William Swendell was born on the 23rd of April 1808 to William Sewell Swendell (1781 - 1844), my great great great grandfather, and William’s first wife Elizabeth Benjamin (1784 - 1819).
On the 27th of October 1825 William was sentenced to transportation for life for stealing a hankerchief. William, his father, wrote a letter to the King pleading for clemency.
To the Kings Most Excellent Majesty
The Humble Petition of William Sewell Swendell of No 36 Walbrook Place, Hoxton New Town in the County of Middlesex Clerk to an Attorney
Most Humble Sheweth that your Petitioner is the unhappy father of William Swendell who was in the xxxx held in October last, one thousand and eight hundred and twenty five for the city of London tried before the Recorder of the said City on an Indicement charging him with stealing an Hankerchief the property of a person unknown from his person committed there upon and ordered to be transported for the term of his natural life for the same Your petitioner most humbly craves leave to represent unto your most Gracious Majesty that his unfortunate son is now only of the age of seventeen years and was from two years old brought up by a widow lady who instilled into his infant mind all the principals of Religion virtue and honesty until his age of eight years when that lady greatly to be lamented departed this life to inherit a far better of which well from her piety and virtue merited when your Petitioners unfortunate son having not only lost so valuable a Protector and from your Petitioners situation as Clerk he was obliged to attend daily to his Business but nevertheless he did bring up his said Children to attend divine workship and gave them that Education in his power until about two years since he with the assistance of his benevolent Employer put his said unfortunate son an apprentice to a tailor with a premium of twelve punds but the matter of this unfortunate youth after he was to apprenticed and the premium paid shewed little regard either to the morality or principles this apprentice and suffered him to loitering about the streets instead of instructing him in his Business and making him industrious whereby he got into the company of bad Boys nearly on about his own age and was tempted to accompany the Lad who was convicted with him to join him in the Streets when the said lad committed the offence your unfortunate Petitioner for being in Company with him was taken into custody convicted and sentenced as aforesaid.
That your wretched Petitioner feels as a parent the loss of his firstborn banished for ever from his sight and society and which will plead his excuse for presumming to humbly address your most gracious Majesty and although your Petitioner does not wish or desire or pray that his unhappy son may not receive some punishment yet he is very, very anxious to have the sight and society of his Dear son once more that he may not be bought in his old age with sorrow to the Grave deploring the loss and banishment of his said son who (should your most Gracious Majesty in your most merciful consideration be graciously pleased to mitigate his said sentence and restore him once more for your wretched Petitioner his father your Petitioner will take him under his care and with the assistance of his your Petitioners Employer (and who your Petitioner hath served with fidelity for upwards of twenty three years and who is the Brother of the Lady who took such tender care of this youth in his tender years at Kentish town in the County of Middlesex receive him and place him in such situation in life and such a distance from any Companions he had that shall render him an useful and honorable member of Society.
Your Humble Petitioner presumes to crave leave to add that his sons conduct since his conviction and confinement on Board the Hulk called York at Gosport has been consistent and contrite and he doth feel great sorrow for the offence of which he hath been found Guilty and humbly implores that his former good conduct and his present conduct may be taken into your Majestys most tender consideration and that your Majesty may be graciously pleased to mitigate his said sentence and restore him to his native Country and his disconsolate Parent your Petitioner and for such mercy and goodness your miserable Petitioner and his most deplorable son will ever conduct themselves in the strict path of rectitude and virtue and in every way as deserving objects of such great mercy and goodness
Your Petitioner therefore most humbly prayed and implored that your most gracious Majesty will be graciously pleased to take his case into your Majestys most tender consideration who is overwhelmed with affliction his first born son banished and his third son a fine Boy of eleven years of age killed by a carriage going over him that he is induced from those afflictions humbly to supplicate your most in gracious Majesty for a mitigation of his said sons sentence and restore him to his native land in his disconsolate father your humble Petitioner and his friends who are ready and desirous to receive him and who can and will place him in such a situation in life that shall be respectable Spare him gracious time, spare the unhappy Boy and be graciously pleased to restore the happiness of your wretched Petitioner once more on such relief as to your most gracious Majesty in your great wisdom and Mercy shall seem meet.
W Swendell
I whose name is here unto subscribed who is the Brother of the Late Mrs Penelope Cown late of Kentish Town widow who brought up the unhappy son of your Petitioner as stated in the Petition and who is not a lad of vicious habits and easily be reclaimed most humbly beg leave to xxx recommend him as an object deserving your most gracious Majesty’s favour humbly presuming to state that I will with the assistance of his unhappy father take him under such protection as shall place him in a situation to restore him with respectibility and to become an useful member of a society his father having been in my employ upwards of twenty three years with an unblemished Character.
C Humphreys
7 Broadway Ludgate Hill
XXX XXXXX XXX XXXXX
Johan Ledsham
Hoxton Town
C Clark xxx xxx
John Hawkins
Hoxton New Town
Richard Greenhow
Walbrook Place Hoxton New Town
William Martin
Retty Fordham
Benjamin Barnes
Walbrook Place Hoxton New Town
XXX Anderson Hoxton New Town
William provides a significant description of his family’s recent history. The main points from the letter are:
- In 1825 William Swendell was living at No 36 Walbrook Place, Hoxton New Town. This street appears to be have been knocked down and replaced by Fairbank Street between 1868 and 1872 since an 1868 map shows Walbrook Place, but it has disappeared by 1872.
