PORTER John

Name	John PORTER
Country Of Origin	England
Born	1805
Died	1872
Birth/Baptism	Born approx. 1805, Manchester, Lancashire, England
Parents	unknown
Apprenticeship	unknown
Skills	Clockmaker, Watchmaker, Jeweller
Work Locations	Launceston, Oatlands, Hobart
Street Address	Wellington Street, Launceston Charles Street, Launceston Liverpool Street, Hobart
Marriage/Spouse	Widower, one child in England
Trial	11 April 1831, Salford Sessions, Lancaster, England. 27 October 1843, Hobart Supreme Court.
Sentence	1831: Seven years transportation for stealing wearing apparel. 1843: Transportation for life for ‘burglariously entering a house at New Norfolk and stealing property.’
Arrival	19 July 1832 on the convict ship, England, recorded as 27 years old on arrival.
Police Number	832
Convict Assignment	Thomas Hamilton, Liverpool Street, Hobart
Ticket of Leave	August 1836, December 1836 revoked, April 1857 reissued after several refusals, January 1858 revoked, 30 November 1858 reissued.
Conditional Pardon	15 May 1860
Other	Held on a hulk before departing England on 20 March 1832. July 1832: Arrived Van Diemen’s Land, one of 198 male prisoners, recorded as a labourer and clockmaker.1833: Charges: Drunkenness, leaving his master’s premises without permission, denying having a watch in his possession and endeavouring to obtain 12s/ in payment for repairs. Punishments: Cell four nights, treadwheel six days, 12 months road party.December 1836: Charge: Unlawfully taking a watch belonging to Edward Young. Punishment: Hard labour, St Peters Pass road party 12 months, ticket of leave suspended.11 April 1838: Certificate of Freedom.Cornwall Chronicle 9 February 1839: ‘John Porter charged Charles Brown with stealing a watch, but the case was dismissed as frivolous. The Magistrate expressed his disapprobation that an accusation so groundless should have been brought before him. Porter was ordered to pay the costs.’March 1839: Worked as a watchmaker, Wellington Street, Launceston.August 1839: Advertised new premises, Charles Street, opposite the Commercial Bank and neighbouring chemist, Mr Roberts. Services offered: ‘Clocks, Watches, and Jewellery of every description made and repaired, and wedding rings made to order.’ September 1839: Business partnership with James Robe, Robe and Porter – advertised for ‘two good watchmakers, to whom good wages and constant employment will be given.’ 23 October 1843: Trial, Hobart. John Porter and Charles Simpson were sentenced to life for burglary at the home of baker, Charles Grist at New Norfolk. John served four years of his sentence at Port Arthur, where he spent time in solitary confinement for misconduct and three months of hard labour in chains for destroying a watchmaker’s eyeglass. March 1849: Charged with receiving stolen silverware in Launceston and sentenced to 12 months of hard labour in chains. 6 August 1850: Absconded and apprehended. 1850-1851 Employers: Philip Cullen, Macquarie Street, Hobart. William Martin, 29 Bathurst Street, Hobart. Frederick Fuse, Oatlands. Charles Flegg, Liverpool Street, Hobart. Approx. 1852 – 1857: Assigned to Thomas Hamilton, Liverpool Street, Hobart. 7 July 1853: Absconded from the service of Mr Hamilton April 1857: Ticket of leave issued. November 1857: Permission to marry Anne Heally (convict, ship Martin Luther) was granted, but a marriage record has not been found. January 1858: Illegally pawned watches, six months hard labour, and ticket of leave revoked. 6 March 1858: Ticket of leave revoked for misconduct. 27 November 1858: Ticket of leave reissued. May 1860: Conditional Pardon. 30 June 1860: Absconded. 27 October 1863: Convicted of stealing a watch while working as a watchmaker at Oatlands and sentenced to three years imprisonment. 29 August 1866: Trial, Hobart. Offence: Idle and disorderly, three-month sentence. 21 November 1866: Free Pardon and discharged from the three-month sentence. SEE BLOG – The Troubled Life of Van Diemen’s Land Convict Clockmaker John Porter
Death	4 March 1872, Oatlands – died of natural causes, recorded as a watchmaker about 70 years old.
References
Charles Bateson, The Convict Ships 1787-1868, 1959. TAHO: CON27/1/5, CON31/1/35, CON18/1/6, CON30/1/2, CON34, CON52/1/7 Marriage Permission 1857; SC32/1/8 Court 1863, RGD35/1/41 no367 Death 1872, SC195/1/55 Inquest 7045 1872. Ancestry: Quarterly Returns of Prisoners in Hulks 1832, Australia Convict Musters Tasmania Reports of Crime, 1862 and 1866; Digitalpanopticon.org. Hobart Town Courier 20 July 1832, 2 September 1836; Cornwall Chronicle 6 April 1839, 30 March 1839, 12 October 1839; Launceston Advertiser 19 September 1839; Colonial Times 24 October 1843; The Courier 27 October 1843; The Examiner (Launceston) 14 March 1849, 31 October 1863; The Mercury (Hobart) 28 October 1863.