George & Mary's headstone
Yambuk Cemetery
MaryAnn Sullivan was born in Dublin, Ireland. Her parents names were Patrick Kelly, a soldier and Dolly Kelly, formerly a Sullivan.
MaryAnn was tried at Middlesex on the 11th January 1827 and sentenced to DEATH with a recommendation for mercy for stealing a ring and an umbrella. Then sentence was commuted to transportation for life to Van Dieman's Land. She had been acquitted on another charge of robbery. She was 5 ft. 1½ inches tall, aged 21 years, and had brown hair and hazel eyes, was a house and nursery maid from Ramsgate Kent.
She was sent out on "The Sovereign", a sailing ship of 398 tons built at Hull 1814. "The Sovereign" left London on the 14th July 1827 and arrived at Van Dieman's Land on the 20th November 1827 with W. M. McKellar as Master and Robert Malcolm as surgeon.
MaryAnn Sullivan married George Roberts, a ticket of leave man, on the 25th day of June 1832 at St. John's Church in Launceston.
MaryAnn received a conditional pardon on the 27th January 1840 which was extended to the colonies on the 7th October 1845.
MaryAnn died of cancer at the age of 64 years on the 30th March 1873 and was buried at the Yambuk Cemetery with George. He died at the age of 78 years on the 1st November 1879. Jane Rowbottom erected the headstone on their grave in their memory.
Other links:
As there has been an occasion when the Old Bailey reorganised their website and broke the link to the trial, the original trial transcript is listed below. But the link, when working, is worth following for other details of "justice" in the 1820s.
MARY ANN SULLIVAN, MARTHA BELLAMY, Violent Theft highway robbery, 11th January 1827.
Reference Number: t18270111-23
Offence: Violent Theft highway robbery
Verdict: Guilty with recommendation
Punishment: Death; Death
Before Mr. Baron Hullock.
301. MARY ANN SULLIVAN and MARTHA BELLAMY were indicted for feloniously assaulting Joseph Ortega , on the 16th of December , at St. Giles in the Fields , putting him in fear, and taking from his person and against his will, 1 ring, value 20s.,; 1 umbrella, value 9s.; 3 sixpences, and 6 halfpence, his property.
JOSEPH ORTEGA. I live in Arthur-street, Somers-town. I am a native of Spain , and am a teacher of languages . On the 16th of December, about a quarter past six o'clock at night, I had been to a coffee-house to see the newspaper, and as I was going home, the prisoner Sullivan came up to me in Soho-square, and asked me to go with her - I said No; being a stranger, I could not find my way home if I had gone with her - she said, "Come with me, I will give you a direction to Somers-town;" I went into her house, not knowing the character of such women; I do not know what street it was in - she took me into a back room, on the first-floor; she shut the door, and then said she wanted my money - I said, "I have no money;" she said, if I would not give her my money, I should not go home that night; I said, if she would open the door I would go home - she said she wanted my money first, and after that she beat me - I said that I would give her 1s., which I did; she said I had more money than that - I said, No; she said, "Let me see your pockets;" I said I would not; she said, "If you will not, I will kill you;" I then gave her 9d. - she then said that I must let her see my pocket - I said I would not. There was then a knock at the door; Bellamy came in and said, "What is the matter?" Sullivan said, "That gentleman will not give me his money;" Bellamy said, "If he will not give you his money, take the poker, and kill him" - I said I had no money; Sullivan said, "Let us see your pockets" - I said I would not; she said, "Well, if you won't, we will kill you to-night" - I had a watch in my pocket, and did not wish them to find it - I then said, "I will show you my pockets myself" - I turned them out, and Bellamy said,"Very well, if you have no money, give me your umbrella," and she took it out of my hand herself - I had a diamond ring on my finger, and Sullivan said I must give that to her - I said I could not get it off my finger; she told me to prove that I could not get it off - I tried, and could not, and she tried, and could not - she then said that I must put my finger into her mouth; I did so, and while I was doing that, Bellamy pushed my arm against the wall, and Sullivan pulled her head away with the ring in her mouth - she had got it off my finger against my will; she took it out of her mouth, and put it on her own finger - Bellamy then said, "Let him go;" she took my umbrella, and went away - Sullivan blew the candle out, took hold of me by the coat, and went away - I went out, and met the witnesses in the next street; I told them what had happened, and they accompanied me to the place - I never saw the prisoners before, but am quite sure they are the women; they were not there when I went back.
