Mason Family History

Richard Keep

Name: Richard Keep
Born: 1765 Wootten Bedfordshire
Married: Elizabeth Hull
Died: 23 Dec 1817 Sydney

Details

Richard was born in 1765 in Wootten Bedfordshire. He was married to Elizabeth Hull (do not know what happened to her, could be the Elizabeth transported also- do not know). They had 8 children.

He was tried in Surrey in 1807 for receiving stolen goods and received 14 yrs and was transported to Australia on the "Admiral Gambier". The ship left Portsmouth on 2 July 1808 and arrived in Sydney on the 22nd December 1808.

Richard died (as a convict?) on 23 December 1817 in Sydney aged 52 yrs, and was buried at the Old Sydney Burial Ground, NSW.

Children

  1. Thomas KEEP b 1789 married Mary Mobbs
  2. William KEEP b 1790 to Tasmania ? another convict? married Mary Limmet to Tasmania + 4 children 1830? another convict?
  3. Mary KEEP b 1792 married William HURST, a convict to Tas
  4. James KEEP b 1797 married Mary Grummet in 1816
  5. Samuel KEEP b 1799 died young (The younger brother Samuel apparently took his birth certificate to get married)
  6. Phillip KEEP b 1801 married Jane Neal
  7. Samuel KEEP b 1803 married Mary Walker in 1821 (Samuel & Mary came as free persons on the 'Ascendant').
  8. Sarah KEEP b 1806 married Charles Gascoin

More notes

Here are some research notes provided by a fellow researcher, the info has not been confirmed but may lead to further information.

The indictment against Richard Keep - (for handling a stolen bag of beans!) - from the Surrey Summer Assizes for 1807. He was found guilty and sentenced to transportation for 14 years. I have a small problem with this, because I have had to take it on trust that this is Richard Keep born in Marston, Beds in 1765, but I have no direct evidence for this. In the indictment, Richard Keep is said to be 'of St Mary Lambeth in the county of Surrey'. I have copies of the account book of the overseers of the poor of Marston, which continue to record payments to 'Richard Keep in want' until 1809 - by which time Richard was in Australia. Perhaps this is a shorthand way of recording payments made to his dependents. There is a record of someone with the surname Keep breaking into the local lock-up in neighbouring Wooton to rescue an accomplice, and Richard's son in law, William Hurst (alias Goodman) was certainly transported to Australia for horse theft in 1823. (I have a copy of a small book written by the owner of the horse, describing his chase across England to catch William Hurst. In this, Hurst tells how he and his friends sold stolen farm produce in London, so this could explain Richard's Surrey address.) It would not be out of character for Richard to be convicted of theft, but have you any direct evidence that the man transported in 1808 came from Beds?

Sources

see also