Date of Conviction: 26/04/1819

Age at Conviction: 19

Crime Convicted of: Theft

Court Convicted at: Liverpool Borough Quarter Sessions (held at the Town Hall, Liverpool)

Sentence Length: 7 Years

Ship Transported on: Janus

Where Arrived: Port Jackson, New South Wales

Departure Date: 23/10/1819

Arrival Date: 03/05/1820

Biography: Mary had been awaiting trial in Liverpool Borough jail since January 1819 and held on remand along with Sophia Nightingale after they stole three pairs of shoes belonging to a Moses Moss and William Gratty. After conviction, they were transferred to Lancaster Castle.

Mary claimed to be in a pregnant condition on arrival. An enquiry had taken place into prostitution onboard the Janus and in her statement, Mary claimed the Captain, Thomas Mowat, was the father of her child, stating:

“I was one of the female Convicts that came out in the Ship “Janus.” I was in the first instance placed in the Prison Room; it was locked down about dark. The locking down took place, as soon as the Ship sailed from Cork; we were unlocked about Daylight; the Women were not mustered after we sailed. I can’t say that some of the Prisoners were on Deck or somewhere else after the Lock down time. I can’t say I know of any Prisoner being let out of the Prison after the Lock down hour. When I have not been Confined in the Prison during the night, I have passed my time in the Captain’s Cabin. I believe I am at this time in a pregnant Condition. I charge Captain Mowat with the Cause of my being in this Condition. During the Voyage I did not frequently pass the night in the Captain’s Cabin. I know of Lydia Elsden having passed the nights in another Cabin, the next Cabin to the Captain’s, the Chief Mate’s, Mr. Hedges. I do not know of any of the Women being down in the Sailors’ Birth. I believe they were. I do not know of their being in other places than the Prison Room; it was days and nights; as far as I know and saw, the Women were treated very well; they had no Complaints. I have heard the Surgeon Sup’d’t complain of the Disorderly Conduct of the Prisoners. I have heard him say, as to the Women being with the men, to keep it from the Priests; that he knew what he was doing. When I was in the Captain’s Cabin, it was Commonly known. When I went, I went publicly down night or day. I washed and mended for Captain Mowat. I constantly had occasion to go down for those purposes. Mary Hoare, Isabella Irvin used to wash for the Priests; Ellen Molloy cooked for them; they had frequent occasion to go into the Priests’ Cabin.”

It appears that either Mary wasn’t pregnant or she lost the child as there are no others records for a child.

Mary was assigned to Reverend Thomas Reddall upon arrival. In February 1821 she applied to marry convict Stephen Pike (ship- Glatton) but no marriage took place. By 1822, Mary was employed by Reverend Henry Fulton, then married another employee of Rev Fulton, convict James Lewis Donovan (ship- Atlas) who had been a Canadian Army musician, on New Years Eve 1822 at Christ Church, Castlereagh. In April the following year both Mary and her husband were to be transferred to Port Dalrymple in Van Diemen’s Land and a letter was sent to the Penrith Magistrates to forward them both to Sydney for departure. However, unknown to the magistrates, Mary had had a child and given birth to a daughter, Mary Ann, that March with another man, John Fulton (ship- Chapman) and once this was discovered, in June, still in Sydney, Mary was to be immediately returned to the female factory at Parramatta.

Something is very awry with this, especially with the duplication of the surname Fulton- John Fulton of the ship Chapman was a long term prisoner at Port Macquarie and nowhere near Penrith/Castlereagh; however, Reverend Henry Fulton, had a son, John Walker Fulton, aged about 20 who married another vicar’s daughter soon after these events. My belief is that he is the actual father of Mary Ann, hence Mary’s rushed marriage (probably by Rev Hulton himself) to James Lewis, a fellow employee, apparent rush to send them both to Van Diemen’s Land and then quickly rescinding this and sending Mary and her daughter to the female factory.

Although its not known whether James Lewis was forced to marry Mary or had agreed to support her, after this, they went their separate ways and he was also never sent to Van Diemen’s Land. He committed a number of further crimes, was jailed and was dead by October 1825. The same month, the general muster recorded that Mary had died in the female factory and her daughter was now in the female orphan’s school.