William Boxhal
Encyclopedia
William Boxhal was a convict transported
to Western Australia
. He later became a farmer in the Victoria Plains district, and was one of the first such farmers to secure land in the area.
William Boxhal was born in Godalming
, Surrey
, and baptised on 12 February 1832. As a child, he moved with his family several times; they were in Camberwell
, London
in 1839, Croydon
, Surrey
in 1841, and Deptford
in 1846. These movements probably indicate that Boxhal's father had difficulty securing employment. In July 1846, Boxhal's father died, and William Boxhal became responsible for feeding his family. He eventually went to Preston, Lancashire, an industrial port with more opportunities for work. Late, he joined the 50th Regiment of the British Army
.
On 23 August 1852, Boxhal and another soldier of the 50th Regiment named John Jones were charged with burglary. According to their arraignment
, they "At Fulwood in a shop of one Arthur Phipps Rudman did feloniously break and enter and light pieces of paper of the value of one penny... and in the said shop... by force of arms did steal, take and carry away sixty one pounds in money." The pair were also charged with a virtually identical burglary of a shop belonging to a George Worthington. The two men were found guilty in October, and sentenced to ten years' penal transportation.
Boxhal would have been lodged at first in the Preston jail, then later sent to Millbank Prison
to serve his mandatory period of solitary confinement
. In September 1853 he was transferred to the Woolwich
prison hulk
Defence, where he was set to work at the Woolwich Arsenal
. Boxhal remained at Woolwich until December 1855, when he was placed on board the William Hammond for transportation to Western Australia. The William Hammond left London on 8 December, taking on more convicts at Portsmouth
and Portland
and later stopping at Plymouth
before finally sailing for Western Australia on 5 January 1856. It arrived at Fremantle, Western Australia
on 28 March 1856.
William Boxhal was issued with a ticket of leave within a week of arrival at Fremantle. He was probably then sent to the Toodyay
convict depot, as by January the following year he was working as a shepherd
for Dom Rosendo Salvado
. A number of extant contracts between Salvado and Boxhal indicate that Boxhal worked for Salvado for a number of years. In May 1862 Boxhal and another convict named Charles Delaney were contracted to construct fencing, and later to clear ground; in April 1863 he was contracted as a bullock
teamster
; and in August he was contracted as a sheep shearer
.
On 4 May 1863, William Boxhal married Mary Ann Kelly, the daughter of an Irish
pensioner guard. He then began establishing himself as a farmer. Initially, he squatted
or lease
d an area of land south of New Norcia
in partnership with an ex-convict named Owen Lavin. In 1866, the two men secured joint title to a 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) lot on the road to Guildford
, becoming virtually the first farmers to secure land in the area. Boxhal sunk a well and built a house for his wife. The first of nine children was born in June 1864.
In 1870, Boxhal bought a 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) lot on the northern boundary of his land. Later, he bought another hundred acres. He was sufficiently successful that between 1868 and 1872 he employed 11 ticket-of-leavers men. He continued to increase his land holding, and in 1884 he leased 3000 acres (12 km²) of farmland surrounding his freehold land.
Mary Ann Boxhal died on 3 February 1887. Some time after this, Boxhal moved to a rented house in Guildford. In January 1892, he sold all his freehold land to a Victoria Plains farmer named John Woods. Later that year he was diagnosed with cancer
. Leaving his home in Guildford, he travelled to Berkshire Valley north east of New Norcia, to visit one of his sons. He died there on 12 January 1893, and was buried in New Norcia cemetery.
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. He later became a farmer in the Victoria Plains district, and was one of the first such farmers to secure land in the area.
William Boxhal was born in Godalming
Godalming
Godalming is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, and baptised on 12 February 1832. As a child, he moved with his family several times; they were in Camberwell
Camberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1839, Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
in 1841, and Deptford
Deptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
in 1846. These movements probably indicate that Boxhal's father had difficulty securing employment. In July 1846, Boxhal's father died, and William Boxhal became responsible for feeding his family. He eventually went to Preston, Lancashire, an industrial port with more opportunities for work. Late, he joined the 50th Regiment of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
.
On 23 August 1852, Boxhal and another soldier of the 50th Regiment named John Jones were charged with burglary. According to their arraignment
Arraignment
Arraignment is a formal reading of a criminal complaint in the presence of the defendant to inform the defendant of the charges against him or her. In response to arraignment, the accused is expected to enter a plea...
