Mary DEVEREUX (The Younger)

(Mary, 1831)

by Helen Ménard

Introduction

When Mary Devereux (the younger) was sentenced to death with her mother Mary Devereux (the elder) - both later commuted to transportation for life - she was only 18 years old and had no recorded criminal history. One might have thought that having escaped the gallows at such a young age she might have opted for a quieter life. Not so! Mary took on the penal system in Van Diemen’s Land (VDL) with all its rules and regulations with gusto. Over a twenty year period, after which she was finally granted a conditional pardon, she was charged with no less than forty three conduct offences resulting in almost eight years of incarceration.^[1] Most offences involved serious abuse of alcohol, absenteeism and misconduct while in detention. She even featured in the official ‘Inquiry into Female Convict Prison Discipline’ for dancing naked and other obscene behaviour!^[2] Marriage failed to temper the darkness in her soul - in the first five years of her marriage to John Wagg she spent almost a year in and out of the Cascades Female Factory.^[3] Nor did Mary ever manage to tame the ‘demon drink’. Eventually, she ended up in a de facto relationship with Edward King with whom she ‘frequently quarrelled’^[4] and who was ultimately convicted of taking her life – she was only 45.

Read more on Mary Devereux (the younger) here (.pdf)

^[1] LIB TAS: Names Index: CON40/1/3 p67 DI 73; CON32/1/4 p299 DI 149; CON32/1/2 p131 DI 67

^[2] The Transcript of Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Female Convict Prison Discipline (1841-1843) is of the contents of file CSO/22/1/50 held at the Archives (TAHO) in the State Library of Tasmania, labelled Colonial Secretary, Franklin period. Report No. 5 March 24^th, 1842 pages 274-76

^[3] LIB TAS: Names Index: CON40/1/3 p67 DI 73; CON32/1/4 p299 DI 149; CON32/1/2 p131 DI 67

^[4] TROVE: The Mercury (Hobart, Tas.: 1860-1954) Thu 31 Mar 1864, p2, ADJOURNED INQUEST ON THE BODY OF MARY DEVEREUX