William Stennard

He was born in Bath Somerset England to William Stennard 1796-1869 and Elizabeth Anne nee Bailey 1805-1879 During his incarceration he spent a total of 28 days in solitary confinement for various misdemeamors. He was granted his leave about the time he was granted permission to marry 1/10/1850 Catherine Fitzgerald B 1834 in Cork Ireland to Mary & James Fitzgerald. Mary Fitzgerald a widow was transported to VDL 1849 along with her 2 daughters Catherine (15) and Mary (11). They had been charged for the same offence but served 6 and 12 month gaol term in England. Their mother pleaded no kin and the daughters were transported with her and on arrival placed in an orphanage, Catherine dischared to a Mrs Yeoland same year and she and William married the following year. They had 5 daughters and a stillbirth child which brought about Catherine's death. William remarried 1859 in Hobart Bridget Burns and produced 3 sons. He re-married again in 1868 in Hobart Mary Anne McCarthy and produced another daughter. William died in May 1890 at the age of 68. The surname was often spelt as Stannard.

William was convicted at Coombe Down in Somerset for the murder of William Bankcroff at the "Carriage Inn" after a fight. William and his brother Thomas and a friend were drinking when a fight broke out with William Bankcroff. William was the eldest son and one of 10 children born to a prosperous quarryman (William and his wife Elizabeth nee Bailey ). Whilst William (jnr) did not return to England, quite a few of his siblings managed to come out to Australia. Some stayed and some returned to England. The Stennard house in Bath England is still in the possession of a Stennard relative to this day.

here was a report of that in the Bath Chronicle for Thursday 25th November 1841 that covers a full 1½ columns of the paper. The Coroner’s Jury found for a charge of ‘Wilful Murder’ against William Stennard and against Thomas Stennard and William Every as accessories. They were later committed for trial at the assizes by the magistrates and taken to Shepton Mallet gaol. A later report in The Bath Chronicle, on Thursday 7th April 1842, is from the trial at the Somerset Assizes. It seems that the jury found William Stennard guilty of manslaughter and acquitted Thomas Stennard and William Every. William Stennard was sentenced to be transported for life. On 10th August 1842 he was put on board the Moffat, together with 390 others convicted to transportation. The ship arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) on 10th April 1843 and someone has left this information about his time in Australia on the web:

source : http://www.combedown.org/owners-and-occupants-of-109-113-115-117-church-road-combe-down/occupants-of-109-113-115-117-church-road-combe-down-from-1805-to-1850/#main