William Sykes (convict)
Encyclopedia
William Sykes was an English
convict
, transported
to Western Australia
for manslaughter
.
William Sykes was born in Wentworth
, near Rotherham
, Yorkshire
, England in 1827. As a member of a poor family, he received no formal education
, and took on paid work from an early age. In 1851 he was recorded as unmarried and working as a coal-pit trammer. In 1853 Sykes married Myra Wilcock, and over the next ten years they had four children. He was later employed as a puddler.
On 10 October 1865, Sykes went poaching
with a group of six other men. Evidence suggests that Sykes had often poached in the past, but he had never been caught before. On this night the men were challenged by a group of gamekeepers, and in making their escape Sykes and a number of other men assaulted one of the gamekeepers. The gamekeeper died from his injuries, and a reward was offered for information about the attack. Eventually, the Government offered a free pardon to anyone willing to give evidence, and this had the desired effect: one of the seven men, Robert Woodhouse, gave evidence against the other six. Four of the men, including Sykes, were found guilty of manslaughter, and sentenced to penal servitude. Sykes and another man received life sentences, and the other two men received sentences of twenty years.
Sykes served the first nine months of his sentence in solitary confinement
at Wakefield prison. He was then transferred to Portsmouth prison, and on 2 April 1867 he boarded the Norwood for transportation
to Western Australia
. His brief diary of the voyage is extant.
The Norwood arrived at Fremantle, Western Australia
on 13 July, and shortly afterwards Sykes was sent to Bunbury
to work on the roads. He worked in the district for seven years. He is then believed to have been sent to Newcastle (now Toodyay
) around October 1875. By 1877 he had gained his ticket of leave, and was registered to work in the Toodyay district. He apparently worked well until November 1879, but over the following three years his record indicates that he was often fined for drunkenness. In 1885 he received his conditional release.
Sykes spent the last few years of his life working on the railway from Clackline
to Newcastle. Late in December 1890, he was found lying ill in his hut on the Clackline railway, and was removed to Newcastle Hospital. He died five days later on 4 January 1891, and was buried in a nameless grave.
William Sykes would presumably have remained a historically insignificant and uninteresting character, if not for the discovery in 1931 of a collection of letters written to him by his wife. The letters were found in a crevice during the demolition of old police buildings at Toodyay, and handed in to the Royal Western Australian Historical Society
, which lodged them with the State Archives of Western Australia. Many years later, the social historian Alexandra Hasluck
rediscovered the letters, and decided to research Sykes. The results of her research were published as her 1959 book Unwilling Emigrants
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
, transported
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...
for manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
.
William Sykes was born in Wentworth
Wentworth, South Yorkshire
Wentworth is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 1,223.- History :...
, near Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England in 1827. As a member of a poor family, he received no formal education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, and took on paid work from an early age. In 1851 he was recorded as unmarried and working as a coal-pit trammer. In 1853 Sykes married Myra Wilcock, and over the next ten years they had four children. He was later employed as a puddler.
On 10 October 1865, Sykes went poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
with a group of six other men. Evidence suggests that Sykes had often poached in the past, but he had never been caught before. On this night the men were challenged by a group of gamekeepers, and in making their escape Sykes and a number of other men assaulted one of the gamekeepers. The gamekeeper died from his injuries, and a reward was offered for information about the attack. Eventually, the Government offered a free pardon to anyone willing to give evidence, and this had the desired effect: one of the seven men, Robert Woodhouse, gave evidence against the other six. Four of the men, including Sykes, were found guilty of manslaughter, and sentenced to penal servitude. Sykes and another man received life sentences, and the other two men received sentences of twenty years.
Sykes served the first nine months of his sentence in 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...
at Wakefield prison. He was then transferred to Portsmouth prison, and on 2 April 1867 he boarded the Norwood for transportation
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...
. His brief diary of the voyage is extant.
The Norwood 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 13 July, and shortly afterwards Sykes was sent to Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
to work on the roads. He worked in the district for seven years. He is then believed to have been sent to Newcastle (now 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:...
) around October 1875. By 1877 he had gained his ticket of leave, and was registered to work in the Toodyay district. He apparently worked well until November 1879, but over the following three years his record indicates that he was often fined for drunkenness. In 1885 he received his conditional release.
Sykes spent the last few years of his life working on the railway from Clackline
Clackline, Western Australia
Clackline is a locality in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about east-north-east of Perth.John Forrest, later Premier of Western Australia, recorded the name in 1879 but the origin of the word is unknown...
to Newcastle. Late in December 1890, he was found lying ill in his hut on the Clackline railway, and was removed to Newcastle Hospital. He died five days later on 4 January 1891, and was buried in a nameless grave.
William Sykes would presumably have remained a historically insignificant and uninteresting character, if not for the discovery in 1931 of a collection of letters written to him by his wife. The letters were found in a crevice during the demolition of old police buildings at Toodyay, and handed in to the Royal Western Australian Historical Society
Royal Western Australian Historical Society
Royal Western Australian Historical Society has for many decades been the main association for Western Australians to collectively work for adequate understanding and protection of the cultural heritage of Perth and Western Australia...
, which lodged them with the State Archives of Western Australia. Many years later, the social historian Alexandra Hasluck
Alexandra Hasluck
Dame Alexandra Hasluck, AD, alternatively named Lady Hasluck , was an author and social historian in Western Australia...
rediscovered the letters, and decided to research Sykes. The results of her research were published as her 1959 book Unwilling Emigrants
Unwilling Emigrants
Unwilling Emigrants is a book by Alexandra Hasluck. It is both a general study of Western Australia's convict era, and a biography of a particular convict, William Sykes. First published in 1959 by Oxford University Press in Melbourne, it was for many years the only published history of the era...
.