William Rollan: a free man
William Rollan's determination to turn his life around after his conviction was evident early on; his record on the prison hulk HMS Leviathan showed him to be 'Orderly’.[1]
More importantly, though, once William set foot in Australia his good behaviour drew the attention of people around him, particularly those in positions of authority.
On 8 August 1844, the Illawarra judiciary in the district of Wollongong issued William's Ticket of Leave; it was standard practice that a well-behaved convict serving life imprisonment could receive a Ticket of Leave after at least 8 years of servitude with a single master.[2] However, William's Ticket of Leave was already redundant by the time it was due to take effect.
Ticket of Leave, William Rollan [i]
Issued on 31 January 1844 and later despatched to Australia, William received a Royal Warrant Pardon from Queen Victoria with the only stipulation that he remain in New South Wales.[3] Receiving a Royal Pardon was rare honour for a convict transported to Australia, and highlighted the level of authority wielded by Henry Osborne. Such was Henry's influence that he was appointed to the New South Wales Legislative Council and later to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, so he was indubitably responsible for William receiving such special attention.[4]
Royal Warrant Pardon, William Rollan [ii]
Poor reproduction, faded or illegible writing, faulty penmanship and contracted wording sometimes make it difficult to decipher early convict records. Fortunately, William's Pardon can be fully transcribed.
Transcription of Royal Warrant Pardon [iii]
Offering far greater freedom than a Ticket of Leave, the Royal Warrant Pardon granted William all the rights and privileges of a free man while he remained in New South Wales.
Return to William Rollan's story
Credits and References
[i] Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Tickets of Leave, 1810-1869 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Original data: State Archives NSW. Series: NRS 12202; Item: [4/4192]. State Records Authority of New South Wales, Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
[ii] Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Convict Registers of Conditional and Absolute Pardons, 1788-1870[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Original data: Copies of Royal Pardon Warrants. Series 1161. State Records Reel 772, copy of 4/4495, pp. 168-169. State Records Authority of New South Wales, Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
[iii] [Transcription of Royal Warrant Pardon for William Rollan], by Sandra Kerkvliet, June 11, 2016.
[1] Ancestry.com. UK, Prison Hulk Registers and Letter Books, 1802-1849 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Home Office: Convict Prison Hulks: Registers and Letter Books, 1802-1849. Microfilm, HO9, 5 rolls. The National Archives, Kew, England. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
[2]Convicts to Australia. 'Tickets of Leave'. Retrieved June 12, 2016.http://members.iinet.net.au/~perthdps/convicts/res-11.html; Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Tickets of Leave, 1810-1869 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Original data:State Archives NSW. Series: NRS 12202; Item: [4/4192]. State Records Authority of New South Wales, Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
[3] Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Convict Registers of Conditional and Absolute Pardons, 1788-1870[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Original data: Copies of Royal Pardon Warrants. Series 1161. State Records Reel 772, copy of 4/4495, pp. 168-169. State Records Authority of New South Wales, Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
[4] Parliament of New South Wales. Mr Henry OSBORNE (1808-1859). Retrieved June 11, 2016.https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/members/Pages/profiles/osborne_henry.aspx