.org/Convict_Hulks](http://www.digitalpanopticon.org/Convict_Hulks)
Murray was held on the Lion hulk at Portsmouth until 19 June 1791 when he was transferred to the Pitt – spending another month on board before the Pitt departed for NSW on the 17th July, 1791. The journey to NSW took 213 days, with the Pitt arriving in Sydney on the 14th February 1792. From the time that Kennedy left the Glasgow Tolbooth until his arrival in NSW took pup 977 days (or 2 years 8 months and 2 days) – almost six years since he was first charged as a 14 year old. On the prison records he had been wrongly recorded as being 18 years old when charged (as we have conclusively found and demonstrated, he had been born in 1771 and not earlier). There were only a few others in the group of such a young age.
The conditions on the subsequent ‘eight and half month’ voyage to Sydney Cove (arriving 14 Feb 1792) were perhaps even more ‘appalling’ than the English prison hulks. Twenty-nine out of the 404 convicts on board died on this trip. As well as having John Piper as part of the escort crew on board, on this voyage The Pitt had on board the new incoming governor Francis Grose (who was to replace Australia’s first governor Arthur Philip).
