Australian Historical Medals

Lot 630    Session 3 (2.30pm Tue 23 Nov)    Australian Historical Medals

Estimate $20,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au

CONVICT FREE PARDON DOCUMENT, No 112, granted to Judith Kelly, signed by Governor Lachlan Macquarie on the twenty fifth day of October 1811 and registered in the Secretary's Office by Thomas Campbell, document 375mm x 319 on paper bearing the watermark, 'Chilton Mill / 1805' and a crowned cartouche, Britannia inside and King George III cipher below, with Royal seal impressed into attached paper with ribbon attached, glued to the back of the document is a contemporary hand-written note explaining the criminal history of Judith Kelly . The document appears to have been printed by George Howe, the contracted Government Printer at the time. Nearly full backing paper, some missing areas along two of the folds, foxing, otherwise very good and a rare and historic document.

Judith Kelly was tried in the Central Criminal Court, London along with her accomplice, Sarah Pitcher. The Court Hearings no.456 `Judith Kelly was indicted that she, on the 29th day of July previously, knowing for that on the 29th July had in her custody and possession a certain forged note, purporting to be a bank note for the payment of ?1, she knowing it to be forged. To this indictment the prisoner pleaded - Guilty. Sentence on 17 September 1806: Transportation 14 Years.' (1806.09.17.-33) There were other indictments relating to the same incident but she was acquitted as the Prosecution declined to offer any evidence. Judith Kelly and Sarah Pitcher were among a total of 113 female and 4 male convicts Transported to New South Wales on the convict transport ship, Sydney Cove, departing Falmouth on 11 January 1807 and arriving at Port Jackson on 18 June 1807. It appears that Judith had an uneventful time serving as a washerwoman. She received a Ticket of Leave in 1807 and in 1810 she applied to the Governor for her sentence to be mitigated. Subsequently, because of her `good conduct', she was granted a Free Pardon by Governor Macquarie, signed on 25 October, 1811. Judith Kelly was able to make it back to England or at least her Free Pardon document did because it was found in possession of a recently arrived woman claiming to be Elizabeth Jones who along with an associate, Jane Smith, was apprehended in London and a search revealed them to be in possession of several counterfeit notes. The two women were tried under exactly the same indictment as Judith Kelly and her associate in 1806 with the same result of Transportation 14 Years. Was Elizabeth Jones in reality Judith Kelly operating under a false name? No evidence could be found in this regard but indeed if they are one and the same person then this is almost certainly a rare occurrence for one person to be transported twice for the same type of crime, particularly a female. Together with a detailed research paper prepared by Dr W.J D. Mira.