Every family has its share of colourful characters — some celebrated, others notorious. And occasionally, one appears whose story leaps out from faded records with a life all its own. One such figure in my family tree is Haughton Hinton: a man entangled in the criminal justice system of 19th-century Britain, transported to the far side of the world, and repeatedly in trouble with the law in his new land.
Haughton Hinton was born in 1803, the nephew of Thomas Hinton (my 5th great-grandfather) the son of Thomas’s brother Joseph . He was baptised in the village of Hanmer, in the borderlands between Wales and England.
Records show that Haughton’s life took a dramatic turn in 1821, when he was charged with stealing three horses in Liverpool. Prison documents list his birthplace as Brookhouses, near Wrexham — likely a reference to Brookhouse, a small area within the parish of Hanmer.
In 1822, at just 19 years old, he stood trial at the Lancaster Assizes. The sentence was death. However, his fate changed when Robert Peel, then Home Secretary (and later Prime Minister), intervened to reprieve the sentence. Instead, Haughton was sentenced to transportation for life to the penal colonies of Australia.
At the time, Britain’s legal system recognised what became known as the "19 Crimes" — offences considered serious enough to warrant transportation to Australia as punishment. These ranged from relatively minor infractions by today’s standards, such as stealing fish from a pond or impersonating an Egyptian (fortune teller), to more serious crimes like horse theft or burglary. The system was designed not only to punish but also to populate Britain’s distant penal colonies with labour. Haughton’s crime of horse stealing was one of these offences, carrying the harshest possible sentence short of death.
While awaiting his exile, Haughton was held aboard the Justitia prison hulk at Woolwich on the Thames. On 19th June 1822, he embarked on a grim voyage, he was transported aboard the convict ship Caledonia, departing England with 143 other convicts. They were bound for Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) with 143 other convicts. The journey took nearly five months, and six prisoners died en route.
But did transportation offer Haughton the chance to redeem himself and build a new life in a harsh new land?
Unfortunately, the records suggest otherwise. His Conduct Report — effectively his convict rap sheet — paints a picture of a man who struggled to stay out of trouble:
Even into old age, Haughton remained a troublesome figure. At 60 years old, five years before his death, he was again convicted — this time, for horse stealing.
Haughton Hinton’s life ended on 11th June 1868, aged 65, when he died of paralysis as a pauper in the Cascade Invalid Depot, Hobart, Tasmania.
In uncovering Haughton’s story, we catch a glimpse of the harsh realities faced by many 19th-century convicts, torn from their homelands and sent to unforgiving colonies. His life may have been marked by poor choices and punishment, but it also speaks to the turbulence of the times and the human stories that history books often overlook. Eye on the Past is about reclaiming those lost voices — even the troubled ones — and remembering the people who, in their own flawed ways, shaped the generations to come.
Carol
EYE on the PAST
[…] Haughton Hinton: From Hanmer to Hobart — A Convict’s Troubled Life (1803–1868) […]