George & Mabel Heyhoe Ancestral Tree:Information about James JORDAN


James JORDAN:
James Jordan was born circa 1765/6 in Ireland. He was tried in Dublin in March 1789 and sentenced to 7 years' transportation. Nothing have been found on James' previous life or the reason for his conviction as many of the early Irish records have been destroyed. On James' Convict Records in Australia he was recorded as Jordan alias Sheridan. Research has revealed that the name Jordan in Ireland was in Gaelic Siurtain - from MacSiurtain a Gaelic patronymic adopted by the Norman d'Exeter family who acquired estates at Connaught after the Anglo-Norman invasion in 1172.
This was the Barony of Gallen in Mayo County and later known as MacJordan's country; this Sept became known as the "wild Irish". One of Launceston's old historians says that in his home the name was always pronounced Jurdan. With an Irish accent the name could sound completely different from the way it was spelled, therefore giving the impression that an alias was being used. This is only an assumption and could well be proven wrong.

Aged 25, James embarked on the "Queen" on 11th April, 1791; the first Irish Transport to leave Ireland and travel directly to Australia, she sailed from Cork carrying 133 men, 22 women and 4 children. She was a Georgia built ship of 400 tons with Master Richard Owen and her own naval agent, Lieutenant Samuel Blow. The aim was to rendezvous with the Portsmouth division of the Third Fleet at St. Jago. The "Queen", along with the "Active", entered Port Jackson on 26th September, 1791. She had lost 7 men on the voyage and the rest of her convict crew was in a feeble state due to not having received their allotted rations. The convicts managed to persuade Governor Phillip to hold a magisterial enquiry which disclosed that the Second Mate had ordered the weights used to be reduced in size and the large weights substituted for smaller ones, thus reducing the ration of meat due to each prisoner by a considerable amount. Of 132 lbs. of beef provided only 60 lbs. were issued but the people responsible for this were never punished. James must surely have been a hardy individual to have survived this and lived a long life as many of the passengers were fatally weakened by the experience, one claim being that only 50 of the mean were still alive in May, 1792.

James arrived at Norfolk Island aboard the "Atlantic" on 26th August, 1792, as a convict and he received rations until 31st December, 1795.

He was granted a Conditional Pardon along with several other convicts on 1st February, 1797, by Governor John Hunter.

The relevant portion of James Jordan's Conditional Pardon is as follows: -
"By virtue of the power and authority vested in me, as aforesaid, I, John Hunter, Esq., His Majesty's Captain General and Governor in Chief in and over the said Territory and its Dependencies taking into consideration the good behaviour of .......................James Jordan............... at the recommendation of Lieutenant Governor King, do hereby in consequence of these circumstances, and to enable them to become settlers, conditionally remit the remainder of the term or time which is yet unexpired of the original sentences or order of transportation, passed on the said ..........James Jordan........, provided and on condition that if the said ....James Jordan......... do return to, and appear within any part of the Kingdoms of Great Britain or Ireland, during the Terms of their respective sentences, the remission of such sentences so to them hereby conditionally granted, shall in such case, be wholly null and void.
"Given under my hand, and the seal of the Territory at Sydney in New South Wales, this 1st day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and ninety seven. Signed....Jno. Hunter."