John (The 1St) Wood (Convict 3Rd Fleet)

  General Notes:

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JOHN WOOD AND ANN MATTHEWS.
John Wood and his partner in crime John Jennings, were indited for feloniously assaulting William Beckworth, on the King’s highway, on the 2nd of March 1789, and feloniously taking from his person, and against his will, six shillings and six pence, in monies, his property. They were apparently rather inept highwaymen; their victim William Beckworth testified at the Old Bailey on 27th April that:

-On the 2nd of March I was in a postchaise coming to town, with a Mr. and Mrs. Hirst; I was asleep when the chaise stopt
What was the first you perceived?
I felt a man’s hand on my thigh; he said he wanted my money; I said he should have it presently, I had three guineas in my pocket, and some silver, and I was not disposed to part with my gold; I was some time separating my silver from my gold; one man the opposite side called out, damn me why don’t you rob that gentleman? The man immediately said, make haste, or I will fire; I had not given him anything then, I told him he might fire and be damned, and gave him six shillings and six pence; afterwards they went off.

John Wood called on his previous employer to testify as to his good character, and that gentleman, a Mr. Harman, made the following deposition: -

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fault, I had no further occasion for him, but on parting with him, I told him, whenever I wanted a coachman again, I would take him into my service.

Despite this excellent recommendation, he was sentenced to Death, which was commuted to seven years Transportation. He arrived at Sydney Cove on the “Albermarle”, a vessel of the third fleet on 13th October 1791. It was here that he met Ann Matthews who was described in the indents of the vessel “Kitty” as being five foot four inches tall, with light brown hair, and a fair complexion - much pockmarked. It was stated that she was twenty-seven years of age, had no trade and was born at Enfield. She had been convicted at the Old Bailey on 26th October 1791 for Burglary in the house of Mr. Andrews and sentenced to seven years transportation. She arrived on the “Kitty” in 1792, and is thought to be the Ann Matthews who was baptised at St. Andrews, Enfield, North London on 11th April 1762, the, daughter of Matthew and Ann Matthews. No record has been found of a Wood/Matthews marriage.

Information is sparse for this family in the early Musters. Neither appear in the 1800 Muster, however there was a John Wood whose sentence was remitted on condition of enlisting in the N.S.W. Corps, and a John Wood was granted land on Norfolk Island, but these are unlikely to be our John Wood. The 1806 Muster does not list either of them and the 1811 lists John Wood but not Ann Matthews. John was not mentioned in the 1814 Muster however Ann was listed as living in Sydney with four children off stores, the wife of John Wood. Ann Matthews died on 21st December 1819 the entry appeared in the St. Phillips Sydney Register. In the 1822 Muster John was a labourer at Windsor, and son George aged fifteen was also at Windsor. By this time daughter Ann is thought to have married Daniel Pegg and to have gone to Hobart, daughter Mary was married to Peter Hough, and John junior was not to be found.

By the time of the 1828 Census, John age sixty, was a labourer to his son-in-law Peter Hough at Richmond, and with him was his son George. John junior is almost certainly the John Wood who was a servant to Uriah Moses at Windsor, (he was later to become his brother-in-law) although his age given as twenty two is some years less than it is believed to be. Although there is a certain lack of supporting evidence, John and Ann would seem to have produced four children, Mary born on 26th December 1793 at


The prisoner Wood was my coachman, he lived with me Three-years, he was very honest, an exceedingly good servant, and exceedingly attentive to duty, the three years he was with me. I trusted my property to his care, and have sent him with cash to the bankers to the amount of six hundred pounds at times, I entrusted two hundred pounds in his care a very short time before he was discharged from my services; he left me in February last, I did not discharge him for any

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Parramatta; Ann born on 3rd October 1796 at Parramatta; John junior whose birth is not recorded, about 1798; and George whose birth was also not recorded, about 1810. John Wood was found dead on the banks of the Hawkesbury on 10th September 1845 at Richmond, and was interred in the St. Peters Burial Ground. His headstone can still be found at St. Peters.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Arrived on the Ship: · “Albermarle”, 13 Oct 1791, Sydney Cove, NSW Australia.

• Convict.

John married Ann Matthews (Convict), daughter of Matthew Matthews and Ann (Nee?) Matthews. (Ann Matthews (Convict) was born in 1762 in Enfield, London, Middlesex England, christened on 11 Apr 1762 in St Andrews, Enfield, North London England and was buried on 21 Dec 1819 in St Peters Burial Ground, Richmond, Sydney, NSW Australia.)