William was born on 26 Mar, 1799 in the parish of Metfield in Suffolk, England^a1, the son of William Snowling (1769–1838)★ and Elizabeth Bryant (1774–1850)★. He was baptised as an infant on 25 Aug, 1799 in Metfield^a1. He is Ian's 4x great grandfather.

He married Frances Gosling (1800–1870)★ on 29 Sep, 1818 in the parish of Norwich St. Swithin in Norfolk, England^b1,c1 . They had three children:–

• Frances★ baptised on 18 Jul, 1819 in the parish of Fressingfield in Suffolk, England^d1. Married George Brooks★ in 1839 in Fressingfield^e1 and John Sage in 1873 in the parish of Eye in Suffolk, England^e2. Died on 1 Dec, 1885 at Lowgate Street in Eye, Suffolk, England^e3,f1 at the age of sixty-six.
• William baptised on 30 May, 1824 in Fressingfield^d2.
• John baptised on 30 May, 1824 in Fressingfield^d3.

On 2 May, 1822 William was transferred from Ipswich Gaol to the prison hulk Leviathan anchored on the Thames. In the hulk’s register, his behaviour in gaol was recorded as "very bad," a notably harsher judgement than most others on the same page, who were generally described as "good," "orderly," or "indifferent." He remained on the Leviathan until his transportation to New South Wales.^g1

He was described as 26 years old, 5 feet 11½ inches tall, with a dark sallow complexion, dark brown hair tinged with grey, and brown eyes on 6 Mar, 1823^h1.^h1

On 1 May, 1823, William was included in a group of six convict servants who, along with Thomas Paine, were authorised to be victualled from His Majesty’s Store at Bathurst for a period of six months. The request, made by the Colonial Secretary’s Office to the Deputy Commissary General, included William’s name alongside those of Joseph Cone, Thomas Rimmer, David Rees, John Hossington, and Henry Tricky, all transported aboard the Surry. The arrangement provided government rations for those assigned to work in the Bathurst district during that time.^k1

In July 1824, William was assigned, along with John Hosington and David Rees, to oversee a grazing run near Native Dog Creek, approximately forty miles south-south-east of Bathurst. The land, amounting to three thousand acres, was temporarily allocated to Thomas Raine by the Colonial Secretary’s Office for the purpose of cattle grazing. William’s role was to assist in managing the stock, which were to be branded with Raine’s initials "TR." In the official correspondence, William’s surname was incorrectly recorded as "Snowden".^k2

William was described as being of slender build, standing 5 feet 10½ inches tall, with a ruddy complexion, dark brown hair, and brown eyes. on 12 Oct, 1833^m1.^m1

On 23 Jan, 1844, William was issued a Ticket of Leave permitting him to reside within the district of Bathurst. This was granted during the course of his life sentence, which had been imposed in 1834 following his conviction for cattle stealing. The issue of the Ticket suggests that by this time William had demonstrated sufficient good conduct or stability to be trusted with conditional freedom. Under its terms, he was allowed to work for himself or for wages within the Bathurst district, subject to restrictions on movement and regular reporting obligations. Although the Ticket eased his circumstances considerably, William remained legally under sentence and could not leave the colony or reclaim full civil rights without further official action.^p1

William died at the age of fifty-four on 30 Jul, 1853 in the parish of Kelso in New South Wales, Australia^q1 and was buried the next day in Kelso^q1 He was survived by his wife Frances, a mangler.

Timeline

1799

26 Mar

Born in Metfield, Suffolk, England.^a1

25 Aug

Baptised as an infant in Metfield.^a1

1818

19 Sep

Recorded as residing in Norwich St. Swithin, Norfolk.^c1,b1

29 Sep

Married Frances Gosling★ in Norwich St. Swithin.^b1,c1

1819

18 Jul

Daughter, Frances Snowling (1819–1885)★, baptised in Fressingfield, Suffolk, England.^d1
Occupation recorded as chapman.^d1
Recorded as residing in Fressingfield.^d1

1822

28 Mar

Convicted of burglary at Suffolk Assizes, Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk.^r1

2 May

Entered Leviathan Prison Hulk.^g1,g2

28 Sep

Left Leviathan Prison Hulk.^h1

2 Oct

Departed from Portsmouth, Hampshire.^r1

1823

4 Mar

Arrived Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

6 Mar

Described as 26 years old, 5 feet 11½ inches tall, with a dark sallow complexion, dark brown hair tinged with grey, and brown eyes.^h1

1824

30 May

Son, John Snowling (1824–?), baptised in Fressingfield.^d3
Son, William Snowling (1824–?), baptised in Fressingfield.^d2
Occupation recorded as chapman.^d2,d3

23 Jul

Occupation recorded as stockman of the grazing run of thomas raine.^k2

1829

28 Dec

Entered Sydney Gaol, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.^m2

1830

11 Jan

Left Sydney Gaol, Sydney.^m2

1833

12 Oct

Entered Parramatta Gaol, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.^m3
Occupation recorded as butcher.^m3
Described as being of slender build, standing 5 feet 10½ inches tall, with a ruddy complexion, dark brown hair, and brown eyes.^m1

14 Oct

Left Parramatta Gaol, Sydney.^m3

1834

8 Feb

Convicted of Cattle stealing.^m4
Entered Sydney Gaol, Sydney.^m5
Occupation recorded as butcher.^m5

8 Mar

Left Sydney Gaol, Sydney.^m5

1838

14 Jul

Father, William Snowling (1769–1838)★, died in Fressingfield.^e4

1839

31 Jan

Occupation recorded as labourer.^e1

1853

30 Jul

Died at the age of fifty-four in Kelso, New South Wales, Australia.^q1

31 Jul

Buried in Kelso.^q1
Occupation recorded as butcher.^q1

1871

26 Apr

Occupation recorded as pig dealer.^e5

1873

28 Jul

Occupation recorded as dealer.^e2

Facts