Exile overseas – transported Montgomeryshire convicts in America

Some had hailed from Montgomeryshire.

The Montgomeryshire Court of Sessions formed one quarter of the Chester Circuit and charged with dispensing justice across the county – including transportation of criminals after the Transportation Act of 1718.

For the next half century criminals saw out their sentences in Britain’s American colonies with 20,000 transported to Virginia.

Caersws labourer Andrew Savage was the first Montgomeryshire man transported to the colonies after being found guilty of stealing the horse of Bettws Cedewain farmer John Jones at a Newtown fair.

Savage sold the horse to his brother-in-law who had informed the police.

On December 5, 1732, Savage was sentenced to transportation.

Newtown in the 1800s. Picture: Newtown Textile Mueum.

Buttington labourer Edward Price was sentenced to seven years' transportation in August 1734 after being found guilty of burgling the house of Welshpool’s Humphrey Tudor and three months later Llanfechain labourer John Hughes received the same sentence for burgling the home of Reynold Davies.

It would not be the last time Price found himself in front of the Montgomery Court of Sessions.

A further 25 Montgomeryshire convicts were transported to the American colonies in the next 40 years - most for burglary or agricultural crime.

Caersws labourer Thomas Hugh received a seven year sentence for selling stolen cattle at Llanidloes fair in 1738.

A year later Meifod mason John Mason was found guilty of stealing cattle in Beguildy in Radnorshire and attempting to sell the animals in Ruthin and sentenced to seven years’ transportation.

Meifod’s Mary Bowdler became the first woman to be transported in 1741 - receiving a seven year sentence for burglary.

The Montgomeryshire Court of Great Sessions had sentenced six convicts to death since its formation in 1730 but from 1741 the sentence had become more common - though not always carried out.

Llansantffraid burglar John Owens had been the first when his death sentence was commuted to 14 years’ transportation.

Both Trefeglwys yeoman Thomas Owen and Castle Caereinion labourer Morgan Jones were pardoned for death for the crime of sheep theft in 1742 with their sentences commuted to 14 years’ transportation.

The following year Montgomery blacksmith Edward Crow had received the same punishment for stealing a sheep.

Virginia and Maryland, where most convicts were transported until the American War of Indepedence.

Aberhafesp miller Thomas Mason had stolen his neighbour’s horse and sold it at Ruthin market before attempting to pass off another horse as the original to its owner and received a commuted 14 years’ transportation in 1747.

Llangynog labourer John Calcott escaped jail before being recaptured and sentenced to seven years’ transportation for burglary in 1750 and the following year John Hibbart, a Llanllwchairn yeoman received the same sentence after being found guilty of stealing flannel from a dyer in Kerry.

Welshpool labourer James Williams, Llandinam labourer Edward Lewis and Llandinam’s Mary Owen received seven years’ transportation for theft and in 1756 the Montgomeryshire Court of Great Sessions sentenced Meifod yeoman Richard Jones to 14 years for stealing a horse.

In the same year Evan Richard of Llanrhaeadr fled as far as Llandrillo before being charged with the same offence and sentenced to 14 years’ transportation.

Llandysilio servant girl Mary Miller and Llanllwchaiarnrn ‘strolling servant’ John Jones received seven years’ transportation for theft before Kerry labourer John Trow received a 14 year sentence for horse theft in 1760 and Forden yeoman George Huffard was given a seven year term for burglary in 1761.

Edward Owen escaped jail before being sentenced to death, later commuted to 14 years’ transportation for pickpocketing at Buttington’s Green Dragon Inn in 1763.

The Green Dragon.

In the same year a familiar face appeared before the Montgomeryshire judges though much older.

Edward Price of Buttington had been sentenced to seven years’ transportation for burglary in 1734 though had only served three years of his sentence before managing to return to Wales and arrested in Alberbury in 1737.

The records show he was removed from Shrewsbury jail in 1763 and then sentenced to seven years’ transportation to become the only man from Montgomeryshire to be transported twice.

John Hughes of Guilsfield and James Williams of Llandinam were transported for seven years for theft and in 1770 two Llanfair Caereinion women, Jane Edwards and Mary Roberts, were punished with the same term for a host of theft charges.

Three years later John Jervis of Pennant Melangell was sentenced to seven years’ transportation for horse theft and in the same year Catherine Jones of the same village became the last person transported from Montgomeryshire to America after being found guilty of theft.