Mary FORD [7621]

  General Notes:

MARY FORD: In the book "Convicts 1788-1800"
This book records shows that Ford, Mary (wife of Thomas) was sentenced at Somerset on 26th April 1797 to 7 years transportation and she sailed on the "Britannia" (ship no. 301?) arriving in Sydney on 18th July 1798. The Master was Robert Turnbull. [Ref: Convicts microfiche no. 615 page 163 film 392 4/4003.] The Britannia sailed on 10th January 1798. In the book "Musters and Lists" 1800-1802 it shows that a Mary Ford No. AC245 ship Brittania, ticket no. 561 was assigned to Mr. Fitzgerald at Toongabbie. Details of Mary's conviction from the Somerset Archive and Record Service are as follows: Mary Ford was tried at Wells Quarter Sessions on April 26th 1797, having been committed to Shepton Mallet goal by John Symons JP. She is described in the depositions as singlewoman and later,in the indictments, as wife of Thomas Ford of Bath, labourer. She had arrived at the house of William Griffin of the city of Bath, mason, in Milk Street, Walcot, Bath, about 23rd December 1796. She took lodgings there and after some three days, on 26th December 1796 she left taking away with her a dowlas sheet (marked G.W.S. No. 1), value 1s 6d, a linen quilt, value 6s, and a blanket, value 3s, which had been on the bed she slept in. The same evening she took them to the house of Simon Holder of Bath, pawnbroker, where she pawned them for 9s, claiming they belonged to her mother (unnamed) who lived in Twerton near Bath. It may have been some time before she was arrested, as the depositions of Griffin and Holder are dated 18th February 1797. She was convicted of larceny and sentenced to be transported for 7 years. Surviving gaol records for Somerset date only from 1808 and thus no further records are available concerning Mary Ford. There is no record of her marriage to Thomas Ford in the Somerset records, so it is possible she was married in another county , before she arrived in Bath. Little did Mary know that her life would turn out to be so much better in Australia, as she became hostess to numerous well known personalities as the wife of Richard, and lived a far more exciting life than she would have done in England, where she was just a labourers wife. I do not think there is any way of finding out if Thomas followed her to Australia or what became of him, insomuch that Mary was able to marry Richard. The marriage entry in the Church records do not say if she was a widow. Further searches in the International Genealogy Index do not bring up any marriage dates that could fit Mary and Thomas, except one in the County of Gloucester of a Thomas to a Mary Pritchard on 3rd or 13th of September 1792 at Old Sodbury - but she would have been only about 11 years old. There is also an entry for a Mary Pritchard being christened at Old Sudbury on 5th August 1781 daughter of a Wm and Hester Pritchard. Only other entry is of a Mary Pritchard being christened at Newland on 22nd December 1782 daughter of Warren and Sarah Pritchard. There were not entries for Wiltshire of a Thomas marrying a Mary and also nothing in the Dorset indexes. Devon has one possible entry of a Thomas to Mary Skinner on 26th April 1791 at Modbury. So I think we can say that Mary's previous life in England will remain a mystery, as records of that era are hard to come by, and what does it matter who or what she was anyway. On 5th June 1805 she bore a son, Richard, who was accidently killed from a fall from a horse at the age of 17years on 25th April 1822. Her second son was born on 1 June 1807, Robert, and he lived to the age of 58, dying on 9th May 1865. Her third son was born on 4th November 1811, John, he also died young at the age of 23, on 20th April 1835. Mary was married to Richard Fitzgerald on 19th June 1815 at St. Matthews Church, Windsor by Rev. Robert Cartwright. She died on 12th March 1833 and was buried on 15th March 1833 in St. Matthews Churchyard, Windsor NSW.
Ref: No 1783 Vol 3 Film 5002 Marriages and No. 743 Vol 17 Film 5004 Burials.

Mary Ford was tried at Wells Quarter Sessions on April 26th 1797, having been committed to Shepton Mallet goal by John Symons JP. She is described in the depositions as singlewoman and later, in the indictments, as wife of Thomas Ford of Bath, labourer. She had arrived at the house of William Griffin of the city of Bath, mason, in Milk Street, Walcot, Bath, about 23rd December 1796.
She took lodgings there and after some three days, on 26th December 1796 she left taking away with her a dowlas sheet (marked G.W.S. No. 1), value 1s 6d, a linen quilt, value 6s, and a blanket, value 3s, which had been on the bed she slept in. The same evening she took them to the house of Simon Holder of Bath, pawnbroker, where she pawned them for 9s, claiming they belonged to her mother (unnamed) who lived in Twerton near Bath. It may have been some time before she was arrested, as the depositions of Griffin and Holder are dated 18th February 1797. She was convicted of larceny and sentenced to be transported for 7 years.
Ref: Susan Perrett 2006

Mary married Richard FITZGERALD [7616] [MRIN: 2547] on 19 Jun 1815 in St Matthew Windsor NSW. (Richard FITZGERALD [7616] was born about 1772 in England, died on 25 May 1840 in Windsor, N.S.W. and was buried on 28 May 1840 in St Matthew Windsor NSW.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

1. Marriage Certificate: copy on hand, 1815.