Ripon MuseumsThe Yorkshire Law and Order Museums |
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Ripon MuseumsThe Yorkshire Law and Order Museums |
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Born September 1828 close to Smelthouses in Nidderdale, Ward Swale was the second child and first son of William & Mary Swale. William was a waggoner. By the 1841 census when he was 12, Ward Swale's mother had died, he had left home and in deplorable times was trying to sustain himself as best he could.
On January 8th 1848 at Ripon Court of Quarter Sessions, Ward Swale, now a 19 year old farm labourer, pleaded guilty to breaking into a house and stealing a watch and other small items valued at 2 shillings and 4 pence. As this was a second offence in a year, he was classified as a repeat offender and sentenced 'to be transported beyond the seas for 7 years'.
As he awaited transportation, Ward did hard labour at the Ripon House of Correction. In the autumn of 1848 he was moved to London to the prison ship Warrior moored at Woolwich. Now he was chained at night and taken ashore each day to do hard labour at Woolwich Arsenal. As convict number 4374 he spent almost 3 years on the Warrior.
In July 1851 he moved with other prisoners to Plymouth and the convict ship Morden which sailed to the River Colony in Western Australia, reaching Freemantle on October 14th 1851. Now 23 years old, his particulars were recorded and his new number 776 given to him. He was lucky. Ward Swale and all his shipmates were given their tickets of leave on the day they landed in Freemantle.
Ward Swale did not marry and is not recorded as having fathered any children.
On July 4th 1879, in Western Australia, still a farm labourer, Ward was re-convicted and sentenced to 5 years custody. He died a sad and lonely end on August 11th 1887 aged 58 of Menieres Disease - a degenerative disease of the inner ear.
How strange that 100 years after his death, his great great nephew, Mr Will Swales whilst searching the internet, happened to stumble upon his name on a convict data base!
Mr Swales was a guest of honour at the Official Opening of the Courthouse Musum on 15th March 2005, following redecoration in the original colour scheme used at its opening at Michelmas 1830.
The full story, researched by Will Swales and Mrs Bess Chapman - Curator of the Courthouse 2000-2006 - can be found in the exhibition, 'One Way to Botany Bay' at the Courthouse Museum. Also Will Swales' own account of his ancestor's story can be viewed at www.ihgs.ac.uk/competition/ward_swale.php.
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