Ann Read (c. 1759–?)
Ann Fortesque (c.1756- ) and Ann Harmsden were found guilty at the March 1787 Kent Assizes of the highway robbery of a woman in which a bundle of clothing and cloth was stolen. Their death sentences were commuted to 14 years transportation. After more than two years in gaol, the women were dispatched to the Lady Juliana, arriving at Sydney in June 1790 as part of the Second Fleet.
Fortesque married William Reed on 16 October 1790 at Port Jackson; they had at least two children: Sarah (b.1791) and Elizabeth (b.1795). The couple have not been traced in later colonial records and possibly returned to England.
* information from Michael Flynn, The Second Fleet: Britain’s Grim Convict Armada of 1790 (1993), pp 278-79
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Read, William (husband)
- Talbot, Ann (criminal associate)
Citation details
'Read, Ann (c. 1759–?)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/read-ann-31103/text38474, accessed 15 March 2025.