Convict Links
The Swinfield, Hough and Henderson Linkages
to
the Chesterman and Clark Families
by Bob Chesterman & Ann Chesterman Jeffries
Recent
discovery of convict associations and the details of historic events
in the early and mid 1800s have cast a new light on part of our
family history. The stigma associated with a convict past is
probably the main reason for omission. The presence of a convict
background, although a definite plus in terms of today’s family
research, was for some eighty years a history to be denied. There is
no written or anecdotal family reference to the fact that Amelia
Swinfield had a convict background. It is likely that Amelia kept her
background very much to herself through the 1870s until her death.
Other family members were probably unaware of this as well.
The
earliest internment in the Chesterman family vault at Cornelian Bay
Cemetery in Hobart
is that of Amelia Henderson (nee Swinfield). The
date of her death is listed as Sept 4 1896, she was aged 77. Amelia
was the paternal aunt of Henry Chesterman’s wife Mary, and her
sister Mary Ann Clark - the wife of Moses John Clark. Both of these
women are the great grandmothers of one of the authors Bob (R B
Chesterman) – obviously on different sides of the family. Amelia,
(Aunt Henderson) was very highly regarded by the family for her
character and the fact that she arranged to bring her nieces to
Hobart from Sydney. At this time in her life she was Mrs Amelia
Hough. This transfer occurred following the death of the girl’s
mother Mary Ann and a younger sibling William aged 3, at the Sydney
quarantine station after a harrowing voyage out from England in
1852/3, and is likely to have been precipitated by the subsequent
remarriage of their father John Swinfield sen. Amelia assumed the
role of kindly guardian aunt to the three girls and cared for them
along with her son Belmont Francis Hough.
 |
| Grave of Amelia (Millecent) Henderson (nee Swinfield) (1818-1896) Cornelian Bay Cemetery, Hobart, Tasmania |
The Convict Background
Amelia Swinfield
was baptised on the 28 June 1818 as Millecent, the daughter of Thomas
Swinfield (b
1781) and Elizabeth
Hackett (b
1779), at Wolvey, Warwickshire, England. She was well educated by
the standards of the time, being able to read and write, and trained
as housemaid and needlewoman. This was probably related to the
educational standards of her mother Elizabeth, who in the 1851
England census was listed as a school headmistress. After marrying
23 year old William
Hough on
19th August 1839, Amelia gave birth to a son Thomas. This child was
born to Amelia and William in January 1840, but died 29 May 1840,(at
6 months) of consumption at Atherstone.
 |
| Amelia Hough (1818-1896) |
In
1843 Amelia was convicted, along with Thomas Simpson of theft, for
stealing cloth from a boat. As this was a second offence of theft,
she had served a six month sentence previously, she was sentenced to
14 years (Life) incarceration. From her convict records Amelia
apparently had a six month de facto relationship with a William
Simpson following William Hough’s conviction. Amelia, along with
some 200 other female convicts, was transported on the vessel
Woodbridge,
arriving in Van Dieman’s Land on the 25 Dec 1843. The fact that she
was literate and could handle needle and thread helped no doubt with
her assignment to the household of Sir John Eardly-Wilmot, Lt
Governor of Van Dieman’s land (he served in Hobart Town from August
1843 until October 1846). During this time she kept in touch by
letter with her parents back in England and, at her request, they
wrote to the authorities requesting a pardon, so that she could
accompany the Wilmot household to Sydney. The pardon application was
unsuccessful as it was only a couple of years into her sentence.
(Refer to Attachment 1).
Amelia
was apparently very much liked and appreciated for her character. The
front page of a book held by Vicki Cowles has the following
inscription on the front page “Amelia Hough - A token of
esteem from Mrs Hopkins April 2 1847”. At this stage Amelia was
still a convict. Maybe Amelia worked as a servant in the Hopkins
household prior to gaining her pardon. After serving eight years
and one month, and exhibiting good behaviour, Amelia gained a Ticket
of Leave pardon (in 1849), and was able join her now free husband
William. Her complete pardon is dated on the 9 August
1852. Her convict records indicate that Amelia was 5’ 1” tall,
fair complexion, light blue eyes with a mole on her left arm.
