People Australia

William Eggleton (c.1755- ), alias William Bones, was found guilty on 22 March 1786 at Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, of breaking into a house and stealing a padlocked box containing clothing. Sentenced to 7 years transportation he was sent to the Ceres hulk, where he remained until he embarked for New South Wales on the Alexander in January 1787, arriving in Sydney in January 1788 as part of the First Fleet.

Eggleton married Mary Dickinson on 17 February 1788 at St Philip's Church, Sydney; they had at least four children.

In September 1793 Eggleton was granted 60 aces at Prospect Hill; he sold the grant to Thomas Daveny in July 1794 and in 1795 leased 7 acres at Petersham. By 1800 he had sold the lease to Thomas Laycock. In 1802 he held 80 acres at the Field of Mars by purchase. His household comprised himself, three children (his wife and a son had died), one free servant, all off stores. In 1815 he transferred the title of his farm to Samuel Terry for £23. In 1822 he was employed by his son-in-law R. Lack. He may have been the William Eggleton, recorded without any details, in the 1828 Census. No further records for William Eggleton have been found.

* information from Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 117