Sarah Griggs was born in 1773 in Dover and got christened on the 24th Jan 1773 at St James The Apostle in Dover, Kent. Not much is known of her early life. We pick up her story in 1788 when she was convicted of theft and transported for 7 years. The following is an extract called the “Home Circuit” from the book “ The women of the 1790 Neptune” by Anne Needham.

Sandwich, Sarah and the Trial:

Sarah Griggs was tried before the Mayor and Corporation of Sandwich on October 13, 1788, in the Guildhall at Sandwich, found guilty and sentenced to transportation for seven years. The court that convicted her was presided over by Henry Matson, the Mayor of Sandwich in 1788, who had been elected in December, 1787. She remained in sandwich in the town gaol in the custody of the mayor until Under Secretary Nepean wrote to him requiring him to send her to the Neptune.

Sandwich was one of the original five ports grouped together, and referred to as the Cinque Ports, in a charter given them by Edward the confessor in the 11th century, Later William the Conqueror gave these ports a status very close to that of an independent state, their chief function being to provide England with naval protection. A Royal Navy was not thought of at that time, and it was not until Tudor times, that it came into being. The Cinque Ports provided fully equipped ships from time to time for the defence of the country, and sometimes equipped pirates as a commercial venture. The mayor who had Sarah in his custody in 1789 was Daniel Rainier, and he sent a letter to the Secretary of State asking him to remove Sarah from his gaol. By this name he was certain to be connected with Peter Rainier an Admiral of the Blue, (1741-1808) who collected so much prize-money during his naval career in actions in the East and West Indies that in his will he left a quarter of a million pounds, a small part of his estate, to the county to reduce the national debt. In his final years he was one of Sandwich’s two M.P’s. Sarah Griggs was charged with stealing a speckled apron form a Mrs Rutter. It is possible that the speckles were printed on the apron, but it is far more likely that the apron was embroidered all over in small groups of satin stitches placed at random, a technique which was popular in the late 18th century. Aprons, elaborately decorated, were very much in fashion and often worn by ladies in Gainsborough’s paintings. The Kentish Chronicle and Canterbury Journal of Tuesday, October 7 to October 14, 1788 reported: “We hear in Sandwich that at the sessions yesterday, Sarah Griggs, who was indicted some time since for stealing a speckled apron, the property of Mrs Rutter, of that town, was found guilty, and sentenced to be transported for seven years”
Earlier the paper had reported the Summer Assizes held at Maidstone that year “Sandwich Calendar July 7, 1788, Mary Lanes for stealing in the shop of Elizabeth Sherrington in Maidstone, 11 handkerchiefs and several other articles – two months in the bridewell” Sarah Griggs might have been treated as leniently if it had been decided that the value of the speckled apron was more than a shilling and therefore a matter to be heard by the Assizes.

Howard’s 1782 view of the sandwich gaol and bridewell: “A room in front; and a back room called the dungeons; above stairs to two rooms. In the court(yard) two new rooms without fireplaces. The inscription over them: ‘This house of correction was built in the year 1776 in the mayoralty of Joseph Stewart Esq. at the joint expense of the parishes of Sandwich, in the parish of Walmer, and the vills of Ramsgate and Sarr,’ No court(yard): no water: no sewer: Keeper, no salary: Dec 1782 no prisoners.

There were earlier times when the gaol was overcrowded, as in 1644: “The Verger, Henry Bull, keeper of the Gaol, now has 20 in his small house which has little or no backside for them to receive air.”

Sarah was transferred to the Neptune at the expense of the Government. Being near at hand, and bearing in mind the mayor’s anxiety to remover her, she was probably one of the first women convicts to board the Neptune when the letter, announcing the transport was ready, was sent out in October, 1789. Sandwich was 68 miles south east of London by road and the mayor should have had no problem in getting her to Gravesend by October 23, 1789.


This next bit about Sarah is called the “The Second Fleeters” from the book “ Britains Grim Convict Armaia of 1790” by Michael Flynn.
Sarah and her life in Autralia.

On 1 August 1790, eight weeks after landing at Sydney Cove, Sarah Griggs was among 194 male and female convicts sent to Norfolk Island on the “Surprize” There in May 1793 she bore a daughter, Sarah, fathered ( and acknowledged) by Lieutenant John Townson (qv) of the New South Wales Corps. After his temporary departure from the island in March 1793, she entered into a liason with Ensign James Hunt Lucas of the New South Wales Corps, who was described as short, fat and good humoured. He had arrived on the island in March 1794. Their son, James Hunt Griggs or Lucas, was born before she sailed with him and the two children for Sydney in Novenber 1795. The couple returned to the island in October 1796, but were back in Sydney by April 1798 when their daughter, Mary Ann, was batised there, Lucas appears to have returned to Norfolk Island where he died in August 1800.

Sarah remained in Sydney, appearing in the Sydney Magistrates’ Court twice in 1798 for petty offences, where she was fined once and discharged a second time. In January 1799, Mary Stubbin lodged a complaint of being ill treated by Sarah. Mary had three small children and was married to William Thorn (qv). A magistrate found that both women were well known in the colony for improper conduct and reprimanded and cautioned both when they agreed to settle their differences. In March 1800, Sarah was living with Edward Holt (Royal Admiral 1792, b.c1769, tried Old Bailey), when both were charged with “being out after the beating of retreat.” In 1806, Sarah was living with William Burgin, a constable of Parramatta (Hillsborough 1799, b.c1763, tried Old Bailey).

In June 1807 the transfer by deed of a house at the Rocks, Sydney from Edward Holt to Sarah Griggs was registered. In March 1810, John Townson sold Brackenrig Farm to Sarah for the token sum of one shilling. This suggests that he was continuing to contribute to the support of his former mistress and their child. Sarah’s son James was living at Hobart, Van Dieman’s Land by 1824.