People Australia

William Nicholls (c.1771- ), a carpenter, was found guilty on 15 February 1792 at the Old Bailey, London, of stealing a cotton gown, a watch, a watch-chain, and a metal seal from a house. Sentenced to 7 years transportation he arrived at Sydney aboard the Royal Admiral in October 1792.

Nicholls was sent to Norfolk Island on the Philadelphia, arriving in December 1792. He had three children with Elizabeth Hayward: Elizabeth (b.1794), Margaret (b.c. 1795) and Robert (b.1796) before leaving the island in about 1796. There is some debate about whether he returned to England or New South Wales. A William Nicholls died at Sydney in 1813 aged 33 (which means he was born in 1780).