Date of Conviction: 17/01/1820

Age at Conviction: 24

Crime Convicted of: Theft

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

Sentence Length: 7 Years

Ship Transported on: Morley

Where Arrived: Port Jackson, New South Wales

Departure Date: 17/05/1820

Arrival Date: 30/09/1820

Biography: Margaret was a single woman who had stolen a watch belonging to a John Bridge along with a William Harrison and Thomas Peeler at Manchester. She left Lancaster Castle along with eleven other convict women at the end of April 1820 and arrived on board ship on the 28th that month. Ship surgeon Thomas Reid described the Lancaster women as displaying ‘riotous conduct and mischievous behaviour’.

On arrival in New South Wales, Margaret was sent to Parramatta and ended up in the female factory though in 1822 is working for a Mr Badgeny. In 1824 she was assigned to an Eliza Kirkwood Margaret received her certificate of freedom in February 1827. In this description Margaret is described as a cotton spinner, age 32, native of Manchester. 4ft 11, fair to ruddy complexion and slight pock pitted, brown hair and hazel eyes and she had a scar above her eyebrow and another on the bridge of her nose.

In February 1828 Margaret (recorded as Holdham or Holding) married William Sa(u)nders, a horse groom, (ship- Mary) at St James’ Sydney but after this date no further records are available to date.