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Charlotte Cook (c. 1766–1798)

Charlotte Cook (c.1766-1798), a tambour worker (embroidery done on a frame), was found guilty on 10 January 1787 at the Old Bailey, London, of stealing clothing from a room next to the one into which she had been taken — the previous day — 'out of charity'. Sentenced to 7 years transportation, she remained at Newgate Gaol until discharged to the Lady Penrhyn in January 1787. She arrived at Sydney in January 1788 as part of the First Fleet.

Cook was probably the Sarah Harris buried at Parramatta on 26 March 1798 — the name under which she had pawned the goods she stole in London.

* information from Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 82

Additional Resources and Scholarship

Citation details

'Cook, Charlotte (c. 1766–1798)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/cook-charlotte-31614/text39089, accessed 8 January 2025.

© Copyright People Australia, 2012

Life Summary [details]

Alternative Names
  • Harris, Sarah
  • Cooke, Charlotte
Birth

c. 1766

Death

1798 (aged ~ 32)
Parramatta, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Cause of Death

unknown

Passenger Ship
Occupation or Descriptor
Key Events
Convict Record

Crime: theft (house)
Sentence: 7 years
Court: Old Bailey, London
Trial Date: 10 January 1787
(1787)

Pre-transportation

Occupation: embroiderer

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