On
the 29 June 1851 the birth of Belmont
Francis Hough
was recorded in Hobart, Tasmania - - (Belmont) Francis Hough to
Amelia and William Hough.
Henry
Chesterman
at the age of 23 arrived in Victoria from Chippenham, England in the
John Chalmers
in November 1852 and spent three years at the goldfields prior to
settling in the township of Franklin on the Huon River, Van Dieman’s
Land, where he acquired a partnership in the Kent Hotel. At 19 years
of age Mary Swinfield married Henry Chesterman on the 13th
of October 1857 with William Hough as a witness; and in November 1859
Amelia’s younger sister Jane Swinfield married John Stanton with
Amelia as witness.
 |
| John Swinfield senior (1806-1874) |
Amelia’s
brother John
Swinfield sen.,
along with his wife Mary Ann, and a family of three girls and two of
their sons, John and William, (the eldest son Edward remained at
home), sailed from England in the vessel Beejapore
arriving in
Sydney on 11th
February 1853. The vessel was a clipper ship of 1600 tons with 960
passengers, 53 died on the voyage out, and a further 60 or more died
at the Sydney Quarantine Station including Mary Ann and William. The
daughters Mary
(15) Caroline
(13) and Mary
Ann (7)
along with John
(17) and their father survived and settled in Redfern, Sydney. John
sen. set up shop as a jeweller, and in 1856 married widow Eliza
Hartley who already had three children from her previous marriage.
 |
| Belmont Francis Hough with Caroline and Mary Ann Swinfield |
About 1856 Amelia arranged for the transfer by Capt.
Robert Henderson
of her three nieces Mary, Caroline and Mary Ann from Sydney to Hobart
to live with her and William. This undoubtedly removed a lot of
pressure from John sen. and his newly acquired wife; and the girls
would have been useful in assisting at the White Hart Inn, along with
their cousin Belmont Francis Hough. It is not clear as to whether
John Swinfield jun. accompanied his sisters on the journey south;
however in 1860 he is recorded as assisting Henry and his wife Mary
at the Kent Hotel Franklin.
In
August 1854 William Hough applied for the license of the White Hart
Inn situated on the corner of Elizabeth St and Bathurst St in Hobart
Town. The application – along with many others - was refused.
However, the following year his application was approved, and along with Amelia he
operated the Inn up until William’s death at the age of 38 on the
25th
November 1857. The license was then transferred to Amelia in her own
right on the 2nd of December 1857 and she retained it until about
1860.
 |
| Capt Robert & Amelia Henderson |
Some
two years after the death of William Hough Amelia married Swedish
born Captain
Robert
Henderson
on the 3rd
of December 1860. The couple sold off the licence of the White Hart
Inn and lived in a house in Cross St, Battery Point. Capt. Henderson
continued with his sailing activities both as officer and as captain
on various interstate and overseas vessels. He introduced his stepson
Belmont Hough to the seafaring life. Robert Henderson died on the 8th
July 1868 at the age of 45 from heart disease and oedema. Amelia at
the age of 50 was a widow for the second time in twelve years.
Later
that year twenty two year old Mary Ann Swinfield married Moses
John Clark
(1846 -1921) on the 12th September 1868 at St Georges Church
Franklin, close to where both the Clark family and Mary and Henry
Chesterman resided.
Amelia
Henderson continued living in Cross St Battery Point, the home
originally purchased by husband Robert. However, in 1891 with the
collapse of the Van Dieman’s Land Bank, Amelia lost all of her
assets and was effectively destitute. She lived the remainder of her
life with Mary and Henry Chesterman at ‘Henriville’ in Hobart
until her death September 4 1896. The front cover page shows a photo
of the Chesterman family vault at the Cornelian Bay Cemetery where
Amelia and many of the Chesterman family are interred. Mary Ann
Clark is buried at the Nubeena cemetery on Tasman’s Peninsular.
