Margaret Foster | + Follow Poet |
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Sincerely yours Mary Wade

I nearly hanged, it was my fate
In seventeen eighty nine
I had stolen an old fur tippet 
And claimed that it was mine

They put me into prison
Then sent me to be tried
The verdict came back guilty
and many tears I cried

But through the grace of mad King George
came a welcome dispensation
My sentence was commuted
and I was handed transportation

The journey was horrendous.
Eleven months or more.
Till we landed in Australia
That far and distant shore 

And what this place has given me
When all is rendered down
Is a life I never would have had
In the slums of London Town.

				sincerely, yours, Mary Wade 




Transportation of convicts to Australia began in 1787 and continued until 1868. During this time, approximately 163,000 convicts were transported on 825 ships

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Beryl Edmonds Date: 1/19/2025 6:21:00 AM A great ending to a sad story Margaret, you told through poetry Mary Wade’s tale well… Beryl Login to Reply Margaret Foster Date: 1/21/2025 12:57:00 AM Thank you, Beryl, so many more were not as lucky as Mary.