John Kingshott baptised Greatham 1 Jan
1792 son of Francis and Lydia Kingshott. Wife: Mary
- details unknown. John is often erroneously
recorded as having married Mary Small at Bramshott,
but this is a different John completely. They had
five children William, Mary Ann, Hannah, John and
Francis.
John was convicted of theft arising
from the Selbourne & Headley Riot of 1830 following
a warrant dated 23rd November 1830.
Charged with having, on 23rd day of
November last, at the parish of Kingsley,
feloniously robbing Mary King of certain loaves of
bread, some cheese and beer. Sentenced to death,
commuted to transportation for life. A petition
from members of the Petersfield Friendly Society,
dated 31st January 1831 on behalf of John Kingshott
of the parish of Greatham, stated that he had always
been considered "a sober and industrious individual,
having a wife and five small children, and that he
would have been forced to join the mob." The
petition was unsuccesful and he was convicted of the
offence.
He was received on the prison hulk
“York” on 9th February 1831 and
subsequently sailed to Van Diemen's Land on the ship
“Proteus”. He departed Portsmouth aboard the
"Proteus" on 14th April 1831 and arrived in Hobart
4th August 1831.
Convict description: Head round; visage oval;
forehead perpendicular; whiskers black; eyebrows
brown; nose medium length; mouth wide thick lips;
chin medium length fleshy underneath; arms hairy.
It is said that he was the second wealthiest man on
the Proteus, having £10.10s, which in those days was
enough to have bought him a passage home had the law
allowed it.
On arrival in VDL, John was assigned
to John Kingstall, but by 1833 was working as a farm
labourer learning the trade of blacksmith for Mrs
Ann Bridger, a hotelier in New Norfolk. An
application was made for his wife and children to
join him in VDL. On 16 April 1833 the Rev George
Godbold of Greatham replied recommending the
transfer. Unfortunately, he sent it to Norfolk
Island, a thousand miles away in the Pacific Ocean,
instead of to New Norfolk in Tasmania and as a
result it took a year and a day to reach its
intended destination. The request was granted by
13th June 1834 and in June 1835 the family sailed on
the Hector which arrived in Hobart on 20 October
1835.
John and Mary had a sixth child,
Ellen, born in New Norfolk on 21 January 1837. Mary
died in Febrary 1839 and was buried on 1st March
1839.
John received a conditional pardon
dated 5 April 1838 and in the 1848 census he is
shown as the proprietor and person in charge of an
unfinished wooden house at Brushy Bottom, New
Norfolk employing one ticket-of-leave farm servant.
The only other occupant was his daughter Ellen.
Of his six children, all married, and
all but John stayed in Tasmania—the latter followed
his father's trade as a blacksmith, moving to
Melbourne in 1846, then followed a successful time
at the gold diggings near Castlemaine.
John died on
8th May 1866, aged 76 years (sic.),farmer, O'Brien's
Bridge, Tasmania. Informant of death was his
granddaughter Mary Ann 'Kinshott', eldest child of
William Kingshott.
Thanks to
Jan Kingshott
for the above information