Elizabeth Gregory & Sarah her mother

Elizabeth Gregory was born around 1780 the daughter of Sarah Gregory (b.c1744) who was sentenced to transportation for the theft of pigs in St Michaels parish near St Albans at the March 1789 Hertford Assizes. Her father was probably Thomas Gregory (b.c1741, tried Old Bailey, qv). She sailed with her mother on the Lady Julian transport to Sydney, arriving 3 June 1790, whence they were sent to Norfolk Island on the Surprize eight weeks later.

In July 1791, aged about 10, Elizabeth was sexually assaulted by the First Fleet marine Henry Wright, aged 33. Lieutenant Ralph Clark wrote that he had attempted to [deflour] her and had been ordered a flogging and compelled to run the gauntlet of all the men and women in the settlement as a kind of ritual humiliation (in which he was probably beaten by the people as he ran). He had been married with a child when transported to the island for a similar offence at Sydney in 1789. From at least 1798 Elizabeth Gregory was living with the Third Fleet convict Edward Fisher (Matilda 1791, tried Stafford). The couple were married on the island on 26 July 1802; their children included: Thomas (1799), Susannah (1800), Edward (1801), Sarah (1802) and John (1804). In December 1807 the family were among the settlers transferred to Van Diemens Land on HMS Porpoise. They left behind a 33 acre farm and were granted land at Sandy Bay, Hobart, where they are commemorated by modern Fishers Avenue, Elizabeth bore three more children: Elizabeth (c1810), William (c1813) and Joseph (1817). In 1809 the couple were mustered holding 66 acres (3 sown in wheat); they owned 14 sheep, 2 goats and 2 pigs. By 1819 they were more prosperous, with 85 acres (12 sown in wheat, barley, beans, potatoes), 34 cattle and 250 sheep. Edward Fisher died on 23 August 1838 and was buried in St Davids Cemetery, Hobart on the 29^th, age given as 85. Elizabeth aged given as 65 (actually nearer 61), and was buried near her husband. Headstones were erected by their children at the graves.

Source: Source: "The Second Fleet Britain's Grim Convict Armada of 1790" by Michael Flynn Mitchell Library Ref 994.02/51A

Elizabeth was twelve years of age when her mother was convicted, she was allowed to accompany her mother Sarah for the life sentence of penal servitude in the colonies. Elizabeth had been born in 1777, her mother was convicted March 1789. Mother and daughter arrived Norfolk Island ~~on 24th January 1794~~.[more likely to be August 1790]

On Norfolk Island, Elizabeth married Edward Fisher on 26th July 1801. Because of the failure to establish agriculture, the convicts on Norfolk were transferred to Van Diemens Land arriving 1808

Elizabeth mothered eight children, some born on Norfolk others in Tasmania. They were Thomas 8th Mar 1799; Susannah 29th Apr 1800; Edward 17th Oct 1801; Sarah 9th Dec 1802; John 27th Oct1804 all born on Norfolk Is.; Elizabeth 17th Oct 1808; W^m 19th Sep 1813 and Joseph 29th Nov 1817 the latter three born in VDL.

NB, Gr_gr_grandson of John Fisher 1804_: Donald H Johnston "Highbrae" Westwood Tas 7257

By now, most agricultural hope centered on the governor’s farm at Rose Hill, or Parramatta as the blacks called it, where the soil was deep and rich and the fields ran down to a navigable river. By the end of 1789 this farm had produced Australia’s first agricultural marvel, a 26-pound cabbage but it was still a long way from keeping the whole settlement in greens. In fact, in the year to come, the idea of progress shrunk mockery, for 1789 brought no ships, and as 1790 crept by, the little settlement inexorably sank into the torpor and despair of slow starvation ‘God help us. If some ships don’t arrive. I don’t know what will,” Ralph Clark scrawled in his diary, and Watkin Tench described the mood that now descended over Sydney Cove:

“Famine . . was approaching with giant strides, and gloom and dejection overspread every countenance. Men abandoned themselves to the most desponding reflections, and adopted the most extravagant conjectures. Still we were on the tiptoe of expectation. If thunder broke at a distance, or a fowling piece of louder than ordinary report resounded in the woods, “a gun from a ship” was echoed on every side, and nothing but hurry and agitation prevailed.”

Supplies were running so low that Phillip decided to take another gamble. He dispatched 281 people—more than a third of the Convicts in the colony, guarded by half the battalion of marines—to Norfolk Island in the Sirius, which would then sail on to Canton to load up with desperately needed provisions. The convicts and their guards would stand a better chance on Norfolk with its fertile soil and abundant fish.

…Then, on April 5, Supply appeared off South Head. She was alone. As her launch cast off and made for the shore of Sydney Cove, Tench saw her Captain “make an extraordinary motion with his hand, which indicated that something disastrous had happened…

The news was catastrophic. Sirius had struck a reef at Norfolk Island and was a total wreck. All the ships’ crew and company including the convicts, were saved. But both settlements, were now cut off from the world…

Extracted from “The Fatal Shore” 1988 by Robert Hughes – The starvation years

....stood outside on the landing trying to visualize Norfolk Island without Major Ross. It was boiling already, thanks to marine private Henry Wright. Wright had been caught in the act of raping Elizabeth Gregory, a ten year old Queensborough girl. To make matters worse, this was Wright's second offence; he had been sentenced to death in Port Jackson two years earlier for raping a nine year old girl, but His Excellency had reprieved him on condition that he spend the rest of his life on Norfolk Island. thereby transferring his problem to Major Ross. Wright's wife and toddling daughter had come with him, but in the aftermath of Elizabeth Gregory the wife had petitioned to take her daughter back to Port Jackson on the next ship. Ross had agreed. He had sentenced Wright to run the gauntlet three times....

