Elizabeth (Sherwell) Underwood (abt. 1798 - 1881)

Biography

Elizabeth Sherwell, or Shurwell, was born about 1797, place and parents as yet unknown. (At least one site has her birth being the 12th October 1800.)

Elizabeth, a servant, having been sentenced on the 21st October 1814 at the Berkshire (Boro' of Reading) Quarter Sessions, to seven years transportation to the Colony of New South Wales, departed Portsmouth on 1st January 1815, and arrived in Sydney on the 18th June 1815 aboard the Northampton. She is listed on the list of convicts as Shurwell.^[1][2]

Elizabeth married James Underwood as his second legal wife (he had also previously had two known Common Law relationships) on the 25th November 1825, at Parramatta, New South Wales.^[3]
Elizabeth and James had one known child, son William (November 1837)

Having returned to England in 1840, on the 6th June 1841 Elizabeth and family were resident at Paddington House, Tulse Hill, Lambeth, Surrey. Home with her at the time were her husband, James, his children, Edward, and Richard, and their baby, William, and also Surrrey-born Sarah Rawlinson (age listed as 55), Sarah Phillips (age listed as 20), and Frederick Griffeen (perhaps meant to be Griffen, age listed as 20).^[4]

Elizabeth Underwood née Sherwell passed away on the 28th August 1881, at Kent-house-road, Sydenham, Kent, England, aged 85 years,^[5] and was buried at the Norwood Cemetery, Norwood, Surrey.^[6]
Elizabeth's Will, proved on the 4th November 1881 at the principal registry by William Bown Nicholls, of Lynton Lodge, St Margaret's, Twickenham, Middlesex, and George Lewis Phipps Eyre, of 1 John-street, Bedford-row, Middlesex, Gentlemen, the Executors, left a personal estate to the value of £3,103 16s 6d.^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ History Australia: Convicts on the transport ship Northampton – 1815
2. ↑ Convict Transportation — State Library of Queensland Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 87, Class and Piece Number HO11/2, Page Number 189 (96)
3. ↑ New South Wales State Government Births, Deaths, Marriages Marriage Registration details: Registration Number: 3683/1825 V18253683 3B; Groom's Family Name: UNDERWOOD; Groom's Given Name(s): JAMES; Bride's Family Name(s): SHERWELL; Bride's Given Name(s): ELIZABETH; District: CB
4. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1841," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQK6-R3K : 22 May 2019), Elizabeth Underwood in household of James Underwood, Lambeth, Surrey, England, United Kingdom; from "1841 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
5. ↑ England & Wales births, deaths and marriages registrations, General Register Office United Kingdom, Southport, England, HM Passport Office online search Deaths: Name: UNDERWOOD, ELIZABETH, Age at Death (in years): 85, GRO Reference: 1881 S Quarter in LEWISHAM Volume 01D Page 642
6. ↑ Burial — "England, Surrey Parish Registers, 1536-1992," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGZG-YM68 : 19 April 2018), Elizabeth Underwood, 01 Sep 1881; citing Burial, , London Metropolitan Archives, England; FHL microfilm 1,519,473.
7. ↑ UK Government Probate Service online search: Underwood, Elizabeth,1881

• BDM registrations, census returns, convict records.

See also:

• 'Underwood, Elizabeth (1798–1881)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/underwood-elizabeth-25171/text33642, accessed 19 September 2021.