Speculation is swirling among my extended family after this prison release form from my great great great grandfather, George Althorp, was discovered in Tasmania. The story indicates he was a ploughman in Yorkshire, sentenced to LIFE in prison for stealing a sheep in 1827. After spending years on a prison hulk in England, he was shipped to Australia, where he eventually earned a full pardon in 1840.

This was big news to me, as prior to this, nobody in my family was aware of (or at least never admitted to being aware of) any convicts in our family tree.

he is described below as a broad shoulder’d strong man with a beard that is “thin and snaggling”

The facts do remain a bit unsettled, because we also discovered records of another man named George Althorp who arrived in Australia at about the same time. For the time being I’m happy to consider myself the great great great grandson of an O.G.