People Australia

John Fuller (c.1752- ), alias William Saxby, alias Robert Humphreys, was found guilty on 15 March 1784 at Maidstone, Kent, of stealing a horse. His death sentence was commuted to 7 years transportation on 7 August 1786. He was sent to the Censor hulk on 20 October 1784, 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.

Fuller worked as a carpenter at Port Jackson, sharing a hut with David Kilpack. Governor Philip tried to persuade to remain in the colony after his sentence expired in 1791 as his carpentry skills were valued — he was offered a shilling a day for the time he remained in the colony until the next ship could take him. Fuller left the colony, however, on the Admiral Barrington for India on 6 January 1792. The ship was overtaken by pirates in October 1792 near Bombay (Mumbai). It is not known if Fuller escaped or died on the voyage before they even reached Bombay.

* information from Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 137