People Australia

  • searches all National Centre of Biography websites
  • searches all National Centre of Biography websites
  • searches all National Centre of Biography websites

Browse Lists:

Cultural Advice

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website contains names, images, and voices of deceased persons.

In addition, some articles contain terms or views that were acceptable within mainstream Australian culture in the period in which they were written, but may no longer be considered appropriate.

These articles do not necessarily reflect the views of The Australian National University.

Older articles are being reviewed with a view to bringing them into line with contemporary values but the original text will remain available for historical context.

Jane Kidner (c. 1776–1826)

Jane Whiting and Mary Wade were found guilty on 14 January 1789 at the Old Bailey, London, of robbing an 8-year-girl of her clothing. The girls' death sentences were commuted to life transportation. They were sent to Newgate Gaol before embarking for New South Wales in the Lady Juliana in May 1789, arriving at Port Jackson in June 1790.

Whiting and Wade were sent to Norfolk Island on 1 August 1790 on the Surprize. Whiting married Thomas Kidner on 5 November 1791 in a mass wedding ceremony on the island. The couple, with their two children, left the island on HMS Buffalo for Port Jackson in October 1805.

Thomas Kidner moved to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) in 1807. Jane and her daughter followed afterwards. It is not clear whether they resumed married life. Jane was granted an absolute pardon on 9 June 1810. In 1817 George Clark assigned a cottage at 13 Collins St, Hobart, to Jane for her services as a housekeeper. Jane was buried at St David's Cemetery, Hobart, on 14 September 1826; her age was given as 50. Her occupation was listed as 'poor woman'.

* information from Michael Flynn, The Second Fleet: Britain’s Grim Convict Armada of 1790 (1993), pp 609-610

Citation details

'Kidner, Jane (c. 1776–1826)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/kidner-jane-30293/text37570, accessed 29 March 2024.

© Copyright People Australia, 2012

Life Summary [details]

Alternative Names
  • Kidney, Jane
  • Whiting, Jane
  • Willing, Jane
  • Whitting, Jane
  • Whighting, Jane
Birth

c. 1776
London, Middlesex, England

Death

13 September, 1826 (aged ~ 50)
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Cultural Heritage

Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.

Passenger Ship
Occupation
Key Events
Key Places
Convict Record

Crime: theft
Sentence: life