Mary (Hipwell) Gosper was a convict on the Third Fleet.
Mary Ann Gosper is understood to have been born in 1765. According to FamilySearch, her parents were George Hipwell (1743 - ) and Elizabeth (Eliza) née Adams (1745 - 1836), she was born in 1868, and then christened on 23 October 1775 at Colmworth, Bedfordshire.[1] This is around 100 kilometres north of where she is otherwise recorded her as having been born.
Mary Hipwell’s conviction at the hands of the English judiciary appears to be based largely on circumstantial evidence. On 26th August 1790, Mary, a resident of the parish of St George, Hanover Square, was committed to the Westminster Bridewell Prison in Tothill Fields by Justice N. Bond, for stealing Silver and jewellery from Elizabeth Tyndale. The case was reported in the London Times dated 28th August 1790 thus:
“Benjamin Colburn and Mary Hipwell were examined on a charge exhibited against them on the oath of Mrs. Tindyll. Mrs. Tindyll said that when she left town, which was in the beginning of August, she left her house in Bolton Street in the care of Mary Hipwell, her servant, previously enjoying her not to quit it, or admit any men. On the 14th of the same month she was informed by letter that her house had been robbed on the 12th‚during the time her servant was gone to Sadler’s Wells, in company with the other prisoner. On coming to town, she discovered that she had lost property the intrinsic worth of which is two hundred pounds; but to replace would take a much larger sum, as many very valuable antique medals and gems were among the property stolen.
“Duncan Grant, one of Sir Sampson’s patrole; Who took the prisoners, and searched the box of Mary Hipwell‚ produced a pair of white gloves and a pillow-case: which he found within it. Mrs. Tindyll swore the gloves and pillow case were both her property. This circumstance, with the many contradictions prevarications of the prisoners, together with the known character of Colburn, induced her to suspect they were concerned in the robbery.
“They were both committed for trial.”
The trial of Mary Hipwell and Benjamin Colburn was reported in the London Times dated 28th October 1790.
“Before Mr. Justice Heath.
“Benjamin Colburn and Mary Hipwell, were indicted for stealing wearing apparel, plate, and jewels, to a great amount, the property of Elizabeth Tindall, in her dwelling house.
“Mrs. Tindall said, she lived in Bolton-street, Piccadilly that on the 2nd of August, she went into the county, and left her house in town, in charge of Mary Hipwell. On the 9th August, she received a letter from Mr M’Cay, that her house was robbed. When she came to town she found all the property gone that was stated in the indictment. An officer searched Mary Hipwell's box, and found in it a pair of new gloves, which Mrs. Tindall positively swore to be her property, there was also a pillow case found 1n the box, which she believed to be her property but could not swear positively to it, as it had no mark upon it.”
The Jury found Mary Hipwell guilty of stealing goods to the value of one shilling.
There was no evidence whatever against Colburn. He was taken up merely on suspicion, having kept company with Hipwell. Not guilty. (Colburn may not have been all that innocent; he eventually ended up on a convict vessel bound for Botany Bay).
Mary was sentenced to transportation for 7 years. It seems likely that between her conviction in October 1790 and February 1791 she was held in Newgate Prison.
Female felons being transported were ferried from Newgate to their respective transport vessels on 14 February and the Mary Ann departed England 2 days later. The Mary Ann arrived at Sydney Cove, after a voyage of 143 days, on 9 July 1791
At Upper Colo on 23rd August 1837, Mary Ann Gosper nee Hipwell died at the age of seventy-two years. Her last resting place is certainly in the Colo Valley, but the exact location is not known. A number of her descendants now long deceased, claimed that they were told that both Mary and her husband Thomas were buried on a rise behind the present house that stands on the Michael Lamb grant. No memorial now marks the spot, and the burial mounds that apparently could be discerned in the early years of this century, can no longer be found. In appearance, she may have resembled her grand-daughter Esther Gosper. Esther and her half cousin Catherine Riley, the daughter of Edward Reynolds junior, are strikingly alike in appearance, and as their only common progenitor is Mary Hipwell, they can only have taken after her.
A memorial to Mary has been placed in the Upper Colo Cemetery.[5]
DNA
As at 10 September 2019, no DNA testers currently shown on this page have any triangulated segments that can confirm their descent back to this ancestor. If you are a descendant and have had your DNA tested, we encourage you to add your lineage to WIkitree!
Any descendants who tested at AncestryDNA are encouraged to upload their results to GEDmatch so that they can be compared to other testers.
Please direct any questions about the DNA analysis or any DNA confirmation data to Veronica Williams 21:37, 10 September 2019 (UTC)
Sources
↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NDYW-Q2B : 10 February 2018, Mary Hipwell,); citing item 11, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 1,279,080.
↑ Gosper, Dennis Bruce, The Pragmatic Pioneers, Dennis B Gosper, Parramatta, 1991, ch.1
↑ NSW BDM marriage 1137/1810 V18101137 3A recorded between Thomas Gosper and Mary Ipwell
↑ Gosper, Dennis Bruce, The Pragmatic Pioneers, Dennis B Gosper, Parramatta, 1991, ch.1
↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/158473104/mary-anne-gosper: accessed 24 July 2022), memorial page for Mary Anne Hipwell Gosper (1765–23 Aug 1837), Find a Grave Memorial ID 158473104, citing Upper Colo Cemetery, Upper Colo, Hawkesbury City, New South Wales, Australia; Maintained by Stombell (contributor 48335209)
SBS Australia, 'Who Do You Think You Are? (Malcolm Turnbull)', broadcast June 2021
Acknowledgements
Paul Bech created WikiTree profile Hipwell-1 on Feb 22, 2011.
Michael Weston created WikiTree profile Hipwell-8 through the import of Weston Family History.GED on Jun 26, 2013.
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Hi, I have found a Mary Anne Hipwell, christened 17 Sep 1760 at St Giles without Cripplegate London, London, England. Parents are Joseph and Agnes Hipwell. Family Search..
England Births & Christenings, 1538-1975 ( sorry the link didn’t work ).
Following my previous comment, unless people feel strongly to the contrary, I now propose to remove the years and place associated with the marriage of Richard and Mary.
Hipwell-8 and Hipwell-1 appear to represent the same person because: Hi Michael
this person already exists on WikiTree. Can you please approve this merge. There will be some follow on merges for the two children you have listed.
Thanks
Paul
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England Births & Christenings, 1538-1975 ( sorry the link didn’t work ).
this person already exists on WikiTree. Can you please approve this merge. There will be some follow on merges for the two children you have listed. Thanks Paul