Thomas
Kidner, also known as Thomas Kidney, was tried at the age of 18 in Bristol,
30th October 1782, for stealing four pieces of Irish linen, valued at
£6, from William Iverend who lived in the Parish of St. John, Bristol.
Thomas
had four accomplices, J. Barry, W. Bendall, T. Webber and W. Northcote.
Northcote was found not guilty, Bendall, Barry and Webber were publicly
whipped and Thomas Kidner was sentenced to transportation for seven
years. Elizabeth Pollard was found guilty of receiving one piece of
the stolen goods.
Thomas
was kept in gaol in Bristol until early in 1786 when he was transferred
to the "Censor" hulk. He had served more than four years of
his sentence when he was delivered to the "Alexander", 6th
January 1787. The "Alexander" was one of the ships of the
FIRST FLEET arriving at Port Jackson 26th January 1788.
Thomas
was charged with three others, 20th July 1789, with buying "necessaries"
from private marine Mark Hurst. Hurst maintained that Kidner had offered
to give him two bottles of liquor in exchange for a white shirt. Thomas
gave the shirt to another convict in exchange for two pounds of flour.
Hurst said that he had returned the flour to Kidner for baking, but
Kidner had swapped the flour for a pair of trousers, which he had returned
to Hurst.
Thomas
Kidner maintained that Hurst had asked him to sell the shirt for flour.
He had given the shirt to Mary Davis in exchange for two pounds of
flour, one of which he would give to Hurst.
Hurst
had also sold two bottles of liquor to Thomas Bryan for a pair of shoes
and a white shirt. Joseph Morley gave fish to Hurst expecting to receive
liquor in return, but received white stockings instead. John Hall was
to give Hurst some tobacco for a pair of worsted stockings, but received
a pair of white stockings that were rotted and full of holes.
For
this illegal trading Hurst received 300 lashes, Morley 100 lashes, Hall
50 lashes and Kidner and Bryan received 150 lashes each.
Thomas
was sent to Norfolk Island aboard the "Supply", 11th November
1789. In 1792 he had 15 acres of land
overlooking Ball's Bay,
four of his ploughable acres were cleared by October 1793. He was a
stone-cutter, and lived with Jane
Whiting, by
whom he had a son, Thomas, and a daughter, Ann.