Date of Conviction: 19/01/1824

Age at Conviction: 16

Crime Convicted of: Uttering Forged Notes

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

Sentence Length: 7 Years

Ship Transported on: Grenada (1)

Where Arrived: Sydney Cove, New South Wales

Departure Date: 25/09/1824

Arrival Date: 23/01/1825

Biography: Initially convicted under the name Martha Marsh, Martha had already served a six month imprisonment at Salford in early 1821. She was then convicted July 1821 again at Salford and was given a 7 year transportation sentence. She was sent to Lancaster Castle where she was described as age 15, 4ft 10, fair complexion, hazel eyes, brown hair, small mole inside lower right arm. Says she was born at Bank Top (close to modern day Piccadilly train station central Manchester), factory worker at Mr Birley’s cotton mill Oxford Rd. She was sent to Millbank Prison November 1821 from where she was pardoned and discharged 6th September 1823. A few months later, she reoffended back in Manchester and was again given a 7 year sentence of transportation for theft. It is not clear why she shifted from Marsh to Mayers (unless purely as an alias).

In New South Wales, she was assigned as a general servant to the Macarthurs at Parramatta. Now aged 17, she quickly reverts back to Martha Marsh again and eight months after arrival, she applied to marry Patrick Kelly (ship- Canada). The couple appear very difficult to track down but they did have four children (two boys, two girls) between 1826 and 1830 and had them baptised at St Johns, Parramatta.