Date of Conviction: 26/04/1819

Age at Conviction: 29

Crime Convicted of: Theft

Court Convicted at: Liverpool Borough 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: Sophia had been awaiting trial in Liverpool Borough jail since January 1819 and held on remand along with Mary Long after they stole three pairs of shoes belonging to a Moses Moss and William Gratty in the town. After conviction, they were transferred to Lancaster Castle. Sophia had only been married four or five months to John Nightingale. John was already her second husband and she had already served two jail sentences before this.

Immediately after arrival at Port Jackson Sophia was transferred to the Princess Charlotte which sailed for Hobart, Van Diemen’s Land. In August 1821, Sophia gave birth to a daughter, Mary Ann, no father was recorded and Mary Ann died just three years later. Sophia received her certificate of freedom in 1826. In 1828, Sophia had a son, John at Broad Marsh in the Green Ponds area. Also this year, Sophia was twice fined for being drunk and disorderly before in December being convicted of obtaining goods belonging to Israel Hyams by false pretences- this case was dismissed as were two others; riotous conduct and being drunk again in 1829. The man she had lived with and been assigned to for years John Hellings was bound over to keep the peace with her.

In February 1833, Sophia married Thomas Walker at Brighton and they had son John, baptised the same day with Walker as his surname. In 1835 she received a further fine for being drunk and in 1840 was sent to the House of Correction for a week in default of claiming she could not afford the fine for being drunk. Her husband died in 1845 but it is not clear what happened to Sophia.