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It is thought the family of John Snell originated in Everingham but in a newspaper report in the Lancaster Gazette for 10th August 1816, it reports John Snell from Pocklington, a labourer, was sentenced to death in York assizes after he was found guilty of burglary, breaking into a house and stealing a gun, a side of ham and other articles from William Cook in Newton upon Derwent. His sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment and transportation to Van Diemen's land (Tasmania) penal colony in Australia.
He later appears in the records of a prison hulk in Woolwich as John Snell, aged 23, convicted at York in July 1816. He was then transported for a Life sentence aboard the ship 'Almorah', one of 180 convicts (1) in April 1817 and arrived in Sydney on 29th August 1817 and from there transported to Van Diemens Land aboard the ship 'Pilot'. He was 25 when he arrived but the record shows he was 17 when convicted, which seems a little strange from the records of York Assizes. His physical appearance is recorded as 5ft 7in, fair sallow complexion, light brown hair with hazel eyes.
From the Australian record (2) it states:
28/9/1817: Arrived VDL per ‘Pilot’.
31/12/1830 Muster: TOL
31/12/1832 Muster: Assigned to Lieut. Skanden.
31/12/1833 Muster: Assigned to Lieut. Skanden.
31/12/1835 Muster: TOL
21/11/1836: Conditional Pardon
No marriage found.
Possible death: 28/3/1870 at Brickfield’s Depot, Hobart, aged 93, born England, a pauper, died of Senilis.
(1) https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
(2) Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 88, Class and Piece Number HO11/2, Page Number 345 (174)
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