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Sarah Cobcroft (1772–1857)

Sarah Cobcroft, by Joseph Backler, 1856

Sarah Cobcroft, by Joseph Backler, 1856

State Library of New South Wales,

Sarah Smith was John Cobcroft's common-law wife. She accepted the British government's offer of a free passage to the New South Wales colony to join their convict spouses. It is also likely that she was granted free passage because of her midwifery skills.

Sarah arrived in Sydney in 1790 aboard the Neptune as part of the Second Fleet. She married Cobcroft in 1842 when she was 70 and he was 79.

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Citation details

'Cobcroft, Sarah (1772–1857)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/cobcroft-sarah-17678/text33428, accessed 10 March 2025.

© Copyright People Australia, 2012

Sarah Cobcroft, by Joseph Backler, 1856

Sarah Cobcroft, by Joseph Backler, 1856

State Library of New South Wales,

Life Summary [details]

Alternative Names
  • Smith, Sarah
Birth

1772
Chelmsford, Essex, England

Death

31 May, 1857 (aged ~ 85)
Wilberforce, New South Wales, Australia

Cause of Death

general debility

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.

Religious Influence

Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.

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