Thomas Fussell Lansdown was born 1821 in Stoke St Michael, Somerset, England to William Lansdown (1792-1875) and Anne Fussell (1788-1872) .
- 3 Jul 1837 - Somerset - aged 16 - Convicted of Larceny from a person - 6 weeks imprisonment. In the same session Jacob Brown (1820-) of Stoke Lane was also convicted of Larceny and also sentenced to 6 weeks imprisonment but he was also whipped. Jacob Brown was then sentenced on 23 October 1837 at the age of 17 to 15 years transportation for picking pockets and sent to Tasmania.
- 8 Aug 1839 - Somerset - aged 18 - Convicted of Larceny (for stealing ducks) before convicted of a Felony - 9 months imprisonment & twice whipped
- 21 Oct 1839 - aged 18 - his next door neighbour in Stoke Lane, John Treasure (1815-1891) aged 24, the son of Levi Treasure (1771-1861) and Elizabeth Trusler (1787-1877) known as Betty, was convicted of housebreaking at the Bell Inn, was sentenced to 15 years transportation, and sent to Tasmania. He had been previously sentenced to 9 months with 3 weeks in solitary for picking pockets.
- 6 Jul 1840 - Somerset - aged 18 - an Edward Treasure was found guilty at about the age of 13 years to curtilage breaking (breaking into an outside enclosure) and sentenced to 10 years transportation. This cannot be his neighbour Edward Treasure (1825-1886), however, as he was not sentenced to transportation until 1848.
- 6 Jun 1841 - aged 20 - living with mother and siblings at Stoke Lane, Somerset. Age shown as 15-20. The family of Jacob Brown lived about 3 doors away, and the Treasure family lived next door.
- 13 Mar 1843 - aged 21 - Tauton, Somerset - Convicted of Larceny (for stealing a load of coal from Framer Boyce at Stoke Lane) before convicted of a Felony - sentence Transportion for 7 years.
- 1843-1848 - sent to the British penal colony at Bermuda and held on the Tenedos Hulk "Bermuda". May have learnt to swim duting his time as Bermuda.
- 28 Mar 1848 - aged 26 - his neighbour back in Stoke Lane, Edward Treasure (1825-1886) aged 23, the brother of John Treasure (1815-1891) and the father of his sister Abigail's illegitimate son, is convicted for the second time on 28 March 1848. His sentence was for 10 years transportation. He is sent to Fremantle, Western Australia where he married, had children, and became affluent by farming.
- 18 Jul 1848 - aged 27 - as Thomas Lansdown arrived Tasmania from Bermuda aboard the "Bangalore". 29 convicts at Bermuda had been selected and approved for transfer to Tasmania under special circumstances. All are serving 7 year sentences and are of good behaviour. All have served at least half of their sentence and have been working in Benmuda without receiving any pay. All are desirous of being transported to Australia on the privelege of a Ticket of Leave issued in England. A Tocket of Leave allowed conditions of freedom as long as they did not leave Tasmania.
- 29 Aug 1848 - aged 27 - for good behaviour he received a Conditional Pardon - allowed him to leave Tasmania as long as he remained in the Australian Colonies or New Zealand.
- Jan 1850 - aged 28 - he may have been a sailor aboard the "Emma" that left Hobart on 29 Dec 1849 and arrived in Sydney on 5 Jan 1851. This ship sailed in Colonial waters and frequently sailed between Sydney and Hobart. The sailor jumped into the water to save a drowning man (Sydney Morning Herald, 7 January 1850).
- 13 Mar 1850 - aged 28 - sentence expired. Now free to travel anywhere.
- 25 Nov 1851 - aged 30 - he may have married Sophia Dorothy Todd (1831-1916) in Sydney and then travelled with her to Victoria. This couple had no children.
- 19 Sep 1851 - aged 30 - recorded by the Tasmanian authorities in the convict records of his brother William Lansdown (1828-1905), who had arrived as a convict on that date, as "at sea".
From records in Tasmania
Age given in 1848 was 28 years
Height 5'8" (172cm)
Neither reads nor writes
Single
Church of England
Farm Labourer (plow)
Family:
Father - William
Mother - Anne
Brother - William
Sister - Anne
Siblings
Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
Thomas Fussell Lansdown (1821-) | 1821 Stoke St Michael, Somerset, England | ||
Abigail Lansdown (1825-1853) | 1825 Stoke St Michael, Somerset, England, United Kingdom | January 1853 Stoke St Michael, Somerset, England, United Kingdom | Edward Treasure (1825-1886) |
William Lansdown (1828-1905) | 15 September 1828 Stoke St Michael, Somerset, England, United Kingdom | 1905 Launceston, Tasmania, Australia | Margaret Darrough (c1844-1923) |