William Davis (c.1731-1795?), a tailor, was found guilty on 4 August 1784 at Shewsbury, Shropshire, of the theft of a wether sheep. His death sentence was commuted to 7 years transportation. He was sent to the Dunkirk hulk in March 1786, where he remained until he embarked for New South Wales on the Friendship in March 1787, arriving in Sydney in January 1788 as part of the First Fleet.
He may be the William Davis who was reported dead at Parramatta on 7 March 1795.
* information from Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 100
'Davis, William (c. 1731–1795)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/davis-william-30712/text38054, accessed 10 October 2024.
c. 1731
7 March,
1795
(aged ~ 64)
Parramatta, Sydney,
New South Wales,
Australia