George Addleton (1815 - 1873)

Born 1815 in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom

Husband of Sarah Ann (Skates) Bailey — married 21 Aug 1855 (to 16 Aug 1873) in Victoria, Australia

Died 16 Aug 1873 at about age 58 in Bellarine, Victoria, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile managers: David Foreman [send private message] and Caroline Ferguson [send private message]

Biography

GEORGE IS BORN AT LOUGHBOROUGH

George was born in 1815 at Loughborough, Leicestershire, England, to parents William Addleton (a hatter) and Elizabeth Wardle^[1]. He was baptised on 1 August 1815 at All Saints Parish Church, Loughborough^[2].

George grew up at Loughborough; Addleton was a popular surname in the area.

GEORGE HAS TROUBLE WITH THE LAW

George wasn't far from trouble with the law as he was growing up. He had the following convictions early in life:

13 Sep 1831: was committed to Newgate Prison for stealing a purse and money from a man at Palace Yard ^[3]

4 Aug 1832: George was charged with stealing a purse from Mr J Morris at May Fait. He was held at the Borough Gaol. I’m not sure if he was found guilty or acquitted ^[4].

20 June 1833: George was charged by George Creswell with pulling the spikes off the local workhouse. He was found guilty and fined ^[5].

8 August 1833: George was charged with keeping the peace towards Jonathon Spittlefield for 3 months, fined a 5-pound surety and ordered to pay costs ^[6].

17 January 1834: Charge 1) Fined and ordered to pay costs for trespassing in pursuit of game on the grounds of C. J. Parke Esq with 4 others. As he couldn’t afford the fine, he undertook two months of imprisonment^[7]. Charge 2) Ordered to stand trial for stealing various articles from the beer house of John Caldwell at Loughborough^[8]. At his trial, he was ordered to be imprisoned for one month^[9].

9 July 1834: Sentenced to 1-year imprisonment for stealing a quantity of provisions from Richard Lakin with two other men and food from James Allsop^[10].

GEORGE MARRIES MARY NEWMAN

George married Mary Newman on 21 August 1835 at All Saints, Loughborough, Leicester^[11]. They had two children - George and Ann. Both were born at Loughborough and baptised at the All Saint’s Church, Loughborough.

DESPITE HAVING A FAMILY, GEORGE'S CRIMES CONTINUE

12 Aug 1836: Whilst Mary was pregnant, George and another man were charged with assaulting Ann Newman who was related to his wife Mary (probably her mother or sister). He was ordered to pay a fine to the poor box. Ann had been a witness at his wedding to Mary^[12].

20 October 1838: George was tried at the Leicester County Session, found guilty of Larceny (stealing ale and some broken victuals and a piece of lead) and sentenced to be imprisoned for 12 months^[13]. Sentenced to transportation on the same day was William Wardle who was probably George's cousin.

Another conviction resulting in goal time during his time in England included being jailed for 1 month for neglect of family^[14].

23 April 1840: George and four other men were charged with stealing lead from Henry Pares of Loughborough and a large amount of iron belonging to the railway company^[15].

GEORGE IS SENTENCED TO BE TRANSPORTED TO VAN DIEMEN'S LAND

Finally, George's luck had run out. He was convicted at Leicestershire Quarter Sessions on 29 June 1840 of "Larceny before being convicted of felony" (receiving a stolen lead pipe) and sentenced to transportation to Van Diemen's Land for 14 years. He was received onto the prison hulk Warrior to await his departure^[16].

He departed on the Convict ship Asia (6) on 12 April 1841 at Plymouth ^[17]. On the transport records, a James Fitzherbert was convicted with him. The ship's surgeon noted that George was very industrious and of good behaviour on the trip. The ship arrived 21 August 1841 after 126 days at sea^[18].

LIFE IN VAN DIEMEN'S LAND

During the time George was at Tasmania, he lived at Norfolk Plains – also called Longford. He was assigned to the Lovely Banks Probation Station for a short period of time and was on probation for 18 months^[19]. He probably provided labour to build roads and bridges in the area. In 1846, George was with Mr Wilson at Longford (Norfolk Plains). He was a 3rd Class Pass.

GEORGE'S CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR CONTINUES

George was in trouble several times resulting in punishments such as solitary confinement. He was absent from his place of residence and out after hours. The following are stories that were in the newspapers:

The Cornwall Chronicle (Launceston), 7 August 1847: George was charged by the Chief Constable with being drunk and disorderly at Mr Suter's public house. George was “sent to up-hill work on the grinder for twenty-one days”^[20].

