H M Convict Prison Portsea

[gareth19822002]

Hi all,

I'm helping my dad do some research about our family or more to the point the person above William Hudson.

He is listed as being in Portsea prison in 1881 and then seems to vanish! We also know he married Mercy Court in 1887 and also had a child with her Herbert Hudson.Although we know he didn't die until 1940's.

He is listed as a Post office Clerk. Now his dad was Alfred Hudson of Cranbrook in Kent. Alfred Hudson appears he was quite a businessman in Cranbrook in the 1850's until 1880's. He ran the post office, was a farmer/draper & Parish Clerk.

We have letters from some of Williams brother about some boots that Alfred made that Cranbrook Museum now have! But they never mention William! All of the other brothers are mentioned in the correspondence! Is there anyway to find out why he was in prison?

Hopefully people still read this posts!

Thanks Gareth

[muriel walker]

So many years have passed since first you posted that you probably have already found what I have found, too. William Charge was convicted of "feloniously wounding with intent to kill" and was sentenced, at his trial in Buckinghamshire on 19th July 1869, to twenty years imprisonment. In 1871 he was in Her Majesty's Convict Prison in Portsea and was in Haibonvit Prison in Portsea in 1881. He gave his occupation on prison records as "Chair Turner " and his birthplace as Elvington, Bucks. In 1891 he was back home in Chesham, Bucks with his wife Elizabeth. At that time he was working as a labourer. He wife, Elizabeth Lacey is part of a tree I am researching for a friend. I am struggling to find the death of Elizabeth's father, Thomas Lacey b Great Missedenden in 1815. Some researchers have his death date as 1893, but there is no trace of him in 1871 , 1881 0r 1891 so I suspect that the death date in in the late 1860's. Hope your researches are progressing well!

[jkelly]

I wonder since we're on the subject of RG10/1133 Folio 115 Page 41 or thereabouts, Portsea prison at Portsea Island Hampshire, if anyone could look up George Cocksedge born Westminster for me, in about 1844. This is the 1871 citation given earlier in this thread.
I have found him in the Old Bailey as five years imprisioned but would be interested to know his occupation to see if he is indeed a relative. I tried to read the original page at Old Bailey but some reason it just won't come up.Thank you.

[Jan1954]

I have found him in the Old Bailey as five years imprisioned but would be interested to know his occupation to see if he is indeed a relative. I tried to read the original page at Old Bailey but some reason it just won't come up.Thank you.

I am afraid that it does not provide this. Even all the original page says is:

Wednesday October 30th 1867 before Mr Common Serjeant:
GEORGE COCKSEDGE (23) PLEADED GUILTY to stealing two post-letters, the property of her Majesty's Postmaster-General—
Five Years' Penal Servitude.

[Mutley]

England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892
Geo Cocksedge 28 Oct 1867, Middlesex (Below is what I think it says)
"Stg po Lre being employed in po off"

[Mutley]

The man in Prison in 1871 was a Letter Carrier.
If your man married Harriet he was a Butcher at marriage in 1864 and a House Decorator in the 1881.

[jkelly]

Thank you for this information. As he is missing in London in 1871, it seems the question is open as to whether it is the same man. Quite a change in location and occupation. J

[Coromandel]

Unless you can find another George Cocksedge of the same sort of age who was also born in Westminster, it would seem very likely the convict is the same as the house decorator in 1881. I see that there's a big gap between the only two children on the 1881 census, one born about 1866 and the next in about 1873. The timing of the gap would fit well with the 1867 conviction.

Re. the change in occupation, I doubt if the Post Office would have wanted him back when he came out of prison, so he would have had to find a new line of work.

[Jan1954]

Re. the change in occupation, I doubt if the Post Office would have wanted him back when he came out of prison, so he would have had to find a new line of work.

Just to follow on from this, details of George's employment with the Post Office may also make interesting reading.

https://www.
postalheritage.org.uk/page/genealogy

[Mutley]

There are three entries on Ancestry for a Geo Cocksedge in - British Postal Service Appointment Books, 1737-1969
April 1867 London, Nov 1917 Geo F. and 1931 George Frederick.
The occupations within the service are hard to read. Perhaps it is worth buying some credits to see more.