Frank Hough and family are buried in Sydney.
| Name | Married | Date | Place |
| Mary Swinfield (19) | Henry Chesterman | 13 October 1857 | St Davids Cathedral Hobart |
| Caroline Swinfield (18) | James Alfred Mitchelson | 2 August 1859 | St Johns Church Hobart |
| John Swinfield (31) | Sophia Walton | 3 August 1867 |
St
Georges Church
Battery Point
Hobart |
| Mary Ann Swinfield (22) | Moses John Clark | 12 September 1868 | St Georges Church Franklin |
Marriage
Table of the Tasmanian Settled Children of John and Mary Ann
Swinfield
Name
|
Ship
|
Date
|
Port
|
| John Clark father of Moses and Aaron | Not known | Pre 1837 | Not known |
| William Hough | Leyton | 1841 | Hobart Town |
| Amelia Hough | Woodridge | 1843 | Hobart Town |
| William Swinfield | Walmer Castle | 1848 | Sydney |
| Henry Chesterman | John Chalmers | 1852 | Hobson’s Bay Victoria |
| John Swinfield and family | Beejapore | 1853 | Sydney |
| Amelia Matilda Chesterman | Medway | 1854 | Melbourne |
| Robert Henderson | Astoria | 19 June 1854 | Newfoundland to Sydney |
| Jane Swinfield | Cadet 2, Emma | 1855 6 Feb 1855 | Cadet 2 to Sydney. Emma Sydney to Hobart |
Summary
of Clark, Hough, Swinfield, Chesterman and Henderson Family
Australian
Arrival Data
Seafaring
It
is probable Capt Robert Henderson introduced his stepson to the
seafaring life. On the 25th
April 1865 Belmont Francis (Frank) Hough is listed as a 14 year old
seaman/boy on board the schooner Malcom
with Capt Henderson as Master. A poignant poem written on the 31
December 1867 by Frank, referring to his caring mother Amelia, is
glued on the inside of his camphor wood sea chest is reproduced
below. The sea chest is now with the family in Hobart. (See
Attachment 2.)
NEW
YEAR’S DAY SCHOONER "MALCOLM"
31
December 1867
Thoughts
of home are creeping o'er me
Of
my friends so far away
And
a vision comes before me
In
thought I am at home today
Out
upon the trackless ocean
Headwinds
keeping me from rest
But
my mind is now in motion
As
I lie upon my chest
This
time last year I was there
Happy
as a boy could be
With
my mother's gentle care
But
I now am out at sea
God
I thank thee for thy goodness
In
keeping me another year
For
all the mercies thou hast shown us
Help
me thee to love and fear.
B
F
Hough
Passenger
arrivals lists for the 23 November 1870 reveal Frank Hough at the age
of 19 as arriving in Melbourne on board the Talisman
of 460 tons from Batavia. This vessel was involved with the rescue of
the crew of the Countess
of Seafield
that ran aground on Bramble Cay, a reef at the eastern end of Torres
Strait, on the 23 June 1870. The fact that Frank Hough is listed as a
passenger would indicate that he was a member of the rescued crew.
Shortly
after returning on the 4 June 1881 to Sydney from San Francisco in
the vessel Zealandia,
Frank Hough married on the 24th
of the same month. A daughter was born on the 29th
March 1882, and a son on the 26th
Jan 1885. Both children were baptised Anglican at St Davids, Surry
Hills, Sydney. Following his marriage Frank Hough lived and worked
in Sydney as a ’special agent Australian Widows Fund’. In January
1887 his wife died of typhoid fever, and on the 11th
December of the same year Frank Hough died ‘very suddenly’ at 36
years of age. On 1st
January 1888 their daughter aged 5 died and on the 7th
October that year their son aged 3 years died.
