People Australia

James Burne (c.1754- ), a seaman, was found guilty on 25 February 1784 of the theft of a black silk bonnet and a silver hat pin from a woman. His death sentence was commuted to 7 years transportation. He was sent to the Censor hulk in April 1785, where he remained until he embarked for New South Wales on the Scarborough in February 1787, arriving in Sydney in January 1788 as part of the First Fleet.

Burne was sent to Norfolk Island on the Supply in February 1789. He received 25 lashes on 21 January 1790 for stealing corn. By July 1791 he was supporting two people on a Sydney Town lot. He had either died or left the colony by early 1792; his sentence had expired in April 1792. No further records have been found for him.

* information from Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 60