Hello,

I've hit a dead end in my search for my ancestor James Mathews (born around 1806). I have scoured Anglican and Non-Conformist registers for all Dymock area to no avail. The information I have to go on is as follows:

James was transported to Australia for stealing 50 yards of cloth from the manufacturer Messrs Wilkins & Co.
James stated this his father and mother lived at Tiverton, surname Mathews (Matthews?)
He was sent from Shepton Mallet Goal to Ilchester Gaol.
He was tried at Taunton (Somerset) Assizes on 29 March 1823 and sentenced to transportation for 7 years.
He traveled on the Leviathan Hulk, then the Chapman - leaving England on 6 April 1824
James died in Tasmania, on May 4 1879 - son was Walter George Mathews

Any leads at all would be greatly appreciated!

Tiverton is Devon

Tibberton is Newent Glos area

The history you give Shepton Mallett suggest a Somerset/Devon link

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster & Hereford Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

? I’ve been looking to find a Cloth Manufacturer called Wilkins.

This may be completely incorrect, but Charles Wilkins were a huge woollen manufacturers in Twerton, Somerset, Nr Bath. Could with the Somerset/Gloucestershire accent and probably James wasn’t able to read or write, Tiverton could be Twerton Nr Bath Somerset. I can see on Somerset records on line, James was a labourer. Or is the w e in Twerton read is an I e then the e….

On the 'net'

Twerton is sometimes confused with Tiverton due to their shared etymological root:

both are believed to derive from the Old English "Two-ford-town" or "Twy-ford-ton".

Twerton, a suburb of Bath, Somerset, was also formally known as TWIVERTON, further contributing to the confusion.

To avoid this, the Twerton station was renamed Twerton on Avon in 1899, according to Geograph.

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May be James parents were in Twerton (a very large cloth making town run by WILKINS) - who knows!!! James, West Country accent etc.

Thank you everbody for your responses! I really appreciate it. Forgive me for the long post - hoping someone can help me make sense of it all!

Here's some additional information I have so far:

Document 1: Shepton Mallet Gaol Register / Committal Roll (Gloucester Assizes)
- Name: James Mathews
- Age: 17 years
- Where born: Hampton, Gloucestershire (not sure if this is a clerk's error as it's the only documentation that refers to 'Hampton')
- Last abode: Tiverton
- Trade: Labourer
- Offence: Stealing cloth (50 yards)
- Sentence: 7 years transportation

Document 2: Convict Indent List (Chapman (2)) 6 April 1824 - 27 Jul 1824
- Embarked: Portsmouth - Arrived Hobart
- Name: James Mathews
- Age: 17 years
- "Stole 50 yards of cloth property of T & M at Tiverton"
- Native Place: Gloucestershire
- Last abode: Tiverton

Other information:

1: Co-Offenders
- Charles Slip and Mark Maggs were listed as his co-offenders.
- Charles Slip is listed as born at Bath, trade as Painter,
- Mark Maggs is listed as being born in Bath, trade as Blacksmith, last abode as Tiverton (it seems he may not have been transported - many listings in the Criminal Lunatic records post transportation of Charles and James)
- James was held at Ilchester Gaol prior to removal to Taunton Assizes. My research says that the Shepton Mallet Gaol register may just be recording his committal, but doesn't necessarily mean he was held physically there (recording all Somerset Assizes prisoners).

2. RootsWeb page (no sources)
There is a RootsWeb page that mentions the following information:
- Gaol report: "Badly connected"
- Offence: "Stealing 50 yards of cloth from Messrs Wilkins & Co"
- Father and Mother at Tiverton, names Matthews
- Weaver, last worked at Mr. Nash's (apparently this is in a hulk/convict description). I'm thinking this means he was employed as a weaver in the workshop or mill of a Mr. Nash at Tiverton. There is one reference in the Dymock Parish Register in Tiverton hamlet to: Nash, Saml. - weaver.