- William was a clerk to a C Humphreys an attorney. William had worked for C Humphreys for 23 years.
- William’s son William was only 17.
- From the age of 2 William was brought up by Penelope Cown, a widow, who lived in Kentish Town. Penelope died when William was 8 and was the sister of C Humphreys.
- C Humphreys lived at 7 Broadway Ludgate Hill.
- Working as a clerk William was unable to look after his son.
- William was being educated up until two years ago (presumably until he was 15) before he took on an apprenticeship with a tailor.
- William paid the tailor 12 pounds to take on his son as an apprentice.
- William was held in a hulk called York as Gosport.
- William’s third son was run over by a carriage and killed age 11. This was probably Benjamin Sewell Swendell (1814 - 1825) a son from his first marriage.
What’s different from William Senior’s letter written ten years later regarding his son Frederick Augustus Swendell is that there’s no suggestion that William Junior is not guilty. Rather this is a plea for clemency.
As for the Humphreys I think that the C stands for Charles as I’ve found a pair of Siblings Charles and Penelope. Penelope married a William Corne (similar sounding to Cown) who died in 1802 with Penelope dying in 1817. These dates are consistent with the contents of the letter.
The letter wasn’t immediately successful as on the 28th of January 1828 Charles Humphrey wrote to the King.
Esteemed Sir
Some time since I presumed the liberty of mentioning to you that I had presented a Petition of William Sewell Swendell (the Father of William Swendell who had been convicted of stealing “Hankerchief and sentenced to be transported for the term of his natural life” and foraying “a mitigation of that sentence so that he might be restored to his disconsolate parents and not be compelled to leave his “native Country” he is now only in the Seventieth year of his age and has been confined on Board His Majesty’s Hulkl the York at Gosport for two years and upwards I have made every enquiry respecting his conduct durig his confinement and I have not heard to the Contrary of his being very penitent and shews great contrition for the offence of which he was found Guilty. I have also received several letters from him which exhibit that contrition and that Religious principles and morals have a due impression on his mind. He was to the age of eight years brought up in those principles by one of the best and accomplished of Women who never failed taking him to a place of Worship at Kentish Town but unfortunately at that tender age he was deprived of his Benefactress who had paid so close an attention to his welfare here and hereafter. Since that I took him under my care where he continued until the age of Fifteen when I apprenticed him but unhappily with a man who had no consideration for his morals and he had too much his own liberty by which he got into bad company the fatal result of which was that he was seduced and tempted to accompany the lad (that was tried with him) to commit the offence for which he now suffers. I beg to be permitted to add that I am perfectly satisfied that he is not a youth of vicious and bad habits and should his most gracious majesty be pleased to grant him His most gracious pardon I will undertake to receive him and place him in such a situation as to render him useful and honorable member of Society. His father has been with me as Clerk upwards of Twenty six years a truly honest moral man with a large family of six children and which brings up in the principles of Religion morality and virtue. He begs me most humbly to supplicate you Sir to kindly interfere on behalf of his unhappy son who he will render a deserving object of his majesty’s mercy by a life of rectitude and virtue and by his exemplary conduct alonge for his least offences. The Father will presume the liberty of handing this letter and wait your final condescension for an answer at any time you Sir whose please to deiecd. Should you Sir wish to seem me on the subject I will punctually attend your appointment
I have the Honor to be Esteemed Sir Your obedient humble Servt
C Humphreys
7 Broadway Ludgate Hill 22 January 1878
PS I beg to enheat Your Pardon for their Liberty and would have done myself the honor of waiting on you in person but I was fearful I should impeede too XXXXX on Your valuable time
CH
Charles mentions that William Senior has six children. In January 1878 the six children from his second marriage are:
- Frederick Augustus Swendell (1820 - 1836) who in 1835 will encounter similar problems.
- Emma Swendell (1820 - 1882). Emma and Frederick are most likely twins.
- Joseph Corne Swendell (1821 - 1893). Joseph may have been given the middle name Corne as a tribute to Penelope Corne.
- Catherine Elizabeth Swendell (1823 - 1834).
- Jane Ellen Swendell (1825 - 1826).
- Frances Ann Swendell (1827 - ?).
William’s next child to be born in 1830 is Henry James Humphrey Swendell my great, great grandfather.
On the back of the letter there is the following writing
XX 2X William Swendell
Old Bailey
Oct Sess 1825
XXX from the Person
Trans for life
onb the York
good character + well behaved in the hulks
Let him remain in Engl?if he continues to behave well.
I hadn’t spotted this. It was only upon returning to the National Archives website to prepare for another trip that I spotted the transcript against the record. The National Archives has the quarterly returns for the prisoner hulks including the York. Reviewing the returns I found a William Swendell being pardoned on 15th of November 1833.
If this is the same William Swendell (there’s some doubt in my mind as the age in the quarterly returns is 19 when William would have actually been 25) then he never was sent to Australia and his father’s letter had made a difference.
After this I’ve not been able to find further records for William Junior. The first census to record all members of a household wasn’t until 1841 and I’ve not been able to find a record of him. William Senior is recorded in the 1841 census, but he is living with his second wife and their children. There’s no record of children from his first marriage living with him.