William the convict

Hi, I know I am out of context but have just been given these beautiful old photos I have not seen before and feel they need to be posted. Maybe I should start again from the beginning of the family history of Mum. I am too far into it now so will continue with "Mum's Diary" once I include the early life history of the family.
I might as well go back to our dear convict ancestor if it was not for him we would not be living in this wonderful Country.
In County Down, Northern Ireland about 1792 there was born to Mr & Mrs William Lemon a son, who was named William after his father. At this stage his Mother's name and anything else about the family is unknown. Young William was to become a muslin weaver by trade - perhaps his father was also a weaver, as the weaving trade tended to be a family concern, even a community business in some small villages at this time in history.

William's first step towards Australia came in August 1820, when he was arrested and convicted in the County Down Courts for passing forged notes. The sentence for this not too drastic crime was life. The first year of his sentence was spent in County Down prison. Then as one of 100 male convicts he was transported to Australia on the vessel "Southworth". They sailed via Teneriffe in the Canary Islands and Cape Town. These places were used by the Convict ships as stops to re-stock water and food. The "Southworth" was a vessel of 350 tons, built in Chester in 1821 - so this was probably its maiden voyage. The Master was David Sampson and Joseph Cook the ship's surgeon - according to his log, there were no deaths during the voyage.

From the time of his arrest and conviction William lemont became known as William Lemon - a very common surname in Ulster. This was most likely to protect his family, especially if they were of some standing in the community.
Ship's indent and all other documents that have been researched in connection with him as a convict besr the name William Lemon. From the indent for "Southworth" we find this description -besides deatils of his conviction - age 30, 5ft.101/2inches, fair complexion, brown hair and grey eyes.

On arrival in Australia the convicts were drafted into Government work or assigned as labourers to the free settlers. The Governemnt used the Convicts for works in towns - Sydney, Parramatta and later Hobart. Here they lived in barracks and regulations provided adequate food and clothing, but their happiness and well-being depended entirely on the character of the overseer. William Lemon found himself assigned to the Female Orphanage at Parramatta as a Stockman.

By the 1820's there was a recognized system for granting a Ticket of Leave. Men and Women sentenced to 7 years could apply after serving 4 years of the sentence.
William applied for and was granted a Ticket of Leave in 1829, taken into the fact that he apprehended three bushrangers. He was allowed to remain in the district of Parramatta to which he had been assigned, and to present himself to Police when Quarterly Musters were held. Once a Convict has been granted a Ticket of Leave he could then hire himself out for wages. This may explain the different occupations that William was supposed to have followed - labourer - bullock drover and shoe maker. It was noy until 1844 that William did anything about a Conditional Pardon, why he waited so long I don't know.
It wasn't until 1st February, 1845 that it was officially handed to him. A conditional Pardon meant that a convict's sentence had been remitted on the condition that he did not return to his home Country.