3: Tiverton (Gloucestershire)
- From my research, apparently 'Tiverton' in Gloucestershire was a small hamlet in an area on the eastern edge of the Forest of Dean, with neighbouring parishes including Bream, Abenhall, Newland and Ruardean
- Apparently in modern geography it is NNW of Dymock and SSE of Ledbury, straddling the old A417/A40 road
- It seems that the Gloucestershire Tiverton was never big enough to support anything like a cloth manufactory - while Devon Tiverton was a major cloth-manufacturing centre.

3. Other
- Quite a number of 'Mathews' names listed in Ruardean Parish (Forest of Dean)
- Marriage record of James Mathews & Mary Baldwin in Dymock Parish on 22 October 1805 by banns - BUT - no record of any child born to them called 'James' in 1805/1806
- Have checked for a James Mathews born 1805/1806 in Tiverton (DEVON) - no record
- The only record I have been able to find is of James Mathews born 2 June, 1805 in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire. Parents David Mathews and Betsy Mathews (Gloucestershire Non-Conformist Register)

Questions:
- Does "Hampton, Gloucestershire" mean Minchinhampton?
- Is there any basis to James being born in Tiverton, Gloucestershire?
- Any advice on how to prove that Tiverton, Devon is the actual last place of abode / place of crime? (The "Mr. Nash" reference from Tiverton, Dymock is throwing me)

Thanks in advance!

I think you may have solved the mystery somewhat!

See this document: https://historyofbath.org/images/BathHistory/Vol%2006%20-%2005.%20von%20Behr%20-%20The%...

It mentions Wilkins as a cloth manufacturer in Twerton. It also mentions a Francis 'Naish' who ran the Twerton Upper Mill up until 1824 (despite being declared bankrupt in the late 1818). It seems that in 1822, there was a "stoppage of all employment at the Manufactory of Mr Naish at Twerton" - so it seems my James Mathews was convicted of stealing from Wilkins while in the employ of Naish!

I will now go and search for any record of my James Mathews in Bath - just in case he is not the same James Mathews from Minchinhampton.

That’s a start!!

Have you done a DNA test yet. For me, this solved the mystery of what happened to my Dad’s Grandfather who disappeared after going to work on the Chilean railways leaving his Wife and children alone in Wiltshire.. Not only did my x Grandfather have a good life in Chile, he had more children there and I’ve got Chilean Cousins.

On Family Search - Trees (Also on FreeREG)

There is Mark MAGGS, birth 1805 born High Littleton, Somerset, England

who marries Elizabeth BAILEY 30 May 1803 at St James Bath, Somerset

(Grooms residence : Lyncombe & Widcombe) as is the Bride's

With a memoranda stating

Lyncombe & Windcombe Parish from 1754-1843 the Chapel of Widcombe was deemed Extraparochial and was not licenced for weddings.

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A daughter of this marriage was christened : at Twerton, 25 October 1835 (Anglican)

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This appears to put Mark MAGGS (who was not transported!) in TWERTON

I have just been looking at British Newsapers on Line ( I don't subscribe, but if you register, you have have 3 free goes to read the whole of the articles (which appear to be quite long)

This I think you'll find very helpful.

Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette : 27 February 1823

(sorry it's a bit muddled, but the script is comes up like this)

high constable of the hundred of Wellow, aided by the tithingiueli of TWERTON, the cloth was found concealed in a bay mow Twertoti.

The perpetrators of the robbery, CHAS. SLIP, MAT MAGGS AND JAMES MATTHEWS, were this day committed for trial....

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Bath Mirror 12 April 1823

breaking and entering the manufactory Mr Wilkins of TWERTON, and stealing yards cloth. Impritonrnt

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As I said, if you register you can run off the full transcript - 3 free articles.

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Wow - that's quite a story!

Yes - I have done a DNA Test but unfortunately I don't see many matches in the area that are relevant to James! I have his full information from after his arrival in Tasmania - he's my 4th Great Grandfather!

Thank you so much - that is super helpful!