[BITList] Great Expectations

[HUGH]

A fine new 3-episode adaption of Dickens' Great Expectations ended on UK BBC1 the other night. It is odd how sometimes fiction can reflect ones own experience - I use the word "experience" loosely. In the novel, Abel Magwitch the convict had been transported to the Antipodes for life, yet had returned, and was thereby in danger of being hung.  In the book, he was transported for life because he had returned once before, before a lesser sentence was completed, but no matter.  A distant relation of mine, Hugh Vallance, was transported for life in 1839.  Hugh's nephew, Tom Vallance, was claimed as a cousin by my grandfather. Harry Lauder's wife, Nancy Vallance, was related to him. Hugh was tried at Glasgow High Court in 1838 for the crimes of rape, and assault with intent to ravish.  The rape charge was dropped, and he was found guilty on the other charge on his own confession.  He was sentenced to be transported for life. He arrived in Van Diemen's Land in July, 1839, aboard the convict ship, Marquess of Hastings.  His wife remarried in 1843.  He got a conditional pardon by 1852 and left Tasmania on the City of Melbourne. A conditional pardon allowed the holder to be free, to all intents and purposes, as long as he/she remained in Australia.  They were forbidden to return to the UK - only an absolute pardon allowed return. And yet he did return, and was living openly with his wife in Scotland in 1861. For Magwitch to have accumulated great wealth in Australia, he must have had a conditional pardon to be free to work for himself, so I can see no reason why he should have been a desperate fugitive in England on his return.  Was Dickens stretching it a bit?

Convicts were assigned in 7 classes : 1 were "ticket of leave", conditionally free to work for wages and own property ; 2 were servants to settlers in return for food and clothing ; 3 worked on government projects ; 4 worked in road gangs ; 5, 6 and 7 did hard labour, 5 and 7 in chains.  Since Magwitch was fictional, I can't say what class he was in.

Hugh.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.bcn.mythic-beasts.com/pipermail/bitlist/attachments/20111230/73c55101/attachment.shtml