Person:Thomas Pointon (2)

The following extracts from "Diary of a Village" appear to relate to Thomas:

1831, June 7 - Mr W. Hazell and his wife received a letter from his daughter Eliza, the wife of T. Pointon who went to London on June 1st, saying that she did not intend to come back and that she was going out of the kingdom immediately. Her husband received one at the same time of the same import.

1832, March 8 - Thomas Pointon was committed to Hertford Gaol by Order of the Coroner for killing W. Sharp on Sunday by striking him with his fist or foot.

1832, July 19 - Thomas Pointon was tried (Summer Assizes) for killing and slaying W. Sharp and was acquitted. The judge's name was Bailey.

1833, August 5 - Thomas Pointon taken to Hitchin by one of the constables of Hitchin and by Samuel Lawrence.

1834, January 19 - (Sunday morning) Mr A. Sherington came to Codicote to trace those who attempted to break into his shop the preceding night. On Wednesday (January 22nd) W. Pointon was taken to Hitchin by the Constables of Hitchin and Thomas Pointon the following day (January 23).

1834, January 28 - Thos Pointon and his cousin William came off clear from Hitchin, to which they were taken on suspicion of breaking open the shop of A. Sherington of Knebworth.

1835, (March?) - T. Pointon was taken to Welwyn by the constable M. Smith and others, by a warrant for poaching. After being kept hold all night, made his escape the next day.

1835, August 5 - Thomas Pointon was taken at London for the same crime he was taken for at Welwyn March 30th. William Whish was taken and put in the Codicote cage and afterwards taken to Hitchin and there sentenced to a month's confinement for stealing Grey's coat on 11 August 1835.

1836, November 1 - Thomas Pointon was conveyed from Maidstone in Kent, where he had been taken, and passed through Codicote to Hitchin for examination by the magistrates, but was conveyed to St Albans for that purpose on 5th November.

1837, January 5 - Thomas Pointon at Sessions for the depredation committed on the morning of September 20th at the Fulling Mill. He effectually proved an alibi and was acquitted. Bigg proved an alibi but was not acquitted - he was transported. Pointon then tried for stealing a sheep, for which Robert Crane had been tried but acquitted of killing - apparently Pointon was also acquitted.

1837, October 19 - Thomas Pointon sentenced to 12 months imprisonment with hard labour at St Albans Sessions, for uttering counterfeit silver.

1840-41 - Thomas Pointon was transported to Van Diemens Land on "Lady Raffles". He had been convicted of night poaching whilst armed on land belonging to Lord Melbourne and also for breaking out of Welwyn Gaol. Lady Raffles was a barque of 647 tons. It departed Portsmouth 2 December 1840 and arrived at Hobart on 17 March with 327 convicts. The captain was Edward Hight. The ship had originally left Downs on 11 November 1840 in company with Laura but lost her main and foreyards and had to put back to Deal in Mexico. (http://www.rootsweb.com/~austashs/convicts/conships_l.htm )

1. ↑ Vital Records Index - British Isles.