John Assell (?–?)
John Assell was a marine in the 29th (Portsmouth) Company. He arrived in Sydney in January 1788 aboard the Sirius as part of the First Fleet. He was part of the guard of the garden at what became known as Garden Island at Sydney Cove. On 26 May 1788 he became involved in a drunken brawl with two seamen, James Coventry and John McNeal, and was charged with attempted murder. Assell and Coventry were sentenced to 500 lashes. Assell received part of the sentence the next day; the remainder was remitted on the King's Birthday, 4 June.
Assell was discharged from Sirius to the Port Jackson detachment on 5 June 1789 and left the colony aboard the Gorgon in December 1791, arriving in Portsmouth, England, on 21 June 1792.
* information from Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 13
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Coventry, James (acquaintance)
- McNeal, John (acquaintance)
Citation details
'Assell, John (?–?)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/assell-john-29975/text37154, accessed 13 May 2025.