was a soldier and writer, who was born at Chester on 6 October 1758 in the county of Cheshire in England. He joined the Royal Marine Corps, Plymouth division, as a Second Lieutenant in 1776, and served in the American War of Independence, during which he was a prisoner-of-war for some months. In December 1786, Tench’s offer to re-enter the Corps for a three-year tour of Botany Bay was accepted, and he sailed aboard Charlotte. Before sailing with the Fleet, he arranged with a London Continue Reading »
Nancy Yates
Like many of his fellow officers, Captain David Collins who became the Colony’s Judge Advocate, took convict women as mistresses during his years in Sydney Cove and Hobart Town, Van Diemen’s Land. One of his mistresses was convict milliner Nancy / Ann Yates / Yeates. She was tried as a single-woman aged 17, at Yorkshire Summer Assizes held at York on 9 July 1785 with Jonathan Howard for burglary. Breaking and entering into the dwelling of John Strickland in the township of Milton Continue Reading »
Chapman Family
Robert Ross was Major of a detachment of four companies of marines that sailed on the First Fleet ships. Marines aboard the Prince of Wales were 2 lieutenants, 3 sergeants, 2 corporals, 1 drummer, 24 privates, some accompanied with wives and children. Private Marine Thomas Chapman was attached to the 60th (Plymouth Company). On 17 August 1787, Sergeant of Marines James Scott also on Prince of Wales wrote, Private Thomas Chapman was promoted to Corporal to stand in for one who had lost his Continue Reading »
Alexander John Ross
Before Major Robert Ross sailed aboard Scarborough, he left written instructions for the care of his wife and children in the event of his death, but he took with him his 8 year-old son Alexander John Ross, known as Little John. Arthur Bowes Smyth surgeon on Lady Penrhyn, wrote in his journal on 3 May 1787, Little John Ross, Capt. Campbell’s Nephew & Servt, came on board. Little John Ross, a Volunteer Marine, and James Duncan Campbell, became constant companions being of similar Continue Reading »
George Raper
Abel Seaman George Raper took his paint box with him, containing a larger set of paints than that of his captain John Hunter, who was also an artist, when he transferred on 22 December 1786 to HMS Sirius. His paintings of ports such as Teneriffe and Rio de Janeiro, were part of his evidence of competence for his later promotion to midshipman on 13 September 1787. When in boarded HMS Sirius, George Raper was seventeen years old, having been born on 19 September 1769, to Henry and Catherine Continue Reading »
They Came From Many Lands
Amongst the peoples of the First Fleet were many nationalities. These people embarked as convicts, able seamen, cooks, marines, officers and children. They are collectively known as Non English First Fleeters. You might ask, who were they? BLACKS – There were twelve black Africans, Americans or West Indians that sailed on the First Fleet. Eleven were convicts with cook George Nelson, off the Prince of Wales, who drowned in the harbour at Port Jackson on 16 February 1788. CHANNEL Continue Reading »
Thomas Lucas
was a private marine 23rd (Portsmouth) Company arriving at Port Jackson aboard Scarborough and there served in the company of Captain John Shea. Thomas also worked in the colony as a glazier, being his former profession. On 29 December 1791 a son by Ann Howard (Lady Juliana) was born and in December 1792 he enlisted in the NSW Corps and left for Norfolk Island. In April 1797 he was discharged from the corps and received a grant of 60 acres. On the Island he worked as a glazier and painter. Continue Reading »
Daniel Stanfield : Alice Harmsworth
Marine and settler, Daniel Stanfield is reputed to have come from an English naval family. He arrived with the First Fleet at Port Jackson as a private in the marines. Promoted to corporal, he married Alice, widow of Thomas Harmsworth, on the 15 October 1791 at St Phillip’s Church, Sydney. In less than a month he was on duty at Norfolk Island. In 1794 he was discharged from the marines and sworn in as constable and started to farm. Stanfield talked of enlisting in the NSW corps and in Continue Reading »
William Faddy
had a fair amount of sea service before being commissioned with the First Fleet as 2nd lieutenant of marines. He had married Martha Escott Johnson on 18 November 1784 and their children were born before he sailed aboard the Friendship. In 1790 William was sent to Norfolk Island and remained there until December 1791 when he returned to Port Jackson and then to England aboard Gorgon. On 18 April 1793 he was commission 1st lieutenant 76th Company and served on Royal Sovereign. He was promoted Continue Reading »
Thomas Arndell : Elizabeth Dalton
Thomas Arndell was appointed as an assistant surgeon to the settlement of NSW on 25 October 1786 and made the voyage aboard Friendship. Through an apprenticeship at a young age, Thomas would late practice apothecary in St Martin’s Le Grand. He had five legitimate child with his wife Susanna but neglected her for Isabella Francesca Foscari, a Jewish Italian singer. By this time he had qualified at the Royal College of Surgeons on 6 September 1781 he abandoned both women and signed on the East Continue Reading »