Originally
the family came from Kettlewell in Yorkshire and were in the main tanners although
Simon was a loom fitter and Richard a cotton spinner (my tenuous link to the
cotton theme).
Both
brothers were tried and convicted of theft. Simon for stealing a hat in Burnley
and Richard for stealing 300 yards of cloth in Skipton (Simon Brown was tried at Lancaster and was
detained at Lancaster Castle, whilst Richard Taylor was tried at Pontefract and
was imprisoned for a while at York Castle)
They
were both sentenced to ten years imprisonment in Australia. They were
transferred to the hulks to await transportation, Simon to HMS Warrior at
Woolwich and Richard to HMS Fortitude at Chatham. Eventually Simon sailed for
New South Wales on the Eden in July 1840 and Simon for Van Diemen’s Land on the
Davis Clarke in June 1841, neither returned to England.
Richard
was assigned to Sydney General Hospital and Simon to an estate called Lovely
Banks in Springhill, Oatlands, Tasmania (the property of a Mr Bisdee)
Whilst
working at the hospital Richard learned the trade of boot and shoe maker from a
fellow convict and eventually set himself up in his own small property as a
cobbler in Narellan. Simon rose from a ploughman and waggoner to overseer or
foreman. His letters show that he much preferred working among sheep and cattle
to working in the mills.
Both
brothers married fellow convicts. Richard Taylor married Julia Hand who was a
weaver before being transported (they had three children) and Simon married
Margaret Martin who had been sentenced to seven years after stealing a watch in
Liverpool.
Richard
died on 6th January, 1855 and Simon on 18th September, 1884
As I was researching the brothers
on the internet it struck me that what I was finding fascinating, whilst
following from link to link, was actually an awful experience to have lived
through. At a distance researching and learning about these events can be like
a form of entertainment.
I decided that I could develop
the iconography of my prints to explore this idea using imagery reminiscent of
puppets and puppet shows (entertainment) to tell the stories of the two
brothers. The stylisation of the larger figure reminded me of folk
art/fairground figures which I thought was appropriate to the Victorian brief.
This
is my interpretation of their stories
Simon Brown
Richard Taylor
The
information contained here was found on the following websites
http://www.convictrecords.com.au/convicts/taylor/simon/42966
http://www.lfhhs-pendleandburnley.org.uk/news-htm/news23.htm
and at
the Lancashire County Archives
http://archivecat.lancashire.gov.uk/calmview/
