Joseph Hunt

Joseph Henry Blaine Hunt became a Courthouse keeper at the old Bathurst Courthouse and in later life was excepted into the Bathurst police force in N.S.W,."Blaine" was later added to his name for reasons unknown.Joseph married Mary Rogers on the 10.7.1850,they had a daughter called Angela Hunt who was born on the 25.2.1852 and a son by the name of Joseph born 23.2.1855.Joseph died around the year 1861 and is burried in the old catholic section of the Bathurst cemetery

Joseph Henry Blaine Hunt was his baptised name, however the middle names were not always used. First married 1823 to Susannah Munday, St Magnus the Martyr in London. This marriage would have been anulled after 7 years transportation. Was a tavern keeper in London - Army and Navy Coffee House and the Lyons Head Inn, and a professional singer, as was his brother, Henry. Father, Thomas was a wine merchant. Sister, Mary Anne married to Captain Phillip Reilly. Brother, Henry Blaine Hunt, married to Lydia Merry.

The 1823 Radlett murder or Elstree murder, was committed in Radlett, Hertfordshire, England. The victim, William Weare, was killed in Radlett and his body was disposed of in a pond in Elstree. John Thurtell, Joseph Hunt and William Probert were indicted for murder. They were tried at Hertford Assize Court. Hunt had cooperated the most with the authorities, but Probert who was offered the chance to save himself by turning King's evidence: giving evidence against the other two in exchange for freedom. Joseph Hunt was tried as an accessory. Thurtell was hanged on 9 January 1824, aged 29. Having denied his crime during his trial, he admitted it on the gallows. Joseph Hunt was also sentenced to death, but in recognition of his cooperation his sentence was commuted to transportation to an Australian penal colony for life. He was taken to Botany Bay, where after serving his time, he gained his freedom and started a life in Australia, marrying and raising a son and a daughter. He eventually became a police constable, he died in 1861. William Probert was never punished for Weare's death. However reports of his involvement in the newspapers meant he was reviled and he became a social outcast. Unable to find work, he resorted to crime to support himself and his wife, and in 1825, at 33, was hanged at Newgate Prison for stealing a horse worth £25 from a relative.

Who Married Mary Rogers Was Previously Married To Dr Robert Rogers Who Was Drowned Near Eugowra Nsw Her Maiden Name Was Quin.

National Archives. Criminal Petitions. HO 17/1/151823-1824 1 individual petition (prisoner) on behalf of Joseph Hunt, convicted at the Hertfordshire Assizes in 1824, for aiding and abetting John Thurtell in the murder of William Weare on 24/25 October 1823. Evidences (many of them in the form of copies of depositions/informations/examinations before the coroner and magistrates, sometimes several from each person and including a 25 page set of copy depositions to the coroner) supplied by James Addis, Aldenham, labourer; William Rexworthy, Spring Gardens in Middlesex, billiard table keeper; George Thomas Joseph Ruthen, Bow Street Officer; Thomas Abel Ward, Watford, surgeon; Joseph Johnson, Watford, linen draper; John Herrington, Aldenham, labourer; Richard Hunt, Aldenham, labourer; Charles Nicholls, Batler Green, Aldenham, farmer; William Bulmer, Aldenham, labourer; Susan Woodruffe, Aldenham, spinster; Philip Smith, farmer, Aldenham; James Freeman, Aldenham, labourer; Elizabeth Gillman, Aldenham; John Ilinngton[?], Aldenham, labourer; Elizabeth Freeman; Thomas Bates, Aldenham; Charles Lewin, Watford, liquor merchant; George Jones, Stanmore; James Heward, Hatton Green; Joseph Hunt; Golden Square and William Probert, wine Merchant, Aldenham. There are also: a letter from Robert Peel to the King advising that the prisoner should not hang; two maps illustrating the place where the murder was committed and the body hidden; covering letters from Benjamin Rooke, coroner, John Gurney and Thomas Lloyd; a copy of William Probert's (an accomplice who gave king's evidence) detailed narrative of events along with a copy of his examination and statement and several of his letters; letter from Robert Clutterbuck to the Home Secretary stating that magistrates had promised the prisoner his life if he helped in the prosecution and a covering letter regarding Probert; two unsigned notes; copies of the prisoners examination and statement to/before the coroner and his confession with critical annotations and his unsigned deposition (appears to be several copies/versions of these). Initial sentence: death.