, they "At Fulwood in a shop of one Arthur Phipps Rudman did feloniously break and enter and light pieces of paper of the value of one penny... and in the said shop... by force of arms did steal, take and carry away sixty one pounds in money." The pair were also charged with a virtually identical burglary of a shop belonging to a George Worthington. The two men were found guilty in October, and sentenced to ten years' penal transportation.
Boxhal would have been lodged at first in the Preston jail, then later sent to Millbank Prison
Millbank Prison
Millbank Prison was a prison in Millbank, Pimlico, London, originally constructed as the National Penitentiary, and which for part of its history served as a holding facility for convicted prisoners before they were transported to Australia...
to serve his mandatory period of solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
. In September 1853 he was transferred to the Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
prison hulk
Hulk (ship)
A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Although sometimes used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, the term most often refers to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment removed, retaining only its flotational qualities...
Defence, where he was set to work at the Woolwich Arsenal
Royal Arsenal
The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, originally known as the Woolwich Warren, carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proofing and explosives research for the British armed forces. It was sited on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England.-Early history:The Warren...
. Boxhal remained at Woolwich until December 1855, when he was placed on board the William Hammond for transportation to Western Australia. The William Hammond left London on 8 December, taking on more convicts at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
and Portland
Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
and later stopping at Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
before finally sailing for Western Australia on 5 January 1856. It arrived at Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
on 28 March 1856.
William Boxhal was issued with a ticket of leave within a week of arrival at Fremantle. He was probably then sent to the Toodyay
Toodyay, Western Australia
Toodyay is a town located in the Wheatbelt region in the Avon Valley, 85 km north-east of Perth, Western Australia. Toodyay is connected to Perth via both rail and road.-History:...
convict depot, as by January the following year he was working as a shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
for Dom Rosendo Salvado
Rosendo Salvado
Dom Rosendo Salvado Rotea OSB was a Benedictine monk, missionary, bishop, and bestselling author, as well as the founder and first Abbot of New Norcia, in Western Australia.-Early life:...
. A number of extant contracts between Salvado and Boxhal indicate that Boxhal worked for Salvado for a number of years. In May 1862 Boxhal and another convict named Charles Delaney were contracted to construct fencing, and later to clear ground; in April 1863 he was contracted as a bullock
Ox
An ox , also known as a bullock in Australia, New Zealand and India, is a bovine trained as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration makes the animals more tractable...
teamster
Teamster
A teamster, in modern American English, is a truck driver. The trade union named after them is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters , one of the largest unions in the United States....
; and in August he was contracted as a sheep shearer
Sheep shearer
A sheep shearer is a worker who uses -blade or machine shears to remove wool from domestic sheep during crutching or shearing.-History:...
.
On 4 May 1863, William Boxhal married Mary Ann Kelly, the daughter of an Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
pensioner guard. He then began establishing himself as a farmer. Initially, he squatted
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
or lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
d an area of land south of New Norcia
New Norcia, Western Australia
New Norcia is a town in Western Australia, north of Perth, along the Great Northern Highway. It is situated next to the banks of the Moore River, in the Shire of Victoria Plains.New Norcia is the only monastic town in Australia...
in partnership with an ex-convict named Owen Lavin. In 1866, the two men secured joint title to a 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) lot on the road to Guildford
Guildford, Western Australia
Guildford is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 13 km northeast of the city. Its Local Government Area is the City of Swan.-History:Guildford was established in 1829 on the Swan River, being sited near a permanent fresh water supply...
, becoming virtually the first farmers to secure land in the area. Boxhal sunk a well and built a house for his wife. The first of nine children was born in June 1864.
In 1870, Boxhal bought a 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) lot on the northern boundary of his land. Later, he bought another hundred acres. He was sufficiently successful that between 1868 and 1872 he employed 11 ticket-of-leavers men. He continued to increase his land holding, and in 1884 he leased 3000 acres (12 km²) of farmland surrounding his freehold land.
Mary Ann Boxhal died on 3 February 1887. Some time after this, Boxhal moved to a rented house in Guildford. In January 1892, he sold all his freehold land to a Victoria Plains farmer named John Woods. Later that year he was diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. Leaving his home in Guildford, he travelled to Berkshire Valley north east of New Norcia, to visit one of his sons. He died there on 12 January 1893, and was buried in New Norcia cemetery.