William Browning (c. 1758–1828)
William Browning was a marine in the 51st (Plymouth) Company when he arrived in Sydney in January 1788 aboard the Friendship. He served in Captain John Shea's Company as a sawyer at Port Jackson. He served on Norfolk Island between 1790 and 1792 before returning to Port Jackson to enlist in the NSW Corps.
Browning had a son Francis with Mary Ingle in 1794. He took up 160 acres in the Toongabbee district in 1799 after being discharged from the NSW Corps the previous year. In 1806 he was renting 50 acres at Seven Hills and was still living with Mary; they had two children. In 1822 he was working as a labourer at Parramatta, in 1825-1828 as a servant for Daniel Briant/Brien at Seven Hills; his age was given as 70 in 1828. No record of his Browning's death has been found.
* information from Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), pp 54-55
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Piles, Mary (partner)
- Hendle, John (stepson)
Citation details
'Browning, William (c. 1758–1828)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/browning-william-30432/text37736, accessed 6 December 2024.