Ayres, John (c. 1767–?)
John Ayres, a shoemaker, and John Pettitt, were sentenced, on 21 April 1784 at the Old Bailey, London, to seven years transportation for stealing musical instruments from a shop window in St Martin's le Grand, London. Sentenced to seven years transportation, the prisoners were sent to the Censor hulk before disembarking on the Scarborough in February 1787.
As Ayres' death is not recorded during the voyage, and he doesn't appear in colonial records, it is assumed he was one of the 11 men said by Governor Phillip to have absconded after landing at Port Jackson in January 1788.
* information from Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 14
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Pettitt, John (criminal associate)
Citation details
'Ayres, John (c. 1767–?)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/ayres-john-29995/text37204, accessed 24 September 2023.