Between 1787 and 1868 over 162,000 British and Irish convicts were transported to Australia. Some of them were sent there because they were found guilty of crimes committed in the Honiton area.

In 1838 John Fowler (31) and Robert Larcombe (30) were convicted of stealing a purse from Samuel Simmons of Honiton. The purse contained one pound and eight shillings. Fowler was transported for ten years and because Larcombe had a prior conviction his sentence was fifteen years transportation. They sailed on the vessel ‘John Barry’ and arrived in New South Wales on March 22nd, 1839. Robert petitioned for a pardon in 1844 and the following year he married Jane Paton in Goulburn. They had two daughters and four sons. Robert Larcombe died after a five day illness in 1868 when his youngest son was just five years old.

Samuel Adland (20) was charged with assaulting and robbing Grace Wreford a quarter of a mile outside of Honiton around 10.30pm on July 26th, 1843, when she was on her way home from Honiton Fair. He knocked her down, stole a £5 note, three sovereigns, half a sovereign, ten shillings in silver, a pawn ticket and her necklaces and ran off with them. He was apprehended at the Crediton Inn, Exeter and fainted in court when his sentence of seven years transportation was announced. He sailed on the vessel Stratheden to the Van Diemens Land colony.

In September 1848 Thomas Doble, of Gittisham was charged with drunkenness and fined five shillings. On the following day Sarah Ann Brewer (26) also known as ‘Pollypocket-hole’ was charged with robbing the same Thomas Doble of Gittisham. She had taken a sovereign and a knife from him. The police traced the articles, and she was committed for trial. She was sentenced to two months solitary. Six months later she was in court again. This time it was for stealing a watch from James Dimond of Cotleigh while they were in the Rolling Pin and Chopping Knife Inn, Honiton. Mr Dimond took no notice of the accused when she was in the Inn but noticed that his watch had gone after she had left. Sarah Ann told a lodging housekeeper and a constable from Axminster that she had taken the watch but had left it in a lodging house in Honiton. She was found guilty and because of the former conviction was sentenced to seven years transportation to the Van Diemens Land colony and sailed on the convict ship ‘Emma Eugenia’ on 25th October 1850.

In 1849 the jury found William Shepherd, (27) guilty of stealing a silver watch and chain and a pair of stockings from Richard Hawker, at Buckerell. He was sentenced to seven years transportation.

Many local people did go to Australia and the other colonies of their own free will and most of them prospered.