Stories of Convicts on the First Fleet contains information about a number of convicts on the First Fleet to the penal colony of New South Wales who meet the following criteria: There is information about the individual following their arrival in the colony, with appropriate references, that may be of interest to readers. The information includes, in addition to offence, sentence and death details, a story about the activities of the individual subsequent to arrival in the colony. No separate Wikipedia article exists, or is likely to be written, for the individual.
Background
The List of convicts on the First Fleet contains basic information about most of the 775 convicts who were on the First Fleet when it sailed. For about 93 of these individuals useful information is available, often of such volume that it is not suitable for inclusion in the “Other information” column of the list article.
Only 18 of these individuals have their own Wikipedia article, but the stories of the others are both of general interest and an integral part of the early European history of Australia. A further 12 whose names are shown in “External links” have their stories in other online sources and are not included here.
Individual stories
Robert Bails
Bails was convicted of highway robbery, value 2s. Originally sentenced to death, the sentence was commuted to 14 years transportation. A police report describes Bails as "near six feet high, wears his own lank hair, pitted with the smallpox, thick lips and stout made." Bails had been discharged from his regiment of guards prior to his arrest. A native of Yorkshire, Bails was one of 12 prisoners who escaped from Reading Gaol on 30 November 1784. A £10 reward was offered for his capture. Bails was found hiding with another escapee in a barn near Shinfield on 6 December 1784.
On 30 April 1788, Bails was charged with three others with the theft of meat and was required to pay the value of the stolen property. In October 1789, Robert was sentenced to 25 lashes for insolence to John Palmer, the purser of the Sirius. In 1801 Robert was listed as an emancipist settler at Port Jackson. By 1806 Bails was listed as a Schoolmaster and in 1820 as a teacher with 25 pupils.
Martha Baker
Baker was convicted at the Old Bailey for highway robbery of a silver watch (40s), a watch key (1d), and a seal (2s), that occurred on 2 August 1786. Martha's occupation was listed as servant.
Baker married Walter Batley on 21 February 1788 at Sydney Cove. She had previously been married to Thomas Baker in England prior to her transportation. In November 1789, Baker was sent to Norfolk Island on board the Supply with her husband. By 5 February 1790, Baker was recorded as Off Stores and sharing a sow with Samuel Mobbs, with whom she cohabited on Norfolk Island. On 7 May 1792, Baker sold two pigs to the Government for £2 16s. On 2 November 1793, Baker left Norfolk Island on the Britannia bound for India.
Stephen Barnes
Barnes was convicted at York for stealing a Great Coat.
He served his sentence without any incidents recorded against him and then left the Colony aboard the Convict Ship 'William' captained by William Folger after he completing its voyage from England, bringing Rev. Samuel Marsden to Sydney in March 1794. The 'William' took the long road back to England, apparently William went whaling. She was reported off the coast of Peru, and then on the coast of Chile in November 1794. She returned to Britain on 29 November 1795 with 64 tuns of sperm oil, 57 tuns of whale oil, and 32 cwt of whale bone.
William Boggis
Boggis, a fisherman, was tried on 3 February 1783 for stealing a sheet (3s), and was convicted with William Hubbard.
In August 1788 he received 50 lashes for gambling, in September 1788 he received 100 lashes for attempting to rape Lydia Munro, and in July 1789 received 200 lashes for stealing a shirt. In 1789 was sentenced to wear a label with the word thief upon it, and was transferred to Norfolk Island and given a plot of land after his sentence expired. He returned to Sydney sometime between the years of 1797 and 1801.
Joseph Buckley
Buckley was convicted at Dorchester of stealing a purse containing 43s on 16 March 1786. He was described by the wardens on the Dunkirk prison hulk as "tolerably decent and orderly."
Buckley left the colony in 1793 on the Kitty as a servant to the surgeons Dennis Considen and Mr Cranston.
Margaret Bunn
Bunn was convicted at the Old Bailey of stealing one linen handkerchief (6d), one cotton handkerchief (2s), and twelve halfpence (6d), and one shilling in money. Her occupation was listed as servant.