Publications

Rogues, Vagabonds & Sturdy Beggars

Tales of the Dennis Convict Ancestors

by Helen Dennis

William Cranfield was transported from Essex to New South Wales for stealing a waistcoat and a live pig from an elderly farmer. He was just 16 years old. William Dennis regaled his descendants with tales of his immigration as a free man from Kent in England, conveniently overlooking his petty crime and the fact that he too was transported to the colony as a convict. The convict women these men married left remarkable stories of their own for curious descendants to uncover. The experiences of eight Dennis convict ancestors are revealed in this family history, bringing to life the stories of William Cranfield, William Dennis, Mary Ann Marshall (Gittoes), Ellen Murphy and her four children, Mary, Catherine, John and Honora. From England and Ireland, across the seas on rickety sailing ships, their stories are alike, and yet intriguingly unique. This referenced family history will be of interest to seasoned family historians, but it is written in a readable narrative style that will appeal to any interested descendant of these Dennis convicts.