Catherine Fogarty/Hennessy Bonnet made by Sheila Quinn, Ruth Murray's Hearts Creations Group.
Catherine Fogarty/Hennessy, Convict No.171 from Tipperary, born 1814. Catherine’s father was Richard Hennessy and Mother Mary Fogarty.
Catherine was tried in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary in Spring 1829 for larceny (stealing clothes). She was found guilty and sentenced to 7 years transportation. Catherine was 14 years old and single. It was fascinating to discover that “Children” over the age of 7 could be treated in the same way as adults by the judicial system at this time. According to Curtin (2020) they were sent to prison and transported. To some degree Catherine’s position was tempered as she was transported with her sister Mary Hennessy, who also received 7 years for stealing clothes.
Catherine departed on Asia 1 on 10th September 1829 from Cork, arriving in New South Wales on the 13th January 1830. She received her Certificate of Freedom on 23 July 1839.
Catherine married John Kane/Keane in the Abercrombie District, Bathurst on 4th September 1832. John and Catherine had 8 children between 1832 and 1847. Her date of death is unknown.
Research by Eleanor Murphy Roses from the Heart, Waterford 2023.
References:
Convict Records (no date). available; https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/fogartyhennessy/catherine/123919 [accessed 4 December 2023]
Curtin G. (2020) ‘The Child Condemned’: The Imprisonment of Children in Ireland, 1850–1908’, Sage Economic and Social History (First published online July 2, 2020). available: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0332489320934588 [accessed 4 December 2023]