Date of Conviction: 29/03/1823

Age at Conviction: 32

Crime Convicted of: Uttering

Court Convicted at: Lancaster Assizes (held at the Lancaster Castle)

Sentence Length: Life

Ship Transported on: Brothers

Where Arrived: Van Diemen’s Land

Departure Date: 20/11/1823

Arrival Date: 15/04/1824

Biography: Mary had a death sentence reprieved. She was from Bacup and was described as having grey eyes and light brown hair. She was missing a front tooth in her upper jaw and was married with three children; her husband was a weaver at Bury. She initially had one child in jail with her and later another joined her and these children, Mary and George travelled onboard ship with her. Her ship report simply stated she had been ‘good’.

In the colony Mary soon was sent to the factory for absenteeism from her work in 1827 but the following year she was reassigned to Dougal McCoy of Liverpool Street. She gained a ticket of leave in 1830 but was charged with cohabiting with James Miller (ship-Minerva) after living with him for some time and having a further child together. The governor approved of the marriage as Miller owned property and was fully able to support Mary but despite applying several times for permission to marry him the church refused as Mary couldn’t prove her first husband, who she had almost certainly been long separated from was dead, as she had claimed he was. There was much public sympathy for Mary and her situation. Worse still, the vicar, Rev. Bedford who refused the marriage, even refused to baptise Mary’s friend’s child when Mary was selected to be a godmother.

This seems to have ended Mary and James’ chances. James married another woman in 1835 and in 1836, Mary married a John Cavanagh. This was a very unsuccessful marriage though and they announced their separation in the newspapers just a few months later in January 1837.

Unfortunately, Mary settled into a life of drunkenness and frequent trips in front of the courts. She was charged with absconding from her farm work in 1842, where her description was given as 5ft 2, dark grey eyes, brown hair and now aged 51. She had had her ticket of leave revoked in October 1853 and in 1864, ‘old Mary Holt’ took ‘the palm’ for having been ‘docketed’ 22 times in 12 months.