Date of Conviction: 15/04/1812

Age at Conviction: 23

Crime Convicted of: Theft from the Person

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

Sentence Length: 7 Years

Ship Transported on: Emu then Broxbornebury

Where Arrived: Port Jackson, New South Wales

Departure Date: 11/11/1812

Arrival Date: 28/07/1814

Biography: Margaret was a servant. She stole a gold watch from the person of Alexander Rigby.

Originally transported on the Emu, the ship was captured at Cape Verde. Like all the women oboard the Emu, they were repatriated back to Woolwich where they were then transferred onto Broxbornebury- making it a two year journey for them- the longest of any convict voyage.

On arrival, Margaret was put into the female factory. It seems she found a husband there though as Margaret married John Carey (ship- Barwell), the factory overseer at St Johns, Parramatta in December 1815- he was almost forty years her senior. In 1822, Margaret and John were living with an assigned servant who was made a local constable; Patrick McAdams/Caddam (ship- Tyne). Margaret was widowed in 1823. Just two months later, Margaret and Patrick began a relationship and married at St Mary’s Catholic Church in April- Ann Clough who had sailed with Margaret was a witness. 1823 was also the year Margaret claimed her certificate of freedom. In it we find out she was now 31, had been born at Wigan, and was a mantua (dress) maker, was 5ft 2, had a red complexion, brown hair and blue eyes.

1824 was an awkward year- as Patrick requested he was assigned to his wife- the governors would only permit it with agreement from his current master. Patrick had to state his previous master was now dead and he had married his wife. He was also dismissed from being a constable and requested the couple be allowed to travel to Van Diemen’s Land. This didn’t happen but instead the couple moved to 5 Gloucester Street, Sydney in 1825. The house where Margaret lived at Parramatta, previously owned by her ex husband and now new husband was described thus-

‘on Green street, off the Windsor road- a residence of 56 foot long, divided into three tenements with a verandah in front. Also an attached thatched cottage with four rooms another tenement with two rooms. Also a garden and orchard with an excellent supply of water’. A later sale notice clarifies this as the plot bounded by Ross Street and Sorrell Street

In February 1830, Patrick advertised in the newspapers that his wife was missing and hadn’t been seen for two weeks and he was worried she had had an accident but to date, no further records of Margaret have been found. Patrick was briefly jailed the following august for absconding (from who?) but was free by October and after that also cannot be found.