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Hannah Knott
Hannah was born in Lancashire around 1798; was convicted at Westminster and sentenced to seven years transportation. She arrived in Port Jackson on 13 June 1834 aboard the Numa, a 323 ton barque which left Portsmouth on 29 January 1834. It carried 18 tons of gunpowder and other government stores along with 138 female convicts and 24 children. The ship's log notes Hannah's occupation as a general cook and laundry maid - she was working in London at the time of her transportation. The log also notes she was a widow with a female child, but to date, no record has been found to indicate the fate of this child, however the search for clues is continuing. Hannah's initial assignment in the colony was with a Captain Hunter, but at the time of her marriage to Thomas Hawkless in 1838, she was assigned to Colonel Charles W. Wall who had moved to Bathurst. Thomas had accompanied Colonel Wall to Bathurst after spending his initial period in Australia at Prospect, near Sydney. Hannah and Thomas were married at Holy Trinity Church, Bathurst on 4 April, 1838. The Colonial Secretary's papers of that period contain a letter written by Colonel Wall seeking permission for the marriage to take place. (See photo below) Hannah received a full pardon after her seven year sentence was complete.
She and Thomas moved back to Sydney some time prior to the 1841 census and she died the following year. Her death is recorded in the register of St Anne's Church of England, Ryde and it is likely she was buried there. No gravesite remains. Searches have not yet uncovered any details on Hannah's life prior to her transportation and this remains a part of the puzzle for the time being.
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