Ann Smith (c.1756-1788?) was found guilty on 30 August 1786 at the Old Bailey, London, of stealing a pewter pint pot. Sentenced to 7 years transportation, she arrived at Sydney aboard the Lady Penrhyn in January 1788 as part of the First Fleet.
During the voyage she remarked many times that she would abscond as soon as she could and on 14 February she carried out her promise. She was never seen again. William Bradley noted in his journal '4 Convict Women straggling about the Rocks one of whom made her escape into the Woods & no doubt perish'd'. A small piece of what was believed to have been her petticoat was found near Rouse Hill in December 1789.
* information from Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 333
'Smith, Ann (c. 1756–1788)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/smith-ann-30978/text38347, accessed 19 September 2024.