Palmer

Mary Palmer - an inauspicious start

From the depths of London's East End to the wide open spaces of Australia

She was born in the inner London suburb of Spitalfields in 1805. Her description was 4ft 11ins, sallow and pockpitted complexion with dark brown hair and hazel eyes.

She was a convict, having sailed from Woolwich on the "Lord Sidmouth"in late 1822 and arriving in Sydney on the 23rd of February 1823. She had been found guilty of larceny at the Old Bailey in London on the 21st of October 1821 and transported for life. She received a Ticket of Leave on the 5th of October 1829 and a Conditional Pardon on the 23rd of January 1839.

The Trial

ANN NORRIS, MARY PALMER, theft with violence: robbery, 24 Oct 1821.

The Proceedings of the Old Bailey Ref: t18211024-4

Original Text: 1275. ANN NORRIS and MARY PALMER were indicted for feloniously assaulting James Thompson on the 9th of October, at St. Mary, Whitechapel, putting him in fear, and taking from his person, and against his will, the sum of 3 s. in monies numbered, his property.

JAMES THOMPSON. I am a printer, and live at Cambridge. I came to town last Saturday fortnight, and lodged in Great St. Helens, Bishopsgate-street. On Tuesday the 9th of October, between two and three o'clock in the afternoon, I was in Wentworth-street, Whitechapel, and saw Mary Palmer, she came out of a yard, into Wentworth-street, she had a bonnet on, she met me and appeared in a fright, and said, "For G - d sake, come and help me, there is a person in distress;" or words to that effect. I ran into the yard, she said, up stairs, and I followed her up stairs to the first floor. Norris ran up immediately as I got in, shut the door, and put her back against it, and said, she would have some money for the room - there was a bedstead in the room. She persisted in this for some minutes. I said, I would give her no money; she said, she would be **** but she would have it, I still refused, and at last I said, "What do you want?" she said, she would have 1 s. I gave her that, and then she said, she would have another; I gave her another, and then she said, she would have four more; I pushed her on one side, rushed down stairs, and Norris called out "Lock the door." When I got down, five more women below seized me, and took some money from me, above 3 s., they tore my breeches pocket and all off, and beat me dreadfully. I kept my hand on my pocket as well as I could, and I got a sovereign from one of them which she had taken, I think I lost eight or ten shillings. They said they would have more money, I gave them some money when they were holding me below, and they said I had given them none, the door was fastened, and they said "Do not let him get to the window;" I cried Murder! for six or seven minutes, and there were about twelve fellows outside who shut the shutters, and left me in the dark, both the prisoners had ran down after me, and assisted in holding me, the door by some means came open, and I got out of the house without my hat, and found twelve or men standing outside, they did not attempt to stop me. I went to Lambeth-street police office immediately, three officers went with me to the place, and saw the two prisoners, and some more, but I was sure of these two - they beat me very much, and Norris said, "Murder him." I said I could swear to those two, for they were up stairs, and I had an opportunity of seeing them. When I went with the officers, there were four or five women there, and about a dozen men still outside; the prisoners were taken into custody. I was perfectly sober. This was between two and three o'clock in the afternoon - I had dined at my brother's in Great St. Helens, and was going to a hair-dresser's in Whitechapel. I had come to town on the Saturday before. I went up to the room, in consequence of the woman making an alarm, and for no improper purpose whatever. The money I gave for the room, was extorted from me through fear of being murdered, and nothing else

Prisoner NORRIS. Q. Are you positive to me - A. Yes. She said she was mistress of the house, and would be paid for the room. I am positive of it, and would say so on my dying bed. I am also as certain of Palmer, as I am of my own existence.

WILLIAM FOSTER. I belong to Lambeth-street office. The prosecutor came to me on Tuesday the 9th of October, about a quarter past three o'clock, he had a hat on then; the Magistrate was just gone, he complained of being robbed - I went with him, and two officers, to Wheeler's-court, George-yard, part of it comes into Wentworth-street, it has three outlets, and is about a quarter of a mile from the office, he pointed out the house, we went in with him, and found five or six women, and I think one man, and five or six men were standing round the house, and some bricklayers at work - I went into the lower room and said, "Be particular, look round and see if you can point out any of these women," they were altogether, I made them stand up, he pointed out the prisoners from among the rest, and said they had robbed him, and told the same story he has now. They said he must be mistaken, for they should not remain in the house, if they had done it. He said, in their presence, at the office, "If you look at one of their hands, you will find I have bit one of their fingers." I examined one of Palmer's fingers, it appeared as if it had been hit or scratched.

Prisoner PALMER. Q. I was outside the door - A. I found her at the door, and told her to go into the parlour The door was open.

NORRIS'S Defence. I was standing in the yard buying a pennyworth of pears, the officers and a man came up, the officer said, go in; the prosecutor said, I was one, and charged me with robbing him of three shillings. I only had a few halfpence in my pocket.

PALMER'S Defence. I was buying a penny worth of pears of the same person. The prosecutor and the officers came up, he said, I had robbed him. He said at the office, that we picked him up in Brick-lane, and said there was a man hanging, and that he had a pair of razors in his pocket, and we intended to take them, to cut his throat.

JAMES THOMPSON. When I got out of the house, Palmer threw my hat out to me, and said "You **** take your hat."

NORRIS - GUILTY. - DEATH. Aged 21.

PALMER - GUILTY. - DEATH. Aged 16.

First Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice Park.

Her Children

Mary had already had a child, by Francis, by the time she got married. This daughter, Betsy (or Elizabeth) was born around May 1823 and was baptised on the 25th of January 1824. The couple went on to have another nine children between 1826 and 1849. Betsey had died in 1840 and in common Victorian style her name (Elizabeth) was reused for another daughter born in 1842. It also seems that Mary had had a daughter in London (possibly in prison) called Louise. Sometime over the years, the distancing with the convict records began with the surname transmogrifying into McCarty. Both Francis and Mary died in 1876 and were buried in the Petersham cemetery in Sydney, being later (in 1925) transferred to Rookwood cemetery.

To access the descendants of the Carty family in Australia click here