The Cornwall Chronicle (Launceston), 15 October 1850: George was charged by Chief District Constable Mr. James Hortle, with larceny under the value of £5, in stealing 1 1b tobacco, 1 pint of rum, and 1 knife, the property of William Nun. He had robbed a man who was in service to William Archer Esq^[21]. The same man who his future wife Sarah Skates was in service to as a convict.

GEORGE OBTAINS A TICKET OF LEAVE

In 1849, he obtained a ticket of leave and was recommended for a Conditional Pardon^[22].

GEORGE APPLIES FOR HIS FAMILY TO COME TO TASMANIA

According to Tasmanian Government records, at some point, George made an application for his family to come out to Tasmania. They didn’t do this – I’m not sure if his application was rejected or his family decided not to come. I can’t access the original document, but the record is Tasmanian Archives, GO33/1/64 p178.

GEORGE IS GRANTED A CONDITIONAL PARDON

George was granted a conditional pardon in 1851^[23]. After this, he travelled to Victoria several times in 1853 and 1854^[24].

GEORGE MEETS SARAH SKATES

George and Sarah were both living in Longford at the time they met. Sarah was the daughter of a convict – Joel Skates, and both Joel and George lived at Longford during the same time period. I believe they were together from 1853 (Sarah was 15 and George 38).

Joel applied for his family to immigrate to Tasmania to live with him, and they arrived in 1849^[25].

GEORGE RECEIVES HIS CERTIFICATE OF FREEDOM

In 1854 George received his Certificate of Freedom. This enabled him to now move to Victoria and start a new life.

GEORGE MOVES TO VICTORIA WITH SARAH

George and Sarah made the decision to move to Victoria. They travelled to Melbourne on 24 April 1854 via the ship Clarence and settled at Moonee Ponds^[26]. Here George found work as a labourer and Sarah as a domestic servant. Sarah had a baby at Longford around 1854. No birth record exists. It is possible that George was the father of James, but James didn't take the Addleton surname once George and Sarah married. James is listed on their daughter Annie's birth certificate as being born in 1853.

GEORGE MARRIES SARAH SKATES

George married Sarah on 21 August 1855 at the Essendon Manse, Essendon^[27]. Sarah gave birth to Annie Eleanor Addleton on 23 October 1858 at Moonee Ponds^[28].

The marriage with Sarah didn't last and by the time little Annie died from dysentery at Indented Head, Victoria, in 1860, they were living apart^[29]. Sarah stayed with her mother and step father Thomas Smith at Moonee Ponds and George lived at Indented Head with Annie and probably James.

SARAH ABANDONS GEORGE AND JAMES

Some time between Annie dying in January 1860 and October 1860, Sarah abandoned George and her son James and moved to Wagga Wagga, NSW to be with her brother. She fell pregnant around August 1860 and the father is unknown. On the child's birth certificate in May 1861, the son was listed as being illegitimate and that she hadn't seen George for around 2-years^[30].

James was left behind - his story is uncertain and I'm not sure if he was left with George. The State Ward records suggests it may have been his father, as on the records it states ‘living parents- father’ and there is no mention of Sarah. On 20 January 1865, the Melbourne courts placed James into the Immigrants’ Aid Society (IAS) at Princes Bridge, St Kilda Road Victoria^[31].

He would have been 10 or 11 years old. He was placed there under the 1864 Neglected and Criminal Children's Act for a term of 5 years. Many children were placed there at this time due to neglect or abandonment by their fathers when they left to search for gold or employment. He was later transferred to the Sunbury Industrial School, which was notorious for being overcrowded and unsanitary. He completed an apprenticeship as a tailor and then moved to Wagga to be with Sarah sometime between 1875 – 1879. We may never know who James’ real father was but there is a possibility it was George.

The next record I can find of George after 1865 is him living at the Bucks Head Hotel, Drysdale. He was featured in a story as a witness to a crime in the Geelong Advertiser^[32].

George died on 16 August 1873 at Bellarine, Victoria - only 9kms from Indented Head where he was living with Annie and James in 1860. His death certificate is a sad reflection of his life in later years. The age on the certificate is wrong - 68 instead of 58. He died from Pneumonia which he had had for 10 days and he had been working as a labourer. His parents, marriages and children weren't listed on the certificate^[33].

George was buried at the Bellarine Cemetery on the same day as his death. There was no clergyman present. No gravestone marks where George is buried, nor is there one for little Annie^[34].

