HUGHES William
| Name | William HUGHES |
| Country Of Origin | England |
| Born | 1794 |
| Died | unknown |
| Birth/Baptism | Born approx. 1794, Westminster, London, England |
| Parents | unknown |
| Apprenticeship | unknown |
| Skills | Clockmaker, Watchmaker |
| Work Locations | Launceston |
| Street Address |
Elizabeth Street, Launceston George Street, Launceston |
| Marriage/Spouse | |
| Trial | 9 September 1818, Central Criminal Court, London |
| Sentence | Seven years transportation for stealing eight brass plated shade mounts, the property of Josiah Spode and William Copeland. |
| Arrival | 10 January 1820 on the convict ship, Dromedary |
| Police Number | 156 |
| Convict Assignment | Public Works |
| Ticket of Leave | |
| Conditional Pardon | |
| Other | Assigned to Public Works in Launceston.
1824-1827: William Hughes is one of Launceston’s earliest convict clockmakers and watchmakers. He installed a single-faced clock in the convict-built church tower of St John’s Church. September 1825: Certificate of Freedom. 1834: The earliest record at St John’s Church of a clockmaker paid for clock maintenance was to Mr Hughes of Elizabeth Street, Launceston, and he received payment from the government for a few years. July 1835: William relocated his clock and watchmaking business to George Street from his Elizabeth Street residence. Records from 1836-1837 show that the government paid William Hughes as the regulator of a clock in Launceston. End of 1837: The government imposed new taxes on church congregations, resulting in salaries paid from church funds. Mr Hughes resigned from maintaining the St John’s Church clock because the government stopped paying him. |
| Death | unknown |
| References | |
| Jenny Gill, The Town Clock or that of St John’s, July 2018. TAHO: CSO1/1/403 General Correspondence, Colonial Secretary’s Office 1820; CSO4/1/1 52 H L Colonial Secretary Correspondence 1836-1837. Web: Old Bailey Online, Reference No. t18180909-307 1818; Ancestry: United Kingdom, Prison Commission Records, Newgate Prison 1818-1819. Hobart Town Gazette 24 September 1825; Cornwall Chronicle 18 July 1835. |
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