Charles Minter

1840 - Yes, date unknown

• Name	Charles Minter
  Birth	29 Mar 1840	Christchurch, Southwark, Surrey   [1]
  Christening	19 Apr 1840	All Souls, Langham Place   [1]
  Gender	Male
  _UID	ADCA198FEEC24DBBA6803E32B342DBD81598
  Death	Yes, date unknown
  Notes	1861 census: with sister Eliza (19, milliner) in Barrack Street, St Leonard, Colchester, Charles (21, master baker employing 1 man). Charles and Charlotte SECRETT married in Q4 1862; they were the parents of an unnamed male infant whose birth and death were registered at Colchester in Q3 1863. Birth 4a/253, death 4a/184. It seems likely that Charles was the subject of the following report in the Essex County Standard dated 17/7/1863: Rape on a Child at Colchester Charles Minter, 22, baker, was indicted for committing a rape on a little girl named Elizabeth Sainty, aged 11 years, at Colchester, on the 6th of December, 1862. Mr. WOOLETT (instructed by Mr. Whitcombe) prosecuted; Mr. PHILBRICK (instructed by Mr. Jones) defended. It appeared from the evidence that on day in question the child went to the prisoner's shop in Magdelen Street, and while there he took the child upstairs, and, as is alleged, committed the offence complained of. The child stated that the prisoner threatened to beat her if she told any one, and consequently nothing was heard of the circumstances until some months afterwards, when it was discovered that the child was suffering from a loathsome disease, which, it was alleged, was communicated to her by the prisoner. The child's parents had an interview with the prisoner, who offered to come to some arrangement, but this was declined, and a warrant was taken out against him. The prisoner was taken before the Magistrates at Colchester, and after one or two remands the case was dismissed, the Magistrates not considering the evidence sufficient to send him for trial. Subsequently, however, some additional evidence came to light, and the prisoner was again brought up and committed for trial. The evidence, which was of a most disgusting nature, occupied the Court a considerable time, and the witnesses were very minutely cross-examined by Mr. PHILBRICK. At the conclusion of the case for the prosecution, Mr. PHILBRICK made an earnest appeal to the Jury on behalf of the prisoner, contending that the case was so full of improbabilities and contradictions that it would be dangerous to find a verdict adverse to the prisoner. His LORDSHIP summed up at some length, and drew the attention of the Jury to the length of time which had elapsed before the offence was brought against the prisoner. The Jury were locked up for about four hours, and on their return into Court they found a verdict of Guilty. His LORDSHIP, in sentencing the prisoner, said it was not his verdict, but the verdict of the Jury, although he did not mean by that that he disapproved of it. It was a very serious offence, and he must pass a severe sentence, viz., 10 years' penal servitude. A record of Charles's sentence appears in the 'Return of all Persons Committed, or Bailed to appear for Trial, or indicted at the Assizes on the 14th day of July 1863'. The record shows that Charles Minter was sentenced to 10 years penal servitude for rape. Source Ancestry.com via Gillian Green, August 2009. Further information has been obtained from the Fremantle Prison - Crime & Punishment - Convict Database: Convict No: 8369 Ship name: Racehorse Ship arrival date: 10 Aug 1865 Birth date: 1837 [disagrees with Charles's date of 1840] Marital status: Mar [no record of a marriage has been found] Occupation: baker Literacy: lit Religion: Prot Sentence place: Chelmsford Length of sentence: 10 yrs Crime: rape Ticket of leave date: 10 Jul 1869 Certificate of Freedom: 5 Aug 1873 Certifictate of Freedom place: York Comments: Cook, labourer. To UK, 14 Jan 1875 Both the above items were found by Ron Minter of Penryn, Cornwall and are included here with his permission, October 2006. A description of Charles Minter is included in a list which can be found following a link on the website at http://members.iinet.net.au/~perthdps/convicts/con-wa37.html. The website includes a brief description of the voyage of the Racehorse to Australia. Minter Charles Number: 8369. Occupation: baker. Marital status: M. Children: none. Height: 5' 5 3/4". Hair: brown. Eyes: hazel. Face: oval. Compexion: dark. Build: middling stout. Distinguishing marks: wart on breast. Although the Fremantle Prison - Crime & Punishment - Convict Database quoted above says that Charles was returned to the UK in 1875, I haven't found him in the 1881 and later censuses. And I haven't found his death registration.
  Person ID	I87	Thorpe le Soken, Essex
  Last Modified	26 Jul 2019

  
  

  Father	William Minter,   b. Bef 26 Nov 1815, Thorpe-le-Soken, Essex d. 5 Nov 1861, Colchester, Essex (Age ~ 45 years)
  Mother	Emma BRYANT,   b. Abt 1814, Thorpe-le-Soken, Essex d. 16 Nov 1878, Colchester, Essex (Age ~ 64 years)
  Marriage	9 Aug 1838	All Souls, langham Place, St Marylebone, London   [1, 2]
  	Married by banns. William Minter, 25, bachelor, servant of All Souls District, father John Minter, gardener. Emma Bryant, 24, spinster of All Souls District, father John Bryant, miller. Both signed full names. Witnesses John Parry and Maria Osborn(?).
  Family ID	F39	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Charlotte SECRETT,   b. Abt 1843, Colchester, Essex d. Yes, date unknown
  Marriage	16 Dec 1862	Register Office, Holy Trinity, Colchester, Essex   [3]
  	Charles, 22, bachelor, baker of Barrack Street, Colchester, father William Minter (deceased), publican. Charlotte, 19, spinster of New Quay, Colchester, father William Secrett, bricklayer. Charles signed, Charlotte marked. Witnesses George Gilbert (signed) and Harriett Rogers (marked).
  Family ID	F33	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	8 Sep 2009

  
  

• Event Map

  Christening - 19 Apr 1840 - All Souls, Langham Place  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S33] London Metropolitan Archives at Ancestry.co.uk, September 2009. [S3] BMD index. [S8] Marriage certificate (copy).