Samuel Barsby (c. 1764–?)
Samuel Barsby and Samuel Pigott were found guilty on 20 March 1786 at Devon, England, of the theft of 50 yards of drugget (coarse woollen cloth). Their death sentences were commuted to seven years transportation. Sent to the Dunkirk hulk, they arrived in Sydney in January 1788 aboard the Charlotte as part of the First Fleet.
Barsby was employed as a cooper. On 11 February 1788 he was sentenced to 150 lashes for abusing Benjamin Cook and striking John West with an adze. Eleven days later he received 50 lashes for threatening Catherine Prior's life. In January and March 1789 he was flogged several times for insolence and drunkenness. His sentence having expired, in March 1793 Barsby was granted 30 acres of land in the Northern Boundary Farms district. No later records haves been found for him. It is likely he returned to England.
* information from Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 26
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Pigott, Samuel (criminal associate)
- Arscott, Catherine (acquaintance)
Citation details
'Barsby, Samuel (c. 1764–?)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/barsby-samuel-30161/text37435, accessed 31 December 2024.
Life Summary [details]
Alternative Names
- Barsbey, Samuel
- Baseby, Samuel
Birth
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 or Descriptor
Key Events
Key Places
Social Issues
Convict Record
Crime: theft
Sentence: death
Commuted To: 7 years
Court: Devon
Trial Date: 20 March 1786
(1786)
Post-transportation
Left the colony: Yes