Researchers who have claimed this convict
There is currently one researcher who has claimed Samuel Slee
Biographies
Samuel Slee, the eldest child of Thomas and Anne, was born at Uffculme on 23 January 1811 and baptised at the Presbyterian meeting at Cross Lands, Uffculme, Devon, on 10 March 1811. He spent his childhood in Uffculme. He obviously received a good education, as it is known he could read and write, and for that he may have attended Ayshford’s Grammar School at Uffculme, founded in 1701. As a lad he no doubt assisted in his father’s shopkeeping business. At around 14 his father arranged for him to be apprenticed as a cordwainer (shoemaker), an occupation followed also by several other family members.
Aged 21, he married Elizabeth Baker in the nearby township of Culmstock, Devon, on 3 August 1832. The witnesses were James Veales and his sister Ann Ballyman Slee. The young couple moved to Wellington, a small industrial town in Somerset, near the border of Devon, where their first child was born, Mary Ann (1835). Moving back to Uffculme in 1836, more children followed: Elizabeth (1836), William (1838), John (1840), and Thomas (1843).
When Samuel and Elizabeth returned to Uffculme following their short sojourn in Wellington, their family was expanding quickly and needed more living space. Samuel was then working as a labourer and his parents allowed the young family to occupy their largest property, the detached cottage and garden in Bridge Street beside the Culm River, known light-heartedly as ‘Noah’s Ark’. The garden at the rear of the cottage was rich alluvial land. Samuel was now aged 35 and, just when his life as a family man seemed to be settled and secure, he made the biggest mistake of his life.
On 22 February 1845 at Uffculme he foolishly stole two ducks and a drake belonging to Henry Doble of Uffculme. The three ducks were possibly penned in or near the Culm River, which flowed near Samuel’s home. The act was done ‘with force and arms’, a legal term which included simply opening a latch. How or why Samuel got involved in this act is unknown, but he picked the wrong person to steal from. Henry Doble had farming interests about Uffculme which he protected zealously. He had previously taken harsh action against a sheep thief.
Concerning Samuel Slee, Doble complained to the authorities and Samuel was charged with the felony of stealing the three ducks, worth a total of four shillings and sixpence (4/6). He appeared before the court on 20 October 1845 at Exeter Castle, Devonshire, was convicted, and sentenced to ten years transportation.
The conviction and sentence was a severe blow to his family. Samuel was immediately imprisoned. His father, Thomas Slee, a respectable and religious man, must have been broken-hearted. Exactly one month later, on 20 November 1845, he died at his home in Bridge Street, Uffculme, aged 71. It was said that he became ill and died three days later at 11.00pm, the cause of death being recorded as `decay of nature'. In his Will, Thomas Slee left his entire estate to his wife, Ann.
Following her husband’s conviction and imprisonment, and the death of her father-in-law, everything changed overnight for Elizabeth Slee and her children. She moved from Uffculme to the larger regional town of Tiverton. The reasons why she moved are not known, but can be imagined. She was pregnant, with a young family, and no husband to support her. Tiverton probably offered more chances of employment and support for her family than the small town of Uffculme. Samuel Slee (Junr) was born in 1846, six months after his father’s conviction and imprisonment. The unfortunate child died as an infant in 1850, never having seen his father.
Samuel Slee was firstly sent to the penal establishment on Gibraltar, founded in 1842. By 1846 when Samuel arrived some 500 prisoners were held there. Totally overcrowded, a prison hulk arrived in March 1847, capable of accommodating an additional 300 men. Gibraltar, along with Bermuda, was regarded as the second or penal stage whereby convicts spent o
Submitted by Researcher (15709) on 24 September 2022
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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
Upon being released in Hobart, Samuel had either no intentions, or no means, to return home. He lived in a house in Elizabeth Street, Hobart Town, next to the Rose and Crown Tavern.
Submitted by Researcher (15709) on 24 September 2022
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He formed a romantic relationship with another convict, Charlotte Beecher. On 20 April 1855 Charlotte lodged an application to the Convict Department to marry Samuel Slee.
Submitted by Researcher (15709) on 24 September 2022
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Charlotte was granted a ticket-of-leave on 8 August 1854 and recommended for a conditional pardon on 7 November 1854. The proposed marriage was approved by the Convict Department on 1 May 1855.
Submitted by Researcher (15709) on 24 September 2022
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The Convict Department recorded that Charlotte and Samuel were married on 17 July 1855.
Submitted by Researcher (15709) on 24 September 2022
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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. Sources
- The National Archives (TNA) : HO 11/17, p.37
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