People Australia

Rebecca Lambert (c.1795- ) was sentenced to seven years transportation at the Sussex Quarter Sessions on 12 January 1821. She arrived in Sydney on the convict transport Providence on 18 December 1821.

By September 1822, she had been assigned to the Hospital at Parramatta. On 12 May 1823, she married constable William Smith at St John's, Parramatta, with her name recorded as Elizabeth. In September 1825, she appeared in the muster as Rebecca Lambert, William Smith's wife. William died on 3 January 1827.

On 22 April 1828, Rebecca received her Certificate of Freedom and in the muster of that year was shown as the housekeeper for Richard Wellington at Parramatta. On 4 May 1829 Rebecca married widower John Bishop at St John's, Parramatta.  

Life with a man 27 years her senior may not have been to Rebecca's liking as, in March 1833, her husband advertised that he would not be responsible for her debts, now she had left him. A year later, he offered a reward of ten pounds for her return. John Bishop died just a month later, without seeing his wife again.  The executors of his will later advertised for Rebecca to contact them to "hear of something to her advantage".

On 28 September 1837, Rebecca was issued with a new Certificate of Freedom, her original certificate issued in 1828 being mutilated. It is not known when she died.