John BOXALL of Blakeney (General)

by bernardh , Brisbane, Australia, Wednesday, June 25, 2014, 09:39 (3805 days ago)

In my research on my BOXEL/ BOXALL/ BOXWELL/. . . . family from Awre with Blakeney, one FODFHT member put me on to two John BOXALLs - both from Blakeney and born about the same time c1786 so I can assume with some confidence that they could be one and the same person.

The first John BOXALL:

At the age of 14 [in 1800] he enlisted with the Royal Marines and at 16 with the 90th of Foot, 2nd Battalion in Abergavenny, signing up for an unlimited period. After spending 6 years with this regiment overseas - Ireland and the West Indies, I think, as records are not clear on this, he is discharged in 1816 due to "Malformation" which to me, suggests some deformity perhaps, due to war wounds.

The second John BOXALL:

At the age of 31 in 1817 he is tried at Gloucester Quarter Sessions for 'stealing wool cloth' while resident in Blakeney and sentenced to 7 years transportation to New South Wales. After spending months in the prison hulk "Justitia" at Woolwich he departs on the "Batavia", arriving in Port Jackson [Sydney] in 1818.

I find him on muster lists in 1818, 1820 and 1821 after being sent to Windsor [just outside Sydney] to work for the government. After that he seems to disappear - at least in NSW.

I shudder to think how I would cope in what would appear to be such a dispassionate environment as that of the late 1700s and 1800s.

Is anyone familiar with convict trial records held at the Gloucester Record Office?

I would appreciate any help.

Regards, Bernard