Elizabeth Morris
| Town/City | Nicholls |
|---|---|
| First name | Elizabeth |
| Last name | Morris |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Date of Birth | 1777 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1791 |
| Submitted by | Derek Barnes |
Story
Elizabeth Morris was probably born in Bisley Gloucestershire in 1777 and baptised on 31 August 1777.
On 5 April 1790 when she was only 12 years old she, along with 2 others, was tried at Bristol City Gaol Delivery for stealing. She was found guilty and sentenced to be transported to New South Wales for 7 years.
Elizabeth was transported on the ship “Mary Ann” which sailed on 16 February 1791 with 150 female convicts. It is notionally attached to the 3rd fleet of convict ships but sailed independently of the other ships. The ship made only one stop on its way to New South Wales, a 10 day stop at St Juno in the Cape Verde Islands. The ship reached Port Jackson on 9 July 1791. There were 9 convict deaths on the voyage which is much higher than usual for a female transport and possibly was caused by the lack of fresh provisions during the voyage.
Elizabeth was probably taken to Parramatta after she arrived. There she would have been confronted by a harsh wild place with strict discipline. There were only a few jobs which were considered suitable for a female convict in the new colony, wife or housekeeper to a free settler, marine or soldier, housekeeper for a hut of 14 to 18 male convicts, clothing maker or a worker doing light work in the fields. Women were very much in the minority in the new colony and only constituted about 15 percent of the total convict population in 1791.
Elizabeth had a short association with another 3rd fleet convict, John Dalton, and they had a child called Hannah on 12 February 1793 in Parramatta. Later, on 4 January 1796, Elizabeth married William Kentwell, another 3rd fleet convict, at St John’s Parramatta. They had 5 children.