MORGAN

This page contains information about the life of Henry Morgan, a convict who is connected to my family tree through marriage. He is a fascinating character hence his inclusion on this site.

Henry MORGAN was born in Ireland but moved with his parents to Scotland as a young child. Residing in Back Wynd Glasgow he was employed as a Horn Spoon Maker. From his early to mid teens there was trouble with the authorities resulting in numerous visits to the Glasgow Gaol and one sentence exiling him from the city. A subsequent offence of stealing in company with two other troublemakers, added to his previous behaviour, resulted in a sentence of transportation to New South Wales.

Henry arrived on board the Agamemnon in 1820 and was assigned to the lumber yard at Parramatta. It is here that he likely met his future wife Maria PEARCE and in 1823 they had a daughter Jane.

In February 1824 Henry was transported to Port Macquarie per Lady Nelson. This was usually a result of some offence on the convicts part. His wife (using the name Elizabeth and although not actually married) was permitted to join him and they married in Port Macquarie in 1824; their daughter Jane was baptised around the same time.

After a few years Henry returns to Sydney but is constantly in trouble with the authorities as he continually tries to escape. Twice he is listed as absconding, first from Sydney and then from the No. 5 Iron Gang. Finally in February 1831 he absconded from the employ of Messrs Aspinall and Browne.

How he made his escape is not known but Henry was arrested in Glasgow in October 1832 and convicted of the offence of returning from transportation. Henry attempted to persuade the authorities that he had returned lawfully but inquiries were made and it was found that there was no record of his having received a pardon. Henry might have considered himself lucky as the punishment for this crime was death however he was instead retransported, this time to Van Diemans Land, arriving there in 1832 aboard the Southworth.

Henry continued to prove troublesome to the authorities, receiving many small punishments for dereliction of duty and the like. This probably accounts for why he did not receive a ticket of leave even though many convicts sentenced to transportation for life did after serving a suitable period of their sentence. In May 1851 Henry again absconded and was not recaptured until November 1853 by the authorities in Sydney.

At this stage it appears Henry was returned to Van Diemans Land. He appears in the Pardons & Tickets of Leave registers as receiving a pardon in Tasmania in the period 1856-1859.

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