JOHN WINTERBOTTOM – CONVICT TOWN CLERK

JOHN WINTERBOTTOM - CONVICT TOWN CLERK

John Winterbottom, born 1789, was a solicitor, town clerk and much respected Mayor of Stockport, Cheshire. He was also a founding partner in Stockport’s first bank. However, in 1839 he faced bankruptcy after a series of failed investments. His desperation led him to defraud a client, the

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THE ‘MAYDA’ – ILL-FATED CONVICT TRANSPORT

THE 'MAYDA' - ILL-FATED CONVICT TRANSPORT

MAYDA….just one letter short of an S.O.S. THE MAYDA’S LAST PORT OF CALL WAS LAUNCESTON, TASMANIA. SHE SAILED ON APRIL 23 1846, RETURNING TO LONDON AFTER MAKING HER FIRST AND ONLY DELIVERY OF CONVICTS. EMBARKING WITH A HUMAN CARGO LONDON – On August 19 1845 the Morning

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Convict John Mortlock – The story of a disputed will

Convict John Mortlock - The story of a disputed will

 My interest in John Mortlock was aroused when I discovered that his journey as a convict paralleled that of my own relatives, the Shadbolts. WHERE THERE’S A WILL…… John Frederick Mortlock was born in Cambridge on August 8, 1809.  His father, Frederick Cheetham Mortlock,  had been a

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The Exoneration of Solomon Shadbolt….Convict

The Exoneration of Solomon Shadbolt....Convict

A STORY ABOUT MY G-G-G-GRANDFATHER When  Australian author Kate Grenville was researching  her convict ancestor for the novel  Secret River, she admitted to feeling slightly anxious about the nature of his crime. Theft was one thing, but what if he had  been transported for something really serious;

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