John Bale was born about 1788 in Ketteringham, Norfolk, England. He married Ann Hovell (date and place unknown), and they had several children, including Emely (1818), Frances Elizabeth (1820), Rampling John (1822), Mary Ann (1825), and Sarah (1829), mostly born in Norfolk. John worked as a husbandman and later as a publican and ostler. In March 1834, he was convicted of sheep stealing at the Norfolk Court of Assizes and sentenced to life transportation. He departed from Cork, Ireland, in October 1834 and arrived in Hobart in February 1835. At arrival, he was described as a 46-year-old farm labourer, 5'6¼" tall, with a pale complexion and brown hair. By 1840, John was living near Bothwell and working as a shepherd. Despite charges in 1841 and 1842 for neglect and larceny, he was acquitted and subsequently granted a Ticket of Leave in 1843 and a Conditional Pardon in 1846. His wife Ann and daughter Sarah arrived in Tasmania in 1845. John became a landowner in Bothwell, purchasing multiple plots between 1854 and 1857, including properties on Schaw St, Franklin St, High St, and cultivated land near Bothwell. He was active in local affairs, serving as a juror at an inquest in 1861 and witnessing his daughter Sarah’s marriage in 1867. Ann Bale died in Bothwell in September 1869, aged 84. John Bale conveyed several parcels of his land to Simon Arnett in 1870, though the formal conveyances are not located. The date and place of John’s death remain unknown.

John Bale.

b: abt 1788, Ketteringham, Norfolk, England; d: date and place unknown.

Spouse - Ann Hovell.

b: abt 1785, place unknown; m: date and place unknown; d: 12 Sep 1869, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: aft 12 Sep 1869, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

Children of John Bale and Ann Howell:

1. Emely Bale - b: 16 Oct 1818, Heigham, Norfolk, England; bap: 1 Nov 1818, Heigham, Norfolk, England.

2. Frances Elizabeth Bale - b: abt 1820, Heigham, Norfolk, England; bap: 9 Jul 1820, Heigham, Norfolk, England.

3. Rampling John Bale - b: 16 Aug 1822, Norwich, Norfolk, England; d: 18 May 1909, Bothwell, Tasmania (7).

4. Mary Ann Bale - b: 7 Jun 1825 Norwich, Norfolk, England; bap: 19 Jun 1825 Norwich, Norfolk, England.

5. Sarah Bale - b: 7 Apr 1829, Norwich, Norfolk, England; bap: 24 May 1829, Norwich, Norfolk, England; d: 25 Feb 1911, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 27 Feb 1911, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania. Spouse (1) - Richard Hill, b: abt 1800, place unknown; m: 10 Aug 1847, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 10 Dec 1862, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: aft 10 Dec 1862, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania. Spouse (2) - Alfred Ainsworth, b: abt 1827, Hampshire, England; m: 15 Apr 1867, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 2 Nov 1905, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 6 Nov 1905, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.