John Smith's Family Tree Website

Rabbitts family

* * *

Part 2: Lucy Rabbitts (c1812 - 1872)

Early life and marriage to Edmund Flitt III

Lucy Rabbitts was born in Frome, Somerset, c1812 and baptised in All St Church in nearby Nunney 04 April 1813. Her parents were Thomas Rabbitts and Hannah Brown. She married Edmund Flitt III (1811 - 1836) 16 June 1833 at St Giles Church, South Mimms. It is not known how she came to be married in a county one hundred miles away, as her family appeared to stay in Frome. It was highly unusual for a young woman (or any unmarried woman) to venture so far from home. Lucy signed her name when she married, which showed she had had some education. (However she sometimes left a mark on later documents indicating she could not write.)

Edmund was imprisoned twice after their marriage. He was a blacksmith and farrier but probably was not able to make ends meet. Four years before their marriage, he had been convicted for larceny and sentenced to one month’s imprisonment and a whipping. Just six months after their marriage, Edmund was sentenced to two months hard labour for poaching. The following year, he was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment and a whipping for stealing a shirt. It was possible he was still in prison when their first child was born or baptised. They had two daughters: Lucy (c1834 - 1915) and Jane Elizabeth (c1835 - 1898). More information about them appears on the Flitt pages.)

Criminal conviction and transportation to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania)

In 1835 the family appeared to be living in Surrey and Lucy Sr was a house servant. She and Edmund were convicted of stealing a coat and other articles from a house in Kingston (possibly the one in which she worked). At their trial 14 September 1835, they were both sentenced to seven years transportation to Australia. Edmund would never see his wife and daughters again. He was sent to the Horsemonger Lane Gaol (also known as Surrey County Gaol) and then 26 September was moved to HMS Leviathan, a prison hulk moored at Portsmout, Hampshire. Conditions on the hulks were appalling and diseases spread easily. Edmund died on HMS Leviathan 17 May 1836 aged 24 and although a cause of death was not recorded, it is likely he succumbed to some infectious disease.

Lucy was transported 10 December 1835 on board the ‘Arab’ which left Woolwich bound for Van Diemen’s Land. Lucy was tried under her maiden name and ‘Lucy Rabbitts, police number 151’ was who she was known as her whole convict ‘career’. The day after they sailed, Lucy was put on the sick list suffering from diarrhoea but was discharged four days later, according to the medical journal of William Rogers, surgeon on board the Arab. [1]

Lucy and her fellow convicts were somewhat luckier than earlier convicts as there were ship surgeons responsible for the convicts’ well-being. Life on board was not as harsh as earlier voyages, either. A major factor was the change in how English authorities paid for the ships they chartered. Previously the ships were under contract and masters would try to improve their profits by cutting rations, denying fresh air and inflicting harsh punishments to maintain discipline. After the early 1800s, bonuses began to be paid for how safe and healthy the convicts were upon arrival. Now it was in the masters’ interests to look after their charges much better!

Lucy arrived in Hobart 25 April 1836 and an indent was written (a document that transferred ‘ownership’ of the convict from the ship’s master to the Governor of the colony). Lucy’s indent described her as: 4’11”, oval face, dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, a wide mouth and appeared to have a tattoo on each arm (one of which said ‘Edward F’)!

Female convicts upon arrival would be sent to a ‘factory’ (a place where they were expected to work while living there). From there they would be assigned into service. Lucy was sent to Cascades Female Factory in South Hobart and would have been exposed to the bad influences of the ‘old lags’. However, Lucy was probably right at home as she very quickly established a poor conduct record. Convicts, particularly women, often went to work for a free settler soon after arrival. Lucy’s record shows she worked for the Bilton family (most likely as a domestic servant), just north of Hobart. In July she went absent from service and had to do ‘wash tub’ for a month. This was considered hard labour as it was wet, cold and heavy work. [2]

Marriage to William Grey

In October of the same year, Lucy was absent without permission from the Orphan School (where she had probably been reassigned). This resulted in being put on bread and water for six days as punishment. Two months later she absconded. In October 1837, she was severely reprimanded for ‘immoral conduct’ with fellow convict, William Grey (? - ?). She and William had applied earlier in the year for permission to marry and it had been granted though the actual date of marriage is unknown. (Lucy may have been informed of Edmund’s death sometime after her arrival so knew she was free to marry again).

