WAPP - Waltham Abbey Personnel Project

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Biography:

1. George Hicks (1) started work at Faversham on the 1st November 1787, and transferred to Waltham Abbey on the 15th September 1788 (Supply 5/212 dated the 27th November 1788). 2. According to the Personnel Return for the Storekeepers Department (Supply 5/212 dated 21st March 1789) he was paid 1/6d per day as a Sieve Puncher. 3. George is described as "cutting and planting willow trees, cutting of canal at the new Corning House, removing earth to the Store, unloading barge of coals & charring wood" in Supply 5/213 dated the 18th April 1789, and Supply 5/214 dated September 1789, recorded that he was 36 and employed punching parchment bottoms and mounting sieves. 4. Supply 5/189 dated the 26 December 1789, was a memorandum signed by William Congreve which stated that "Hicks, the puncher and mounter of sieves, is to do that duty in the proof house and have the care of that building." 5. He was still "punching sieves and at the proving house" in March 1790 (Supply 5/214) and this was also the case in July 1795 (Supply 5/217). In addition, he had also enlisted as a Private in the Volunteer Company on the 7th May 1794 (Supply 5/219). 6. Winters, (op.cit. pp. 46/47) recorded that in December 1795, George Hicks stole a considerable quantity of Saltpetre, which he took to London; he was subsequenty tried at Chelmsford Assizes, and a cart was sent to Chelmsford after his trial to collect the stolen Salpetre. In March 1796, he was sentenced to seven years' transportation.