In September 1847, two Rhayader men were brought before the courts at Presteigne. They were William Grant and David Moore, who were accused of stealing a purse containing over £20 from Edward Lewis. In 1847 this was as much as some of the poorest workers earned in many months.
The two men were illiterate labourers, who must have found the court very intimidating. They pleaded guilty to the crime, and probably expected a severe punishment.
The court records show the sentence...

The entry reads :
"That the said William Grant and David Moore be transported to such place beyond the seas as Her Majesty with the advice of Her Privy Council shall direct for the term of ten years."

This legal language means that the Queen's advisers would decide where he went. At this time prisoners were sent to penal colonies in Australia, where they would be forced to work in the fields under guard.
Here they could be whipped and forced to work on the treadmill if they did not behave. After ten years William Grant and David Moore would have been turned loose with no means of getting home to Wales.

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