The penal settlement of Port Arthur, Van Dieman's [sic] Land from a sketch by Captn. Hext, 4th, The King's Own Regiment; C. Hutchins, lithographer. Image courtesy of the National Library of Australia.
,Source - Glos. Journal 28th Oct. 1837, 5/5 S. 1837/128. Michaelmas Assizes. Gloucester.
Jeremiah Scrivens
Coromandel III 25th October 1838
No.587 Scrivens Jeremiah.
Gloucester/City/20 23rd Oct. 1837. 10.
31.6.44. 3 Class.
Transported for stealing a watch. Gaol report character.
lc. very bad in prison before. Hulk report very bad. ??? stated this offence stealing a watch with keys and purse. Once for a watch ??? single.
April 28th 1840. Glou/ Disobi (disobey?) of order and insolence one month hard labour House of Correction RUC. (Initials of prison officer?)
July 2nd 1841. Glocer (Gloucester?) 6 weeks hard labour House of Corrn (correction) KN.
Launceston ???? 7.7.41.
April 2nd 1842 Smith/larceny under £5. 2 years hard labour on the road Port Arthur secn (section?) RWP Approved L.G.Decis 8.11.42.
?/44 3 class
7/1/45
Cert 1 1/7/48
Note: Launceston Prison was one of the most severe and much hated.
So he definitely lived in Tasmania long enough to get his Certificate of Freedom.
Jeremiah probably left the colony after he got his certificate of freedom on 11th July 1848 - the fact that he even bothered to apply for it probably meant that he had leaving the colony in mind. He cannot be found on the 1851 census for GLS, which is where you would have thought he would have gone if he had returned to the UK. He was still only a young man; it is possible he took up one of the offers of cheap transport and free land that existed in other colonies like Canada or New Zealand, or he may have been attracted to the USA by the gold rushes. Or he may have been attracted to the gold fields of nearby Victoria, and been one of the
thousands of miners who died there without a trace.
Register of Prisoners 1833-1838, Gloucester Record Office.
June 15th 1837, No. 128, Jeremiah Scrivens aged 20, of Lassington, Charged on the oath of Harriet (sister), the wife of George Neale with feloniously stealing on the ninth day of June at Lassington a silver watch the property of the said George Neale.
Description - Dark Brown hair, grey eyes, roman nose, ruddy complexion, small mouth, long visage, large scar on right wrist, right ? toe dislocated. Spotted on the body from a child. 5'9 3/4" tall.
Additional information on Jeremiah Scrivens
Entries for the prison hulk Ganymede anchored in the River Thames at Woolwich Quarter ending 31st December 1837.
No. 4693 Jeremiah Scrivens / aged 21/ Stealing a watch from the person/ Gloucester/ 23.10.1837/ Healthy/ New prisoner.
Excerpts from the Surgeons Log of the Coromandel 12th June - 1st November 1838 kept by Mr. J.Tweedale during the Voyage from Woolwich to Hobart Town, Van Dieman's Land.
June 15th 120 convicts from the Justitia, Woolwich (these tended to be adolescents).
June 16th 100 convicts from the Ganymede, Woolwich. (including No. 4693 Jeremiah Scrivens)
June 18th 120 convicts from the Fortitude, Sheerness.
June 18th 10 Convicts from the Euryalus, Sheerness.
Total - 350 convicts, Guards(?) 33 (21st Regiment of Fusiliers), Crew 51, Women and Children 18.
July 6th 1838 Francis Jones aged 18 Private , 21st Fusiliers died.
September 26th 1838 Thomas Hughes aged 22 Convict died .
(These were the only two fatalities, although there were numerous instances of ulcers, fevers, diahorrea and constipation recorded. This was largely due to the fact that, unusually, the 121 day voyage was made without the normal stops at Rio and Cape Town for fresh supplies of vegetables, meat and water.
N.B. Jeremiah Scrivens did not appear at the surgeons door once during the voyage).