Born and Bred
A Yorkshire Family
Sarah Denby
Sarah's Story
Sarah was probably born in 1821, though I have no proof of this. However I do have a record of her being baptised on the 14th of August 1821 at St. Laurence Priory Church, Snaith in East Yorkshire. I believe her parents were Thomas Denby and Margaret Briggs and at this time they were living and working in the nearby village of Cowick.
Sometime before 1842, Sarah had a son named "Briggs" with one Peter Richardson. However, they were not to marry until 1846 after Peter had completed a spell in prison between 1845 and 1846 when he was convicted of "Horse Stealing".
After marrying Sarah in 1846, Peter appears to have stayed out of trouble for a period of time. Between 1846 and 1850 they had another three children, but times must have been hard for them because, in 1850, Peter was convicted again, along with two other individuals, this time for stealing six turkeys and six ducks. Once again he was found guilty and imprisoned in the Wakefield House of Correction. As this was his second offence, it was recommended that he be transported overseas. However, it appears that this was commuted to hard labour.
Strangely enough, with Peter having avoided "forced transportation" they decided to emigrate. Maybe life was too hard for them, in and around Snaith, maybe they yearned for the chance of a better life. Whatever the reason, in 1855, Peter and Sarah, along with their four children Briggs, Enoch, Seth and Margaret, emigrated to Tasmania under the assisted immigration scheme. They travelled to Australia abord "The Champion of the Seas" and from there to Tasmania aboard "The Black Swan".
The recorded details for Peter were as follows:
| Name: | Richardson, Peter |
| Age: | 34 |
| Religion: | Church of England |
| Literacy: | Read and Write |
| Native Place: | Yorkshire |
| Trade: | Farm Labourer |
| Sponsor: | John Mitchell |
| Ship: | Champion of the Seas |
... and for Sarah as follows:
| Name: | Richardson, Sarah |
| Age: | 33 |
| Religion: | Church of England |
| Literacy: | Read and Write |
| Native Place: | Yorkshire |
| Trade: | General Servant |
| Sponsor: | John Mitchell |
| Ship: | Champion of the Seas |
Assisted immigration schemes were set up to bring people out to work in the Colony. There were recruitment drives in England to entice farm workers to come. If they signed up to come, someone in Tasmania would sponsor them (in Peter's case this was John Mitchell) and they would be required to work for this person after arrival, for a set period, to pay back their passage.
The John Mitchell mentioned above, may have been one of Peter's uncles on his mother's side. It is possible he had travelled out to Australia earlier, but I have no further information on John Mitchell or any family he may have had. If anyone has any further information, I would love to hear from you.
Once in Tasmania, Sarah and Peter had a further three children and by all accounts led good and respectable lives. Sarah died on the 8th of June 1889 in Chudleigh, Tasmania and was burried at the Chudleigh Presbyterian Cemetery.