My great great grandmother was Eliza Cryer. She was transported as a convict to Sydney, New South Wales, in 1836. She was tried in Dublin in 1835 for stealing a shawl. Her sentence was 7 years.
I am interested in learning about Eliza's family in Dublin and am happy to share Eliza's story in Australia. It would be great to hear about her and her family.
Regards
Sandra
Hi Sandra,
It looks like there was only one Crier family in Dublin 1820's
Area - DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation - ST. CATHERINE
Baptism of ESTHER CRIER of 78 THOS ST on 26 April 1818
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Name ESTHER CRIER
Date of Birth 22 March 1818
Address 78 THOS ST
Father ROBT CRIER
Mother MARGT
Further details in the record
About the record
Book Number Page Entry Number Record_Identifier
4 35 344 DU-CI-BA-57609
Brendan
Hi Sandra
I found a couple of prison records on FindMyPast from 1834 and 1835 for an Esther Crier (1834, aged 14) and an Eliza Crier (1835, age 15). Both were for stealing - first a cloak and secondly a gown. Quite possibly the same girl. On the 1834 record she is recorded with no job or education but in 1835 she is recorded as a Tayloress. In both instances she was recorded as being born in Thomas Street which ties in with the record Brendan found above on the ChurchRecords.IrishGenealogy.ie website (free to search). This also shows a possible brother of Eliza/Ester called Robert. The family were protestant, which is also recorded on the prison record. Do you have a record of her being convicted for 7 years and sent to Australia? Would any of the information tie in with the information here?
Best Regards
Linda
Kildare Town Parish Liaison
Hello Linda
Thank you for the information about Esther/Eliza Crier. The dates fit as she arrived in Sydney on the "Roslin Castle" in 1836 aged 16. According to records accessed on Ancestry.com.au, she had a previous conviction of 6 months and was subsequently sentenced for 7 years. This same record indicates she was a nurse girl (born in 1820) and her crime was stealing a shawl. She married John William Mitchell in Bathurst on 7 November 1838.
I have attached her Certificate of Freedom, the content of which would suggest that this is the same person.
It sounds like Esther/Eliza was inclined to change her name periodically - an interesting character!
I greatly appreciate your assistance. Hopefully I can trace the rest of her family in/from Dublin as I find her story a challenging one.
Regards
Sandra
Hi Sandra,
I noticed your email a few years ago about Eliza Crier, I too am descended from Eliza (3rd Great Grandmother) and have been trying to research her. She is one of many Australian convicts on my dad’s side, and her penchant for changing first names makes her an interesting character.
Ancestry, much like what you have mentioned has provided much about her transportation and life in Australia, but not much more about her Irish upbringing. I am wondering if you had since discovered more about her parents since your email?
In addition to my own family tree in Ancestry, I ultimately would like to one day document her life details in a wikitree profile I created (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Crier-14)
Best Regards,
Graham