Mary Day (c. 1757–1839)
Mary Clayton (c.1757-1839) was found guilty on 17 March 1788 at the Old Bailey, London, of stealing 17 yards of printed cotton from a linen draper. Sentenced to 7 years transportation, she arrived at Sydney aboard the Lady Juliana in June 1790 as part of the Second Fleet.
Clayton married Thomas Day on 30 August 1790 at St Philip's Church, Sydney. Their only surviving child, Thomas, was born in 1797. Mary joined her husband when his regiment went to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1814; they returned to New South Wales in 1817, Day having obtained a discharge. Following her husband's death in 1823, Mary Day was recorded in 1828 as a widowed householder, aged 70, living in Kent Street, Sydney. Her son Thomas, a boatbuilder, and his family, also lived in the street.
Mary Day died on 2 June 1839 and was buried two days later, probably with her husband in the Elizabeth Street Burial Ground.
* information from Michael Flynn, The Second Fleet: Britain’s Grim Convict Armada of 1790 (1993), p 206
Additional Resources
- proceedings of trial, Old Bailey, London, 17 March 1788 (pdf)
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Day, Thomas (husband)
Citation details
'Day, Mary (c. 1757–1839)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/day-mary-30861/text38217, accessed 16 April 2024.