IN 1988 , PHILIP READY DISTRIBUTED A FAMILY HISTORY OF THE READY FAMILY TO THE MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY. MUCH WORK HAD BEEN PUT INTO THIS AND HE ISSUED IT IN THE FORM OF 45 PAGE BOOKLET WHICH HE CALLED ” READY OR NOT” . I HAVE JUST ACQUIRED HIS CONTACT DETAILS AND WILL WRITE AND ASK FOR PERMISSION TO PUT IT ONLINE.
IN THE MEANTIME HERE ARE SOME OF THE FAMILY DETAILS WHICH HE SO PAINSTAKINGLY RESEARCHED WITH HIS WIFE LOIS IN PRE-INTERNET DAYS WHEN THIS WAS NO SMALL TASK.
SARAH WAS BORN SARAH ANN BENSON.
Her parents were THOMAS BENSON and HANNAH HITCHINS ( HUTCHINS. HUTCHINGS) and both had come to Australia as convicts.
THOMAS BENSON – 1802 -1832
HANNAH HITCHINS – 1803 -1864.
THOMAS BENSON
Thomas was a black-haired , 5’3″ tall, brown complexioned twenty year old maker of steel toys when he was brought in the 4 December 1822 Middlesex Gaol Delivery to Court. Thomas was tried and sentenced to transportation for life to The Colony of NSW. He ha been apprehended on 30 October 1822 when he attempted to steal , along with two others, five shirts valued at 20 shillings and two handkerchiefs valued at 2/- . These were the goods of one Sarah Spencer. Sarah Spencer lived with her mother who was a laundress in Vinegar Lane , Commercial Road, London. The three men had been standing nearby at about 7.45 pm when Sarah stepped out of a shop in Gravel Road with a bundle of of clothes and a pair of shoes.
One man grabbed the bundle of clothes and the second had run off close behind whilst the prisoner, Thomas, had held Sarah for a couple of minutes to aid the escape of the other two. When Sarah had screamed for assistance Thomas had also run off after the other two but had been apprehended before he reached them. ( Old Bailey Trials. Reel 30 No. 28 page 12 ML . These can now be read online. )
In April of 1823, Thomas was one of 172 convicts from the Leviathan and York Hulks who were placed aboard the OCEAN II.
According to James McTernan, Surgeon and Superintendent aboard the Ocean II, the 85 or so convicts from the YORK Hulk were of the most unsavoury character: ” who had made attempts to escape , in which some had perished; who had attacked the clergyman in the performance of his functions and who had declared their determination to take possession of the OCEAN II on her passage to NSW. Mc Ternan also stated that the men of the Leviathan ” were men of good conduct and fair character. “
On 25 June 1823, 16 year old Hannah Hutchins was tried at the Old Bailey for stealing from a dwelling place and sentenced to death. Apparently this was later commuted to transportation for life to NSW.
Before Mr. Justice Burrough.
911. MARIA WILLIAMS and HANNAH HUTCHINS were indicted for stealing, on the 20th of May , at St. Andrew, Holborn , thirty-three yards of poplin, value 2 l., the goods of Miles Metcalf , in his dwelling-house .
CHARLES WILSON . I am shopman to Miles Metcalf , a linendraper , who lives in High Holborn . On the 20th of May, between six and seven o’clock in the evening, I was called down from tea, and found the prisoners in the shop, and as they were going out, I said I suspected they had something which did not belong to them; Hutchins denied it – Williams desired her to give it up if she had anything; she still persisted that she had nothing. I sent for a constable, and before he came Hutchins took the poplin from under her clothes, and gave it to me – it measured thirty-two yards, and is worth exactly 40 s., it cost us 1 s. 4 d. a yard – we should sell it for 5 s. or 6 s. more. Williams begged hard to be let go, and said she would take the print away, and pay the money if we would let them go; she said nothing about the poplin. Hutchins said she had never seen it after she had given it up – she could not account how it got under her petticoats. They at first said they had not enough to pay for the print, which came to 8 s. 3 d., but 14 s. was found on one of them.
JOHN LATIMER CLARK . I am servant to Mr. Metcalf; the prisoners came to the shop, and both asked to see a printed cotton; I saw Bow the shopman who is not here, shew them a great many. I was behind the counter opposite to them, about a yard from them; they were about ten minutes looking at them, and did not like any of them. I saw Hutchins convey a piece of figured poplin under her petticoat; she rather stooped to do it; Williams was close to bet, she did not put it on the side Williams stood, but Williams came on the other side of her at the time, and held up a printed cotton, while she was doing it, and asked me the price of it. I immediately ran up stairs and told Wilson, who came down with me, they were than paying 1 s. deposit for a print – they were going out, and he said, he thought they had something which did not belong to them, Hutchins denied it. I left them with Wilson, while I fetched Collins, the officer.
JAMES COLLINS . I am a constable. I was fetched. Wilson gave me the poplin and the prisoner’s in charge.
(Property produced and sworn to.)
WILLIAMS’S Defence. I was coming along Holborn, and met Hutchins very much in liquor. She asked me to go with her to buy a gown, and I went with her, not knowing that she meant to steal.
HUTCHINS – GUILTY – DEATH . Aged 16.
WILLIAMS – NOT GUILTY .
On December 6,1823, the complement of women prisoners and several passengers were aboard the ship BROTHERS and ready to depart. Setting a light sail the BROTHERS pulled out from the pier at The Downs, set her sails and glided out of the harbour bound direct for the Colony and Hobart Town. ( Letter to Sir Thomas Brisbane from James Hall, Superintendent of the BROTHERS. 4/1774 Reel 2662 pp 41-50 and 4/4009A AONSW)
MORE TO COME. 10/5/08
LYNNE SANDERS – JOYCE BELL(SANDERS) – JESSIE SARAH READY(BELL) – GEORGE PETER READY – SARAH BENSON/READY/MOORE
LYNNE BELL SANDERS 