Q. What made you go to their room? Did you know your way home? A. I did not know where I was; I went with her, as she promised me a direction home; that was my motive - I thought her a bad woman.
JOHN TOFFT. I am beadle of St. Giles. On the 16th of December, about a quarter to seven o'clock in the evening, the prosecutor came to me in High-street, and gave me information - I went with him to these women's lodging, in Maynard-street; I was going up to the room, and I met a man at the door, who gave me some information, and we went down High-street, where we met the prisoners together - Ortega said, "Those are the two women who robbed me" - they denied it, but did not deny having seen him; we took them in charge, but found nothing on them - I never went up into the room.
WILLIAM BELL. I am a beadle, and was with Tofft - the prosecutor said he was certainly with the women.
SULLIVAN's Defence. I never saw him till he came and took hold of this young woman, and then he said, "I don't think this is the girl" - he let her go, took hold of me, and said, "I believe this is one," and we were taken - he went up to Bellamy and said, "If you will tell me who robbed me, I will let you go" - she said she could not tell him, and he said, "I will punish you for it."
BELLAMY's Defence. He took hold of me, then let me go, and took me a second time.
TOFFT re-examined. I was with the prosecutor - he pointed them out six yards before they came up, and had no doubt about them.
SULLIVAN - GUILTY - DEATH. Aged 20.
BELLAMY - GUILTY - DEATH. Aged 15.
Recommended to Mercy.
Mary Ann Sullivan's record in Van Dieman's land is also mentioned in "Notorious Strumpets and Dangerous Girls - Convict Women in Van Dieman's Land 1803 - 1829" by Phillip Tardiff, Published in 1990 by Angus & Robertson, North Ryde NSW.
SULLIVAN, MARY ANN
Police Number 119
Convicted At Middlesex Goal Delivery
Conviction Date and Sentence
11 January 1827. Life (Death recorded).
Transported For Robbery.
Gaol Report A prostitute. Single.
Stated This Offence
Stealing a ring and umbrella from a man in my own room. Once tried for and acquitted of robbing. Twice in custody for street robbery. Single. Roman Catholic. Was on the town eighteen months.
Ship's Surgeon's Comments 20 August 1827: Delivered of a female child.
DESCRIPTION
Native Place Ramsgate (Kent). Trade Housemaid and nurserymaid.
Literacy Cannot write.
Height 5 ft 2 in.
Age 21 (1827).
Hair Brown.
Eyes Blue.
Remarks Large scar inside wrist joint, right hand. She says she has 'JO' on her right
COLONIAL EXPERIENCES
1828:: 2 January J. Grant. Absenting herself without leave and returning home intoxicated. Cell on bread and water 3 days and assignable in the Country.
1828: 27 December W.Jarritt. Drunk and disorderly. 7 days in a cell in the Factory and not to be reassigned in the District of Richmond.
1829: 16 May Reid. Drunk and disorderly yesterday afternoon. To be placed in the Crime Class in the House of Correction.
1831: 11 March Midwood. Absenting herself from her service the whole of last night without leave and remaining absent until this morning. Cell on bread and water 14 days and returned to her service.
1831: 5 April Lieute: Torlesse. Being found improper situation in Mr Durrant's public house last night. 2 months Crime Class.
1832:: 1 February E. Bailey. Drunk and absent leave. 7 days solitary confinement on bread and water.
1832: 8 May Applied to marry George Roberts (No. 290) per Prince of Orange (married at Launceston on 25 June 1832).
1832 and 1833 Musters: Assigned to Mr. Bailey.
1835: 20 January Wife of Roberts. Making use of abusive language to Martha Gladwell. Reprimanded.
1835: 1 October Ticket of Leave.
1835: 19 November TL. Drunk. Fined 5 shillings.
1836: 21 April Wife of Roberts. TL. Drunk. Fined 5 shilling.
1840: 27 January Conditional Pardon recommended (approved 14 January 1842). Never charged with an offence of importance and by her police character and the certificates in her favour appeared to have reformed.
1845: 7 October Pardon extended to the Australian Colonies and New Zealand.