Sources

1. ↑ Birth of George Addleton, born 1815, England Births and Christenings, 1538–1975 (index only; no image currently available), FamilySearch, accessed 15 April 2023
2. ↑ Baptism of George Addleton, baptised 15 April 2023, Leicestershire Baptisms, Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland, DE667/6, p 51, Find My Past
3. ↑ George Addleton, UK, Police Gazettes, 1812-1902, 1921-1927, Ancestry.com; George Addleton, England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892, Ancestry.com
4. ↑ 'Borough Gaol', Leicester Chronicle, 4 August 1832, p 3, in Find My Past
5. ↑ 'Loughborough Police Report', Leicester Journal, 21 June 1833, p 3, in Find My Past
6. ↑ 'Loughborough Police Report', Nottingham Review, 9 August 1833, p 2, in Find My Past
7. ↑ 'Loughborough Police Report', Nottingham Review, 17 January 1834, p 3, in Find My Past
8. ↑ 'Loughborough Police Report', Nottingham Review, 17 January 1834, p 3, in Find My Past
9. ↑ 'County Gaol', Leicester Chronicle, 1 February 1834, p 3, in Find My Past
10. ↑ 'Leicester Midsummer Sessions', Leicester Herald, 9 July 1834, p 8, in Find My Past
11. ↑ Marriage of George Addleton and Mary Newman, married 21 August 1835, Leicestershire Marriages, Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland, DE667/16, Find My Past
12. ↑ 'Leicestershire', Nottingham Review, 12 August 1836, P 2, in Find My Past
13. ↑ 'Criminal Business', Leicester Chronicle, 20 October 1838, p 4, Find My Past
14. ↑ George Addleton, Asia (6), 1841, Conduct Registers of Male Convicts arriving in the Period of the Probation System, Tasmanian Archives, CON33/1/9
15. ↑ Leicester Journal 24 April 1840
16. ↑ George Addleton, UK, Prison Hulk Registers and Letter Books, 1802-1849, Ancestry.com
17. ↑ George Addleton, Asia, Australian Convict Transportation Registers – Other Fleets & Ships, 1791-1868, Ancestry.com
18. ↑ George Addleton, Asia (6), 1841, Conduct Registers of Male Convicts arriving in the Period of the Probation System, Tasmanian Archives, CON33/1/9
19. ↑ George Addleton, Asia (6), Appropriation List of Convicts, 1841, Tasmanian Archives, CON27/1/9
20. ↑ 'COUNTRY INTELLIGENCE', Cornwall Chronicle (Launceston), 7 August 1847, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65981913
21. ↑ 'LONGFORD POLICE', Cornwall Chronicle (Launceston), 15 October 1850, p 297 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65976896
22. ↑ 'RECOMMENDED FOR CONDITIONAL PARDONS', Cornwall Chronicle (Launceston), 21 July 1849, P 737, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65977230
23. ↑ 'HOBART TOWN GOVERNMENT GAZETTE', Cornwall Chronicle (Launceston), 8 March 1851, P 146, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65575953
24. ↑ George Addleton, Departures, Yarra Yarra, 31 March 1853, Tasmanian Archives, POL220/1/3, p 126; George Addleton, Departures, Clarence, Departures, 24 Apr 1854, Tasmanian Archives, POL220/1/3, p 549
25. ↑ Archives Office of Tasmania; Tasmania, Australia; Reports of ships arrivals with lists of passengers; Film Number: SLTX/AO/MB/4; Series Number: MB2/39/1/11
26. ↑ George Addleton, Departures, Clarence, 24 April 1854, Tasmanian Archives, POL220/1/3, p 549
27. ↑ Marriage certificate of George Addleton and Sarah Skeats (Skates), married 21 August 1855, purchased from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Victoria by Sandie McKoy
28. ↑ Birth certificate of Annie Eleanor Addleton, born 23 October 1858, purchased from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Victoria, by Sandie McKoy
29. ↑ Death certificate of Anne Addleton, died 27 January 1860, purchased from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Victoria, by Sandie McKoy
30. ↑ Birth certificate of Thomas Knight Addleton, born 9 May 1861, purchased from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, by Sandie McKoy
31. ↑ James Skates, 1865, PROV, Ward Register (known as Children's Registers 1864 - 1887), Boys neglected. Book 1, VPRS 4527/P0000, 1 - 2597, https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/984EF070-F4C7-11E9-AE98-2900ED7624B2?image=99
32. ↑ 'DRYSDALE POLICE COURT', Geelong Advertiser, 26 August 1872, P 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article147371057
33. ↑ Death certificate of George Addleton, died 16 August 1873, purchased from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Victoria, by Sandie McKoy
34. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/153790315/george-addleton: accessed 15 April 2023), memorial page for George Addleton (1815–16 Aug 1873), Find a Grave Memorial ID 153790315, citing Drysdale Cemetery, Drysdale, Greater Geelong City, Victoria, Australia; Maintained by Ron M (contributor 48458376)