John Kingshott, farm labourer aged 36 of Greatham in Hampshire appeared before the court in South-hampton on 18th December 1830.
He was charged with having, "on the 23rd day of November last, at the parish of Kingsley, feloniously robbed Mary King of certain loaves of bread, some cheese and beer." Sentence: Death, commuted to life transportation.
When asked to state his offence  on arrival John replied "Machine-breaking". The rural labourers in many parts of England arose in protest to the mechinisation which was stealing their livelihood and leaving them without the means to provide for their families. Their crime was recorded as other offences such as "robbery" .to ensure that they did not  gain  the sympathy and support of  their fellow countrymen.
John was received on the hulk "York" 9th February 1831 and sailed on the "Proteus".
His description as filed in Van Dieman's Land (Tasmania) adds other personal information: farm labourer native of Greatham, Hampshire, 5ft.4¼ins tall, with black hair, oval face, green eyes, a wide mouth and thick lips ,chin, medium length fleshy underneath; and hairy arms.

John was born around 1795 in Greatham, one of six children of William and Lydia Kingshott, and married Mary Small at Bramshott in 1821.
They had five children before the riot (ages in 1830): William (10), Mary Ann (7), Hannah (4), John (2) and Francis (under 1 year).

In Tasmania, John was at first assigned to John Kingstall, but by 1833 was working for a hotelier, Mrs Ann Bridger, in New Norfolk as a farm labourer learning the trade of blacksmith.
He applied for permission for his wife and children to join him. The Rev George Godbold of Greatham recommended the transfer. Unfortunately, he sent it to Norfolk Island, a thousand miles away in the Pacific Ocean, instead of to New Norfolk in Tasmania and as a result it took a year and a day to reach its intended destination.
By 13th June 1834, an official request had been sanctioned, and in June 1835 the family finally boarded the "Hector" to arrive at Hobart on 20th October.
John and Mary had a sixth child, Ellen, born in New Norfolk on 21st January 1837.

John's conditional pardon was granted, dated 5th April 1838, As with all such pardons the condition being that he never returned to England.
In the 1848 census he is shown as the proprietor and person in charge of an unfinished wooden house at Brushy Bottom, New Norfolk employing one ticket-of-leave farm servant. The only other occupant was his daughter Ellen. Mary, his wife, had died about two years later, being buried on 1st March 1839.

Of his six children, all married, and all but John stayed in Tasmania�the latter followed his father's trade as a blacksmith, moving to Melbourne in 1846, then to the gold diggings near Castlemaine where he seems to have had some success.

John Kingshott of Greatham died on 8th May 1866, age stated as 76 years, a farmer at O'Brien's Bridge, Tasmania. Informant of death was his granddaughter Mary Ann 'Kinshott', the oldest child of his son, William Kingshott.