Gerritt Hendrick Middenway (1810–1875)
Gerrett Hendrick Middenway (1810-1875), bricklayer, was found guilty on 11 November 1835 at Berbice, British Guiana (Guyana) of assault. Sentenced to seven years transportation he arrived at Sydney, New South Wales aboard the Lady Kennaway in October 1836. He was described in convict records as being aged 26, single, he could read and write, was a protestant and had no previous convictions. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall, and had a very dark sallow complexion, black hair and dark chestnut eyes. A note on his convict record described him as 'half cast'.
Middenway was granted a ticket of leave in 1841. On 6 July 1848 at St Andrew's Baptist Church, Sydney, he married Ann Maria Spicer, a widow with eight children; they had three more children.
By 1860, Middenway was working as a fireman in the printing office of the Sydney Morning Herald. He was killed in a workplace accident on 15 May 1875.
Additional Resources and Scholarship
- inquest, Sydney Morning Herald, 17 May 1875, p 2
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Spicer, James William (stepson)
Citation details
'Middenway, Gerritt Hendrick (1810–1875)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/middenway-gerritt-hendrick-34954/text44065, accessed 27 June 2025.
Life Summary [details]
Birth
Death
15 May,
1875
(aged ~ 65)
Sydney,
New South Wales,
Australia
Cause of Death
Cultural Heritage
Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.
Passenger Ship
Occupation or Descriptor
Social Issues
Workplaces
Convict Record
Crime: assault and robbery
Sentence: 7 years
Court: Berbice (Guyana)
Trial Date: 11 November 1835
(1835)
Pre-transportation
Occupation: bricklayer
Post-transportation
Children: Yes (3)