Dorcas Hatcher (c. 1748–1811)
Dorcas Talbot (c.1748-1811) was found guilty on 25 June 1788 at the Old Bailey, London, of shoplifting: 60 yards of printed calico, valued at 40 shillings from a draper's shop. Sentenced to 7 years transportation she was held at Newgate Gaol until she embarked for New South Wales on the Lady Juliana in March 1789, arriving in the colony in June 1790 as part of the Second Fleet.
Talbot was sent to the Norfolk Island on the Sirius in March 1790. She married (as Dorkis Tolbott) John Hatcher on 11 November 1804; both signed the register. The couple remained childless. Dorkas was mustered as matron of the orphan school in 1807. Her death on the island was recorded on 12 September 1811.
* information from Michael Flynn, The Second Fleet: Britain’s Grim Convict Armada of 1790 (1993), pp 561-62
Additional Resources and Scholarship
- proceedings of trial, Old Bailey, London, 25 June 1788 (pdf)
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Hatcher, John (husband)
Citation details
'Hatcher, Dorcas (c. 1748–1811)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/hatcher-dorcas-31238/text38625, accessed 9 December 2024.
Life Summary [details]
Alternative Names
- Talbot, Dorcas
- Talbot, Dorkis
- Tolbott, Dorcas
Birth
c. 1748
Death
12 September,
1811
(aged ~ 63)
Norfolk Island,
Australia
Cause of Death
Passenger Ship
Occupation or Descriptor
Key Events
Key Places
Convict Record
Crime: theft (shop)
Sentence: 7 years