Samuel Bird (1762–1792)
Samuel and James Bird (the relationship between the two is not known), were found guilty on 20 July 1785 at Croydon, Surrey, of stealing 1000 pounds of saltpetre in ten hessian bags from a warehouse. Sentenced to 7 years transportation they were sent to the Justitia hulk to await embarkation. The pair arrived in Sydney in January 1788 aboard the Alexander as part of the First Fleet.
On 28 March 1791 Samuel Bird, who was still serving his sentence, joined William Bryant, six other men, and Bryant's family in leaving Port Jackson in a small boat. They were arrested at Timor on 5 June 1791. Bird died en route to the Cape of Good Hope in a Dutch vessel. The vessel was heading for the Gorgon, which was then at the Cape and was on its way to England from the colony, carrying part of the First Fleet marine detachment.
* information from Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 35
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Bird, James (criminal associate)
- Bryant, William (acquaintance)
Citation details
'Bird, Samuel (1762–1792)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/bird-samuel-30324/text37607, accessed 2 December 2023.
Life Summary [details]
Birth
Death
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.