Friday, April 5, 2013

BOTTRILL TRANSPORTATION TO AUSTRALIA

Most emigration seems to have been voluntary, but I've come across two cases of transportation.

At the Coventry Assizes 1.4.1816, John Bottrill< who was 27,  and his  partner (54) were convicted of Breaking and Entering. That merited transportation to NSW for 14 years.  But not immediately - they languished in prison until the ship left in October.  By all accounts, the ship was worse than the prison.

Harry Halford Bottrill, aged 32 from Middlesex, was convicted of Bigamy and transported in 1840 for 7 years- he didn't do it again, I imagine.

The Bottrill name was not unknown in the British courts of 18th and 19th centuries.  More than 300 Bottrill criminal records can be found - mainly in  London.  The most popular crime seems to have been forgetting to pay the rent!  This merited imprisonment.  Whipping was the punishment for stealing - particularly for female servants.













Tuesday, March 12, 2013

One Boterel died in Spain in 15th century.  I had despaired of ever finding out how and why. Quite by chance, I came across a town called Botarell in Spain, and am investigating a possible connection. It's almost certain that some of the Bottrills were involved in the Hundred Years' War, and may well have supported the Black Prince in his foray into Spain.
So that's a town in Spain that may be named after the family, and of course two in England - Aston Boterell in Shropshire, Boscastle in Cornwall. I haven't yet found one in Brittany.