Date of Conviction: 21/07/1823

Age at Conviction: 24

Crime Convicted of: Theft

Court Convicted at: Lancaster Quarter Sessions (held at the New Bailey, Salford)

Sentence Length: 7 Years

Ship Transported on: Brothers

Where Arrived: Hobart, Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania)

Departure Date: 20/11/1823

Arrival Date: 15/04/1824

Biography: Elizabeth had stolen three silk handkerchiefs at Manchester with two other girls who got jail sentences. In the prison register at Lancaster Castle she said she was born at Leeds and had a pale complexion, brown hair, dark grey eyes, large pupils- the left larger than the right with a glossy appearance. She was tattooed with ‘Elizabeth & Peter Allen’ and 2 hearts entwined and ‘PA & EB’ on her upper right arm and ‘SS’ on her left arm. Her ears were pierced. Despite the tattoos she is recorded as a single woman. Elizabeth had two past convictions at Salford. She suffered a bad cold onboard ship.

On arrival, she was described as having been orderly onboard ship but that she was an old offender with 4 past convictions and was ‘on the town’ (a prostitute). Elizabeth has an extensive convict record in Tasmania; on arrival, she twice absconded and was found drunk and disorderly. After being on the run for ten days she was captured and put in an iron collar for a month in the female factory. This pattern of absconding and being captured was repeated throughout 1825 and 1826 and she also saw time in the stocks. After continuing to abscond, she was locked up for 12 months in 1827-28 and for a further 6 months in 1829. Despite all this, she got her certificate of freedom in 1834.

Elizabeth then had a number of fines for being drunk between 1835 and 1842.

Elizabeth Fry recorded that ‘Eleven women from Lancaster were sent to the ship (Brothers) ‘iron-hooped round their legs and arms, and chained to each other. The complaints of these women were very mournful, they were not allowed to get up or down from the coach without the whole being dragged together; some of them had children to carry, they received no help, or alleviation to their suffering.’