Date of Conviction: 31/01/1820

Age at Conviction: 28

Crime Convicted of: Theft

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

Sentence Length: 7 Years

Ship Transported on: Providence (1)

Where Arrived: Sydney Cove, New South Wales

Departure Date: 06/06/1821

Arrival Date: 07/01/1822

Biography: Mary was a single woman of Wigan, convicted of stealing from Ann Winstanley. She had already served a number of past sentences. Despite being listed as single, she had already been married, possibly widowed or separated and had another child, Jane whilst either in jail at Lancaster or on the journey to the convict ship or just prior to sailing. Jane travelled with Mary to New South Wales and was baptised in the June after arriving. After this time, Jane was placed in an orphanage and later, industrial school.

She was sent to Parramatta and worked there as a servant for a William Wicks. Mary saught permission to marry convict blacksmith Richard Reid (also Read) (ship- Tyne) at St Johns, Parramatta in 1823 where they married in June, Mary was officially assigned to her husband that September and they lived at Castlereagh Street in Sydney. In 1825, the couple were still in Sydney and had had a son, also Richard the year before.

The relationship with Richard however must have broken down around 1826 as Mary was returned to the female factory 1st class by her master (not her husband). Later in 1826 she was acquitted of arranging for a burglary and of receiving stolen goods due to lack of evidence. Mary received her certificate of freedom in February 1827. At that time she was described as a house servant, age 32, 5ft 8 inches (very tall for that time), a fair, ruddy and freckled complexion, dark brown hair, hazel eyes and a native of Sheerness, Kent. Soon after, in 1828 she had another son Charles- no father is listed. At this time Mary with baby son Charles was living and working as a servant for a William Elsworthy on Cumberland Street in Sydney- she had returned to using the surname Neville.

It isn’t clear what happened to Mary or where she went after this time.