Convictism in Australia - Notable Convicts Transported To Australia

Notable Convicts Transported To Australia

• Esther Abrahams — British Jew, who was one of the Jewish convicts (about 1,000 in all) and common law wife of a leader of the Rum Rebellion.
• Samuel Barsby — first convict to be flogged
• Billy Blue — black Jamaican, established a ferry service
• James Blackburn — Famous for contribution to Australian architecture and civil engineering
• William Bland — naval surgeon transported for killing a man in a duel; he prospered and was involved in philanthropy, and had a seat in the legislative assembly.
• Mary Bryant — famous escapee
• William Buckley — famously escaped and lived with Aboriginal people for many years
• John Cadman — had been a publican, as a convict became Superintendent of Boats in Sydney; Cadmans Cottage is a cottage granted to him.
• Martin Cash — Famous escapee and bushranger
• William Chopin — a convict whose work in prison hospitals in Western Australia grounded him in chemistry; on receiving a ticket of leave he was appointed chemist at the Colonial Hospital, but preferred to open his own chemist shop. He was later convicted as an abortionist.
• Daniel Connor — successful merchant.
• Daniel Cooper — successful merchant.
• William Cuffay (convict and tailor) — Black London Chartist leader who became an important workers' rights leader in Hobart.
• John Davies — co-founded The Mercury newspaper.
• Margaret Dawson — First Fleeter, "founding mother"
• John Eyre — painter and engraver
• William Field (Australian pastoralist) — notable Tasmanian businessman and landowner
• Francis Greenway — famous Australian architect
• William Henry Groom — successful auctioneer and politician, served in the inaugural Australian Parliament.
• Laurence Hynes Halloran — founded Sydney Grammar School.
• William Hutchinson — public servant and pastoralist.
• John Irving — doctor transported on First Fleet, was the first convict to receive an absolute pardon.
• Mark Jeffrey — wrote famous autobiography
• Jørgen Jørgensen eccentric Danish adventurer influenced by revolutionary ideas who declared himself ruler of Iceland, later became a spy in Britain.
• Henry Kable — First Fleet convict, arrived with wife and son (Susannah Holmes, also a convict, and Henry) filed 1st law suit in Australia, became wealthy businessman
• Lawrence Kavenagh — notorious bushranger
• John (Red) Kelly — Irish convict & father of bushranger Ned Kelly
• Solomon Levey — wealthy merchant, endowed Sydney Grammar School.
• Simeon Lord — was a pioneer merchant and a magistrate in Australia
• Nathaniel Lucas — one of first convicts on Norfolk Island, where he became Master carpenter, later farmed successfully, built windmills, and was Superintendent of carpenters in Sydney.
• John Mitchel — Irish nationalist
• Francis "Frank the Poet" McNamara — composer of various oral convict ballads, including The Convict's Tour to Hell
• John Mortlock — former marine
• Thomas Muir convicted of sedition for advocating parliamentary reform; escaped from N.S.W and after many vicissitudes made his way to revolutionary France.
• Isaac Nichols — entrepreneur, first Postmaster
• Kevin Izod O'Doherty — Medical student, Young Irelander who was transported for treason.
• Robert Palin — once in Australia, committed further crimes, and managed to be executed for a non-capital offence
• Alexander Pearce — cannibal escapee
• Joseph Potaskie — first Polish Jew to come to Australia.
• William Smith O'Brien — famous Irish revolutionary; sent to Van Diemen's Land in 1849 after leading a rebellion in Tipperary
• John Boyle O'Reilly — Famous escapee and writer; author of The Moondyne
• William Redfern — one of the few surgeon convicts
• Mary Reibey — operated a fleet of ships
• James Ruse — successful farmer
• Henry Savery — Australia's first novelist; author of Quintus Servinton
• Robert Sidaway — opened Australia's first theatre
• James Squire — English Romanichal (Romany) – First Fleet convict and Australia's first brewer and cultivator of hops.
• William Sykes — historically interesting because he left a brief diary and a bundle of letters.
• John Tawell — served his sentence, became a prosperous chemist, returned to England after 15 years, and after some time murdered a mistress, for which he was hanged.
• Samuel Terry — wealthy merchant and philanthropist.
• James Hardy Vaux — author of Australia's first full length autobiography and dictionary.
• Mary Wade — Youngest female convict transported to Australia (11 years of age) who had 21 children and at the time of her death had over 300 living descendants.
• Joseph Wild — explorer
• Solomon Wiseman — merchant and operated ferry on Hawkesbury River hence town name Wisemans Ferry.