William (who had been born in Cambridgeshire sometime between 1794 and 1803) had originally been sentenced to death in 1822 for stealing a horse. His sentence was commuted to transportation for life and after a short stint on the hulk HMS Justitia, he arrived in Van Diemen’s Land on board the ‘Caledonia’ 22 November 1822. Within days he was in trouble and receiving the lash. He spent the next 15 years in and out of trouble. He was disobedient, in fights, went absent without permission, stole and used "inflammatory language". One of his most frequent punishments was the infamous chain gang. The men were shackled to prevent escape and assigned to build roads.

Marriage to Lucy may have mellowed William somewhat as no further bad conduct is listed against him. However, Lucy found it difficult to live with her new husband citing their "constant disagreement". Divorce was impossible in her situation and she was reassigned to the factory – thereby instigating their marital separation. Lucy seemed to be a model convict from that point and having met the requirement of four years’ service, she was granted a ticket-of-leave May 1840 on the occasion of Queen Victoria’s birthday. Lucy was now allowed to hire herself out or be self-employed. However, she had to apply for permission to move districts and also had to attend church. In 1841 William was given a conditional pardon which meant he was not allowed to return to England. However in 1844 he was granted a free pardon so he could return to England but it is not known whether he did or not. [3]

Return to England and marriage to George Chilvers

In September 1842, Lucy was given a Free Certificate upon completion of her sentence and she returned to England. She remarried labourer George Chilvers (c1821 - c1858) 23 January 1844 at St George’s Church, Bloomsbury, London. She stated she was a widow and it is quite likely she never told anyone of her Australian marriage. Lucy was able to re-establish herself in her two daughters’ lives and attend their marriages. Lucy Jr had been brought up by Edmund’s parents and Jane most likely by Lucy’s parents. Both daughters probably knew why their mother was absent from their childhoods but it is almost certain they never passed on information about that part of their family history to their descendants. Lucy Jr married Thomas Walsh in 1855 and Jane married mariner Matthew Marsh in 1860.

Children of Lucy and George and later life

Lucy and George went on to have five children: Mary Ann (1845 - ?), Louisa Frances (1846 - ?), Emma Ellen (1849 - 1937), Elizabeth Eliza (1851 - ?) and George James (1853 - ?). Two of their daughters later emigrated to Australia to live. George Senior worked as a brewer's carman, making deliveries with a horse-drawn vehicle. He died in 1858 and Lucy managed as a laundress living in Hethpool Street, Paddington, London. Two of her children and a grandchild lived with her and in the same building were also a family of three and a widowed annuitant.

Lucy died 15 February 1872 at Paddington Workhouse, London, of a diseased heart and dropsy. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the workhouse allowed non-inmates who were too poor to afford private medical attention to be treated in its own (rudimentary) infirmaries. (Some workhouse infirmaries became National Health Service (NHS) hospitals after 1948.) At Cascades Female Factory in south Hobart, Lucy's name is inscribed on a low wall, along with the first names of hundreds of other women, as a memorial to those female convicts sent to Tasmania. [4]

* * * * * * * *

Here is a short Lego stop-animation movie I made about Lucy Rabbitts' life: 

Little Bunnies Everywhere: the Story of Lucy Rabbitts, our Convict Ancestor

Footnotes

[1] Medical hournal from convict ship 'Arab II' ADM 101/4/3/1 Folio 21 (http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk)

[2] Conivct conduct records, convict indent records (http://www.linc.tas.gov.au/convict-portal/Pages/convicts.aspx)

[3] Convict Applications for Permission to Marry 1829-1857, conivct conduct records, convict indent records (http://www.linc.tas.gov.au/convict-portal/Pages/convicts.aspx)

[4] Cascades Female Factory (http://www.femalefactory.org.au/); ; Female Convicts Research Centre website (http://www.femaleconvicts.org.au/index.php)