Researchers who have claimed this convict
There is currently one researcher who has claimed Joseph Beaminster
Biographies
Joseph Bemister (Beaminster)
father of John Payne b. 1823, Longbridge Deverill
The birth date of Joseph Bemister is not certain as a christening record for him was
not found. Genealogist Jill Chambers found a petition written on Joseph's behalf from his
sister Deborah Bemister Berry in 1831. By connecting the dots, it was determined that
Joseph was the son of William Bemister and Abigail Lamperd of Heytesbury and later
Knook in Witshire, England. A transport record issued in 1831 listed his age as 38. A
prison muster roll from Van Diemen'sLand (Tasmania) listed his birth year as 1792, born in
Heytesbury, Witlshire, England.
Records show that Joseph was a farmer in Knook. He married Anne Doughty on
December 24, 1815 in Knook. He and Anne had 3 children: Sarah Bemister who was
born 1816, died at the age of 3 years; Charles Bemister born 1818; Elizabeth Bemister
born 1820, died at the age of 1 year. Anne died in 1821, the same year as Elizabeth.
Througha Bastardy Order issued on January 10, 1823, Sarah Payne of Longbridge
Deverill names Joseph Bemister of Knook as the father of her child, John Payne, who was
to be born in February of that same year. The Order states that Joseph was to provide
monetarily for the impending birth of this child as well as monthly child support. Records in
Longbridge Deverill indicate that he honored his financial obligation until 1825 after which
time he stopped sSupporting Sarah and his child. For some unknown reason, in 1829 Sarah
Payne traveled to Alton, Hampshire where she sought assistance from the parish there. A
Removal Order conveyed her back to the parish in Longbridge.
in 1830"Swing Riots' occurred all over the counties in England. Witshire was no
exception. In retaliation against the Industrial Age and the poor living conditions, many farm
laborers rebelled by breaking farming equipment and machinery which was displacing
human labor. Adding fuel to the fire, several years of drought and sparse water allocation
left many farms with limited crop production. As there was less food and fewer jobs, the
traditional farm laborer became poorer and dependent upon their parish for assistance.
Because fewer individuals could contribute to their church, many parishes were simply
unable to meet the demand of sustaining the poor. Peasants were starving and living in
squalor. The social divide that existed between unemployed villagers and the wealthy land
owners lead many to riot and destroy the property of the landowners.
In January, 1831 Joseph Bemister along with several others were tried in Court for
"having iotously and tumultuously assembled, and forcibly destroyed a thrashing
machine, the přoperty of Ambrose Patient, the younger at Corton in the parish of
Boyton, on the 25th of November, 1830. Joseph along with 36 others was sentenced to
7 years transportation to the penal colony located on Van Diemen's Land in Australia. On
February 2, 1831, Joseph along with 224 other Machine Breakers from England were
transported on the ship Eliza. The joumey took about 3 months. According to a thesis
written by Bruce Brown, University of Tasmania, 2004, the rioters were considered the be
conservative political activists.They represented one of the largest groups transported to
the Australian colonies for a common crime and were certainly the largest group ever
transported from England to the Colonies for a crime of social or political protest."
After serving about 4 years as an indentured farm laborer for Mr. G. Cook, Joseph
was pardoned in 1836. Penal records state that he remained in Australia traveling to Port
Phillip and Victoria with a fellow pardoned inmate who was also from Witshire. For some
ex-pisioners, there was more opportunity for them to get ahead in Australia than there was
back in England. It is assumed that Joseph Bemister died in Australia as there is no record
of hi
Submitted by Researcher (17164) on 17 March 2024
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Disclaimer: The information has not been verified by Claim a Convict. As this information is contributed, it is the responsibility of those who use the data to verify its accuracy. Research notes
There are currently no research notes attached to this convict. Sources
- The National Archives (TNA) : HO 11/8, p.8
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