Caroline Purcell - Theft, Trials and Transportation
Caroline Purcell was Irene’s paternal grandmother. You can read her story, and discover more about her life with John Casey here.
Caroline was born to a poor family in Birmingham in the early 1800’s. Tough enough times without the added burden of poverty. As a teenager she moved to London, where she later appeared twice before the Old Bailey, London’s Central Criminal Court.
The first time was in January 1827, when she was charged with stealing some cloth, along with various items of women’s’ clothing and shoes. This is a transcript of her trial.
FIFTH DAY. TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1827.
Third Middlesex Jury - Before Mr. Recorder.
333. CAROLINE PURCELL was indicted for a burglary in the dwelling-house of Elizabeth Addison, on the night of the 11th of December, and stealing 3 yards of calico, value 1s; 2 yards of flannel, value 1s; 1 gown, value 7s; 1 cloak, value 10s; 1 coat, value 8s; 2 handkerchiefs, value 4s; 1 shawl, value 10s; 1 pair of shoes, value 3s; 2 aprons, value 1s, and 2 caps, value 1s, her property.
ELIZABETH ADDISON (a prisoner, see p. 139). On the 11th of December I lived in Windmill-street , in the ground floor, back-room; the landlord does not live in the house - it is let out in tenements - I am an unfortunate girl - I went out at nine o'clock that night, and believe I locked my room, but cannot be certain - I came back at half-past ten o'clock, found the door wide open, and all the things missing out of my box - no other unfortunate woman lodges there - I have known the prisoner some years; but did not know where she lived - she used to frequent the next room to mine, and I saw her there on the Saturday.
JAMES MARLOW. I am shopman to Mr. Castle, a pawnbroker of Church-street, Shoreditch. On the 12th of December the prisoner pawned a coat, a cloak, a gown, two yards of flannel, three yards of calico, and a cotton handkerchief, for 15s, in the name of C. Purcell, Old Nichol-street; Addison came the same morning and claimed them.
WILLIAM HALL. I apprehended the prisoner in the yard of a house in Anchor-street, Bethnal-green; she was denied to me by the people of the house - I went to Nichol-street, and found she did not live there.
ELIZABETH ADDISON. These things are mine - the coat belonged to a young man who visited me.
Prisoner's Defence. I used to work in the next room; and as I came out one morning, I met a young man who said he would give me 6d. to pawn these things.
JAMES PURCELL. I am the prisoner's brother; the people, who have got her in custody, took her away on the 5th of December - she was a good girl till then.
NOT GUILTY.
It’s amazing how short the whole proceedings were, and it doesn’t appear as though there was much in the way of legal representation and advocacy. Despite that, Caroline was found not guilty and was released. Maybe nowadays we’d be OK(ish) with representing ourselves, given the relatively minor crime. But back then, although the crime was relatively small, the penalty could be completely life changing, as we’ll see in Caroline’s next Court appearance.
This time, two years later in 1829, the theft was more serious. Caroline was accused of stealing a similar list of material and items of clothing – although many more items – and the list also included a considerable amount of jewellery.
This is a transcript of her trial.
653. CAROLINE PURCELL was indicted for stealing, on the 18th of December, 5 gowns, value £1. 10s; 3 shifts, value 15s; 15 towels, value 15s; 9 handkerchiefs, value 15s; 8½ yards of calico, value 6s; 9 aprons, value 11s; 2 yards of jean, value 4s. 6d; 1 pair of trousers, value 2s; 5 pairs of stockings, value 10s; 1 quilt, value 5s; pillow-case, value 1s; 1silk bag, value 6d; 1 comb, value 8s; pair of gloves, value 1s; pair of shoes, value 7s; 3 boxes, value 2s. 6d; 2 brooches, value 2s, 6d; 2 pairs of ear-rings, value 12s; 1 watch-chain, value 5s; 3 rings, value 12s; silver pencil-case, value 1s. 6d.; 4 seals, value 2s; 1 shirt pin, value 10s; pair of clasps, value 2s; 1 buckle, value 3s; 2 table-cloths, value 2s. 6d; 1 purse, value 1s; scent-bottle, value 1s; 2 petticoats, value 4s; 5 shillings, and 4 sixpences, the goods of Mary King, in her dwelling-house.
