Elizabeth Lee (c.1763- ), a cook, was found guilty on 23 February 1785 at the Old Bailey, London, of stealing a large amount of wine and spirits, and other goods from her employer. Sentenced to 7 years transportation she arrived at Sydney aboard the Lady Penrhyn in January 1788 as part of the First Fleet.
Lee was sent to Norfolk Island on the Supply in February 1788. An enterprising woman, she earned £7.10s for four sows sold to stores in May 1792 and in January 1793 made £7 for 31 bushels of maize. She left Norfolk Island on the Chesterfield in April 1793 after her sentence had expired. The ship sailed to Port Jackson, went back to Norfolk Island and then on to Bengal.
* information from Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), pp 216-17
'Lee, Elizabeth (c. 1763–?)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/lee-elizabeth-30952/text38319, accessed 16 April 2024.
c. 1763
Crime: theft
Sentence: 7 years
Court: Old Bailey, London
Trial Date: 23 February 1785
(1785)
Occupation: cook
Left the colony: Yes