Acknowledgements
Special
thanks is due to the members of the Hood family; Vicki Cowles, Toni
Hood, also my cousin Ruth Cuff for the opportunity to copy some of
their images, access letters and postcards and for their additional
insight and assistance with recognition of individual photos family
members. Also for the input and enthusiasm of Ann Jeffries in New
Zealand, who has given time and insight over several years on a wide
range of family tree matters. Her review of drafts has helped to
minimise the errors within the text. Whilst every attempt has been made to authenticate the identity of the individuals within the
photos, in many
cases names were not recorded in the albums. This made rigorous
identification very difficult.
Attachment
1 Letter from Amelia and Amelia’s Parents 1845/46
Information
from Female Convicts Research Centre Inc.
Amelia
Hough A letter written to her parents.
Letters
written by convict women were rare and rarely survived, but a letter
written by Amelia Hough to her parents, Thomas and Elizabeth
Swinfield of Camp Hill Cottage, Near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, does, at
least in part. The text of Amelia’s letter is recorded in a
petition* written by her parents in 1846 requesting a pardon on
behalf of their daughter and permission for her to leave Van Diemen’s
Land with Governor Wilmot, for whom she worked as a domestic servant.
It reads (the identity of Miss Loftus is unknown):
My dear Father
and Mother, Miss Loftis having informed His Excellency that I had
received a letter from you her very kindly asked me if my friends
were all well, I thanked him for his enquiries at the same time asked
His Excellency if he could please to read the letter which her did,
and when her came to that part where you expressed a hope of my
pardon, he sent for me into the drawing room, and told me that he
would most willingly do it if it laid within his power but it did not
altogether, he told me that when I wrote to you again that, if you
would intercede for me to the Government at home. My Lord Stanley
would then send out to him (Sir E Willmot) and he would then do all
that possibly lay in his power for me as Sir Willmott does not expect
to stay more than 18 months in Hobart Town expecting to go to Sydney
as Governor. I shall [illegible ] to leave the family having
experienced so much kindness from them but I cannot go unless I have
my liberty. I have (by the time you receive this letter) been in His
Excellency’s service two years and I hope I shall never forget
their kindness.
We hear many stories
of female convicts rebelling against being assigned as domestic
servants, behaving badly, getting drunk and being absent without
leave and so on; but this letter give a picture of a female convict
who is happy and co-operative, appreciates the kindness she receives
from her employers and sounds like a model servant. Amelia
Swinfield and William Hough, a brickmaker, were married at Newton
Regis in Warwickshire in August 1839. In 1840 a son, Thomas, was born
to them – but also in that year in 1840, William, aged 24, was
sentenced to transportation for housebreaking. He left his wife with
his father. Whether Amelia committed a crime in the hope of joining
him we shall never know, but in 1843 Amelia was living with William
Simpson. She and Thomas Simpson were charged with stealing cloth from
a boat, and Amelia was sentenced to fourteen years’ transportation.
She arrived in Hobart in 1843.
Amelia’s pardon
did not arrive. It was very soon to apply for it; Amelia was only a
few years into her fourteen-year sentence, and pardons were not given
so early. She was a well-behaved convict throughout, not only at
government house; she committed no offences and gained her ticket of
leave in 1850, and her conditional pardon in 1852.
Meanwhile, Amelia
had met her husband William Hough. A son, Francis, was born to them
in 1851 whilst they were living in Hobart. William Hough was at that
stage a brickmaker, though his occupation would soon change to
publican. What became of their older son Thomas is unknown.
In 1854, William
Hough became the licensee of the White Hart in Elizabeth Street,
Hobart. He died at the hotel in November 1857 and Amelia assumed the
licence. In 1860, she married Swedish-born Robert Henderson, captain
of the Hargraves, a brigantine that sailed between Hobart Town and
Sydney. Henderson died at his home in Cross Street, Battery Point,
aged 45, in 1868.
Amelia Millicent
Henderson remained in Battery Point. She died at 78 Montpelier Street
in September 1896.
Researched and
written by Alison Alexander, Colette McAlpine and Keith Searson
