People Australia

William Whiting (c.1762-1808) was found guilty on 23 March 1785 at Gloucester, England, of stealing a wether sheep. His death sentence was commuted to 7 years transportation on 27 December 1785. He was sent to the Ceres hulk, where he remained until he embarked for New South Wales on the Scarborough in 1787, arriving in Sydney in January 1788 as part of the First Fleet.

Whiting was employed at Port Jackson in serving salt provisions from the stores. He married Mary Williams on 28 June 1790. On 29 December 1790 he lost three pounds of his next week's flour rations for being up late and creating a disturbance.

Whiting received a 50 acre grant of land at the Northern Boundary Farms in July 1792. By July 1795 he had left his wife and was living with Mary Smith; they had two children. He leased his farm in April 1805 and in 1806 was working as a self-employed butcher. He was still living with Mary Smith.

William Whiting's burial was recorded at St Philip's Church, Sydney, on 8 March 1808. 

 information from

• Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 381
• Roddy Jordan, ' William Whiting: Convict of Almondsbury Gloucestershire', Fellowship of First Fleet website: http://www.fellowshipfirstfleeters.org.au/williamwhiting.htm — accessed 13 September 2020