MARY KING. I live in Great Bell-alley, but at the time in question I lived in Carr-square, St, Giles, Cripplegate, and kept the house - the prisoner's brother and sister lodged on the second floor; they told me she was out of a situation - they had been a month in the house, and she had been all that time with them. I went out on Saturday, the 18th of December, about one o'clock, and left nobody in the house but the prisoner, her brother, and sister; I had two young men lodgers, but they were not in the house - I came home about four o’clock; I had left this property locked up in a drawer on the first floor, where the two young men sleep; I live on the ground floor - the key was in the bottom drawer, which was empty; all the property stated in the indictment was in the drawers - I had seen them safe about nine days before; the young men lodgers were not away all that time - when I came home the prisoner came down stairs and said, "How soon you have come back - my sister is up stairs very ill in bed;" I had left her to mind my child on the ground floor room – I desired her to wait, and have a cup of tea with me, for taking care of my child; she said she would go and get her sister's fire ready - she came down, drank tea, and asked me to lend her a shawl to go out and look for a situation; she went up stairs, came down, and said Mr. Long had sent for me while I was out - this was between five and six o'clock; I work for Mr. Long, and went out to him - she went out at the door at the same time, and said she was going to look for a day's work; I went to Mr. Long, who lives in Cloth-fair, about a quarter of an hour's walk - on returning, the prisoner was not in the house; I did not see her again till she was taken up, which was about a week after - I had no occasion to go up stairs till ten o'clock at night; one young man returned then, and asked me for the key - I said the door was not locked, for I had left the key in the door, but I found then that the door was locked, and the key taken away, I found a box in the room broken open, which I had left safe before I went out - nothing was taken out of it: I searched the prisoner at Lambeth-street Office - a gown of mine was found on her, and a pair of shoes; I had seen them safe when I went to the drawers nine days before - a handkerchief of mine was found, but nothing else; the value of the whole is £9. 15s.; When I found the things on her she begged me not to take them away, or I should leave her without anything on: Charlotte Rawson is my sister - they are her property, but were in my house and in my care.
JAMES LEE. I am an officer of Lambeth-street. On the 27th of January I apprehended the prisoner at a house in a court in Whitechapel; when I went up stairs she crept under the bedstead - I pulled her out, and told her the charge; she made no reply; I asked her where the property was - she said I should have no blood-money out of her; I found this handkerchief under the bed, and found a pair of shoes on her; Mrs. King claimed this gown and petticoat, which she had on at the office. (Property produced and sworn to.)
Prisoner's Defence. I bought these shoes myself out of a shop - I bought the things; I could have stripped them off at the first examination, but I wore them, as I had bought them - I kept away, because I had a few words with my brother; I went out, got intoxicated, and staid away - I was ashamed to take the shawl back; I got under the bed when they came for me, as my brother was with them, and he is a very severe man.
CHARLOTTE RAWSON. I am certain these are my shoes – the other property is mine.
GUILTY. Aged 19. Of stealing to the value of 99s only. Transported for Seven Years.
Caroline Purcell’s second Old Bailey Trial - 1829
And so it was that the young Caroline Purcell made her way to NSW as a convict, a seven‑year sentence hanging over her head.
I wanted to see what sort of crime attracted a seven year sentence nowadays, so I went to Google and typed in “sentenced to 7 years Australia” and went to News, and the first item that came up was about a 15 year old boy who was sentenced to seven years in prison after stealing a car, driving it while drunk, crashing it, killing one teenage passenger, and rendering another passenger - a 12 year old girl – a quadriplegic. And he’ll probably be out in 3 years.
The passing of 200 years has seen sentencing soften considerably. It was tough back in the early 1800’s. In fact, the English legal system was given the name the “Bloody Code” from the late 1600’s and into the early 1800’s as there were so many crimes that attracted the death penalty. In 1815 there were 215 offences that could see you hanged, and they included murder, arson (so far I can see some logic, but then…), forgery, cutting down trees, stealing horses or sheep, destroying turnpike roads, (and now it starts to get a bit silly…), stealing from a rabbit warren (what do rabbits have that’s worth stealing, I wonder?), pickpocketing goods worth a shilling (roughly $60 today), being out at night with a blackened face (pity the poor folk from Africa), being an unmarried mother concealing a stillborn child, and wrecking a fishpond.
So, in a way, a four month “cruise” to a distant island paradise with 7 years paid accommodation and food may have seen Caroline come off rather lightly.
For more on Caroline’s journey aboard The Sovereign click here, and for story of her life with John Casey, click here.
Caroline Purcell - Transportation documentation
Written by Rob Landsberry, last updated 13 May 2023