John Black, the son of a clergyman, was a ship's officer and privateer (state-sanctioned pirate).
While a ship's officer on the Britannia, which brought convicts to Sydney in 1798, he formed a relationship with convict, Mary Hyde. He settled in Sydney where he engaged in whaling operations, voyages of exploration, and capturing Spanish vessels. In 1802, as ship's captain, he sailed from Sydney to India, to Bombay (Mumbai) and then to Calcutta (Kolkata) on the brig Fly before being lost at sea on the return voyage.
'Black, John (1778–1802)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/black-john-25115/text33598, accessed 16 August 2022.
31 October,
1778
Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England