Dear Len,

I think the person you are looking for is a Philip Fargher, convicted for sheep stealing in 1823 and sentenced to death. This was reduced to transportation for life on appeal to the thenHome secretary Robert Peel. A reference to this can be found at the National Archive site at www.nationalarchives.co.uk
Reference:- 30/45/1
More information.Letters addressed to Robert Peel, 1822 & 1823 Home Secretary 17/1/1822-29/4/1827: Duke of Atholl forwards minutes of the trial of Philip Fargher, sentenced to death for stealing sheep.

I have tried to read this at the National Archives at Kew but ran out of time; the material being being part of a larger collection and they are too lengthy to order on line.

I don't know if the Manx Museum has a copy of the trial proceedings.

Philip Fargher was transported to Berbice in Van Diemans Land, present day Tasmania, on the ship the Asia arriving in July 1823.

My interest is that I too had a family rumour that an ancestor had been sentenced for sheep stealing. If this was the case he could possibly be the brother of my 3 X great grandfather William Fargher of Malew, born 1801. I don't know his parents and would like to know if there is a mention of where Philip Fargher was born in the Isle of Man and who where his parents.