Sarah Gregory was sentenced to seven years transportation at the March 1789 Hertford Assizes for the theft on 18 October 1788 of four pigs belonging to Joseph Burn in the parish of St Michael near St Albans. In April she was sent from gaol to London for embarkation on the Lady Julian transport. She was permitted to bring her 8 year old daughter Elizabeth on the voyage.

Less than six weeks after landing in the colony Gregory was witness at a wedding on 14 July 1790. On 1 August she and her daughter sailed for Norfolk Island with 194 mostly female convicts. Soon after arrival she was living with Thomas Gregory (b.c1741, tried Old Bailey, qv) who was sent to the island on the same ship. They had almost certainly been married in England. From early 1791 they lived on a small piece of land at Charlotte Field (Queenborough) They were well behaved and their product flourished, enabling them to take on a 60 acre lease by 1796. On 18 July 1791 the First Fleet marine Henry Wright was ordered a flogging for attempting to [deflower] 10 year old Elizabeth. In addition he was compelled to run the gauntlet of all the men and women in the settlement as a kind of ritual humiliation. In June 1794 the couple were recorded living together as a married couple with their daughter. Sarah Gregory died on 20 April 1807. A humble headstone at the old Norfolk Island Cemetery survives, describing her as the wife of Thomas Gregory, ages 67. The inscription suggests that her loss was keenly felt. In May 1808 Thomas sailed for Hobart, Van Diemens Land where he died in 1809.

Notes: PRO ASSI/31/15; Sarah’s age in assize documents is given as 45 and as 34 on the embarkation list the age on the tombstone suggest that the former was more correct; her burial as Sarah Gregory the wife of Thomas Gregory suggest that the couple may, indeed have been married in England.

Thomas Gregory was sentenced to sentences to seven years transportation at the 22 October 1788 Old Bailey Sessions for the theft of two live pigs found in his possession. He was held in Newgate Gaol until late May 1789 when he was sent with a group of London Convicts to the Dunkirk hulk at Plymouth, age given as 47. In late November he was embarked on the ~~Neptune~~ [our edit Lady Juliana] transport.

On 1 August 1790, five weeks after landing at Sydney cove, Thomas Gregory was among 194 convicts, mostly women, which were transferred to Norfolk Island. Sarah Gregory (b.c1743, tried Hertford, qv) and her child Elizabeth (qv), who had also been on the Neptune, were sent to the island at the same time. Sarah and her child lived with Thomas almost from the start. Although Sarah had been convicted separately at Hertford, it seems almost certain that they had been married in England; both had been convicted of pigstealing and although the exact place of Thomas’s crime has not been traced, it may well have been near the Hertfordshire border in rural Middlesex. From early 1791 Gregory, his wife and child, were living on a small piece of land at Charlotte Field (Queenborough) which they cultivated in their spare time. In February they were issued with three sows and by 1 July they had cleared one acre and 34 rods of the land. Gregory was one of the fist of the Second Fleet convicts to be allowed to settle as an independent farmer. He seems to have been well behaved and his farm flourished. As early as June 1792 he was allowed 4 acres of land. By this time he was self-supporting and was probably exempted from government labour. Soon afterwards he was settled on 12 acres at Creswell Bay. In 1796 the couple were on 60 acre farm (lot no. 72) on the SW side of the island near the modern aerodrome. Sarah died there in April 1807 and was described as Sarah Gregory wife of Thomas Gregory on her tombstone. Thomas was a landholder in 1805 but by 1808 he had sold his land. He owned a house and several other buildings for which he was paid $20 when he was among the settlers who sailed for Van Diemens Land on the Estramina in May 1808. He was accompanied by an unnamed woman and child. Thomas died at Hobart in February 1809 and was buried on the 5^th at St Davids, Hobart, age given as 60. In October 1810 Governor Macquarie received a letter and other documents from Thomas’s son, James Gregory of Sheffield, Yorkshire, who wrote from England enquiring about his late father’s property. The Colonial Secretary instructed Hobart officials to send for the parties named in those papers and make strict enquiry respecting the effects of the deceased. In November 1811 a silver watch and three small silver teaspoons from his intestate estate were advertised for sale in Sydney

Source: "The Second Fleet Britain's Grim Convict Armada of 1790" by Michael Flynn Mitchell Library Ref 994.02/51A

Sarah had been born in England in 1754 [per convict record] or 1740 [per gravestone]. Sarah had been sentenced at Hertford (England) in Lent 1789 to 7 years transportation and accompanied by her daughter, arrived at Sydney 3rd Jun 1790 on the 2nd Fleet "Lady Juliana" transferred to and arrived Norfolk Island 24th Jan 1794.

Extracted from "The Lady Juliana convicts" mentioned in the bibliography for "Morgan's Run" by Colleen McCullough

CHARGE Sarah Gregory late of the parish of St. Michael's in the County of Hertford, labourer, on 18th Oct. 28 Geo.III one live pig of the price of thirty shillings two spade sow [adult female] pigs of the price of three pounds and one barrow [castrated] pig of the price of thirty shillings of the goods and chattels of Joseph Bunn did take and carry away.

The grave of Sarah Gregory No.163 Kingston Norfolk Island. "Wife of Thomas - departed this life April 20th 1807 aged 67 years. see photo of grave.