Charles Dixon (1812-1882) A Convict Story.....

Charles Dixon was my g-g-great-grandfather...

Born in London in 1812, Charles was caught in August 1830 stealing a handkerchief from a man's person, on a London street. When arrested, he claimed to have "eaten no bread for 3 days". He was tried at the Old Bailey, found guilty and sentenced to 14 years transportation.

Prisons were hopelessly overcrowded, so although Charles was first sent to Newbury Gaol, he was held in a hulk for a couple of weeks, before boarding the John 1 which left Plymouth on the 9th October, 1830, carrying 200 convicts to Van Dieman's Land. Charles' conduct records on both the hulk, and the ship passage are very good.

In January, 1831, John 1 arrives in Hobart, and upon arrival, Charles is indentured as a labourer to T. Nowland. His conduct report for this period shows only one misdeameanor, 'neglect of duty and disobedience of orders' for which he is ordered 25 lashes.Ouch!!

In 1837, having worked for his employer for the required 6 years, Charles immediately applies for his Ticket of Leave,  which is granted in January. This allows him to travel for work within a given district, and find his own work. He is also allowed to acquire property. In return, the TOL requires that Charles attend Church regularly, report to the Magistrate when required, and apply for permission to travel outside his district.

In October 1840, Charles fronts up to the magistrate again, for 'misconduct in tippling in a public
house out of hours', and is sentenced to 10 days hard labour on the treadwheel. This was a machine like a water wheel used to punish convicts. Prisoners undergoing punishment took turns to propel the wheel by stepping up constantly on the revolving treads. The energy generated may have been used to grind wheat, but generally it served no purpose other than as a form of punishment.* On December 28 that same year, Charles is again in trouble, this time reported for 'having black eyes in Church' (a reference to presenting as angry at Church). His punishment is 48 hours in solitary confinement, I think. It's almost impossible to be sure from the handwriting, despite my trusty reference aid.

In August 1841, a few months before the obligatory 5 years as a TOL holder, Charles is granted a Conditional Pardon which basically makes him a free man. (The condition being that he never returns to England or Ireland.)
His Free Certificate is granted in 1844, at the completion of his original sentence.Charles is now 32 years old. This same year, he marries 15 year old Ann McVeagh, the daughter of Frances Topp and Irish convict, William McVeagh. They begin a family, and soon leave Tasmania for a promising beginning in Victoria, putting the convict past behind them.

Convict Description List- Charles Dixon , top right.

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It is my suspicion that young Charles Dixon intended on being transported out of England, and planned a better life. His crime was obvious and purposeless, he did not appear to defend himself, and he conducted himself throughout in the manner of someone with a plan. Life in London was dreadfully hard in 1830, and there is no mention of family in any of Charles' trial or convict records. Many people who found themselves in hopeless circumstances at this time committed crimes with the intention of being sentenced to transportation, in the hope of a better life.

* Explanation of Treadwheel taken from Susan Hood's wonderful resource: Transcribing Tasmanian Convict records, (Port Arthur Historical Site Management Authority), 2003. p56.

Like to look at some original convict records?
If you are unfamiliar with Convict records, then start on-line with the Tasmanian Archives Office. It's dead easy to plug in your convict's name, and perhaps ship or date, and begin viewing some of their original records (our Charles Dixon is Convict #18888).
http://portal.archives.tas.gov.au

For felons transported to NSW try:
http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/indexes-online/indexes-to-convict-records

To view the Old Bailey court transcript of Charles' 1830 crime, click on the link
Dixon 1830 trial...

Bessie Jane DIXON (1849-1940)

Bessie Jane Dixon was my great-great grandmother. She was born in April 1849 in Port Albert, Victoria which was the first stop her parents Charles and Ann made on their journey away from Tasmania. Like many convicts and their families, Charles and Ann decided that better opportunities and a fresh start awaited them in Victoria, and sailed with their young son, Charles Joseph to Port Albert, where Charles got work as a butcher.

Two sisters, Phoebe and Annie were also born in Port Albert, but by 1854, the family had followed the gold trail to the diggings at Castlemaine, a town which experienced a massive population explosion in the early 1850's, mostly of  miners and their families. Chasing good fortune, the Dixons were in for a very hard time. The conditions around Castlemaine were very tough- most likely the young family were living in a tent, or a shanty hut made from canvas or bark. It was overcrowded, and contagious diseases spread quickly. Young  Charles died aged 9 in 1854, then little Annie. In 1857 first Ann, then their baby daughter Susannah Maria died of 'debility', caused most probably by the disease and malnutrition so prevalent in these environs.

By the time Bessie is 8 years old, she has lost her brother, two sisters and her mother. Her grandmother, Frances appears to be with them at the time of Ann's death, and it is likely that she stayed with the family to help Charles raise the two girls. We know nothing of Bessie's childhood after her mother's death, but certainly, she and her father stayed on in Castlemaine, where she met and married a local blacksmith, Frederick Kempson and raised her own family. Bessie's remaining sister, Phoebe moved to East Gippsland with Frances, who lived in Rosedale for many years. Unfortunately Phoebe died in Sale in 1890, aged 43, just two years after her father.

Bessie and Fred appear to have had a good marriage, and raised 6 of their 8 children to adulthood. Sadly, two daughters, aged 2 and 18 years passed away and much later in 1916, a son Frederick was killed in France. I wonder if those early experiences of death made it easier to deal with the death of her children? The family are regularly mentioned in the local accounts of sporting competitions and regional festivities, and so they must have been well enmeshed in community life. After Fred's sudden death in 1905, Bessie moved with her girls to Coburg in Melbourne. She lived a very long life, dying at age 90.

Bessie Jane must have been a strong woman in our family, and most certainly a survivor. The daughter and granddaughter of convicts, she learnt how to survive in tough times, and make the most of difficult circumstances. I suspect that this is where her daughter, Eleanor got her "just get on with it and do what needs doing" attitude. I wish that I did know more about Bessie. Nana must have known her quite well, as they lived not far away for several years before Bessie's death, but she didn't speak of her to me.

I wonder also if she knew much about her parent's early life, especially her father's convict years, and his youth in London. When he died in 1892, Fred acted as informant on Charles' death registration, but he wasn't able to provide any detail about his parents or birthplace. Perhaps, then, this is where the 'stain' began to be hidden, and Charles didn't speak of his past to Bessie. We can only guess.

Before I finish off, I want to include a small piece I found on Trove which is perhaps testament to Bessie Jane's spirit of resilience!

A Plucky Woman
Castlemaine, 30 December

Mrs Kempson, who resides at North Castlemaine, had an exciting and dangerous experience yesterday. When crossing the small paddock in which stands the Lutheran Church she was attacked by an untethered cow. With much pluck and determination, she seized the cow by the horns, and although pulled about violently, she managed to retain her hold until assistance arrived, when she was rescued from her perilous position much exhausted and bruised.

Bendigo Advertiser
Monday, January 1st 1906.