Date of Conviction: 14/10/1795

Age at Conviction: 18

Crime Convicted of: Theft

Court/s Convicted at: Lancaster Quarter Sessions (held at the New Bailey, Salford)

Sentence Length: 7 Years

Ship Transported on: Britannia

Where Arrived: Port Jackson, New South Wales

Departure Date: 31/01/1798

Arrival Date: 18/07/1798

Biography: Nancy was a single woman of Eccles, Manchester who had stolen linen belonging to Thomas Coup. After being held at Lancaster Castle for over two years, in January 1798 the order came to send Nancy and the others to the Thames. The order however, was lost and an irritated letter urging haste repeated the request 11 days later, saying the ship was due to sail. Provided with shifts, hankerchiefs, stockings and shoes, the women were rushed to London and arrived a day or so before the boat sailed.

In New South Wales Nancy seems to go by the name Ann rather than Nancy and there is sometimes confusion between her and the other Ann Yates on Britannia (tried at Middlesex who was well recorded as the widow of John Hod(g)son (possibly of Royal Admiral) in Sydney well into the 1820s), as well as occasionally Nancy Yates who arrived as part of the First Fleet on Lady Penrhyn. However our Nancy had a far more extraordinary story.

Nancy (now referred to as Ann), married Joseph Morley (ship- Surprise) in Sydney in September, less than two months after arrival, she would have been about 21 years old. Over the next decade they had four daughters: Jane (died as an infant), Elizabeth (died aged 6 after accidentally falling into the kitchen fire and had a beautiful epitaph carved on her grave which she shared with sister Jane at the old Sydney burial ground “My Parents loss is my Eternal gain, Here I rest free from worldly pain, the fire snatched my life away, As I was at hapless play”, Eleanor and Ann.

They ran a ship’s chandlery called the Cornwallis Frigate on Pitt’s Row as well as a shipping business from the quayside, later adding spirit merchant from his shop which kitted out ships with the provisions they needed at sea. Finally they also rented a farm at Lane Cove to increase their timber stocks.

By 1809, Joseph began an extramarital affair with Hannah Railton, an assigned servant (ship- Speke) and Ann announced her separation from him in the papers, stating that the business and property belonged to her and her children, Joseph countering that he would not be held responsible for any debts or credit she incurred. Joseph had two further daughters with Hannah in 1809 and 1810 (both named after their departed half sisters- Jane and Elizabeth). Ann, now long since free and fairly well off made the decision to sail for England with just baby Ann, which she announced in the paper. This they did around the same time as Hannah gave birth. They sailed on the ship ‘Boyd’ which was first heading to New Zealand.

The Boyd was carrying the son of a Maori Chief; Te Ara, who was returning to his settlement at Whangaroa. For a theft (whether factual or falsified) Te Ara was whipped onboard ship. For this disgrace, upon reaching home and informing his father a revenge upon the crew and passengers was felt warranted. All but four of the 70 people onboard ship were killed and some cannibalised.

Ann and baby Ann were just two of the four survivors of the massacre, along with a little girl and the ship’s apprentice. Ann and her daughter lived with the Maori for some months before being rescued by Scottish colonist Alexander Berry who was sailing to the Cape of Good Hope. Storms forced them to sail first to Valparaiso in Chile then to Lima in Peru instead and it was here, after surviving such horrendous sights that Ann passed away in 1810.

Baby Ann stayed with Alexander Berry, eventually returning to Sydney via Rio de Janeiro in 1812. She was reunited with her father, sister Eleanor and new stepmother and step sisters.