Elizabeth Thackery (1767 – 7 August 1856) is the last known survivor of the First Fleet, male or female, and was generally known throughout her long lifetime as the first female convict to land in Australia. Her husband, Samuel King, is thought to be the last male survivor of the First Fleet. She was from

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. She was tried on 4 May 1786, and sentenced to seven years'

transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...

for the theft of two black silk handkerchiefs and three white handkerchiefs to a total value of one shilling. She left England on the convict transport ''

Friendship Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. In some cultures, the concept o ...

'' in May 1787, aged 21 at the time. She and six other girls were transferred from the ship ''Friendship'' to the ship ''

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

'' at 1 pm on Sunday 28 October 1787 to make way for livestock that were loaded there at Cape Town in South Africa. She was placed in irons a number of times during the voyage. On 28 January 1788, two days after arrival in Australia, 17 marines' wives were landed from the ship ''

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

'' to the northern side of the harbour. On Tuesday, 5 February 1788, five of the more well-behaved female convicts were landed from the ship ''Prince of Wales'' near the Governors' eastern side of the harbour. They had been selected for subsequent transport to Norfolk Island ten days later on 15 February 1788. The next day, on Wednesday 6 February 1788 by 6 am, during the bulk unloading of the women convicts, Betty Thackery left the ship ''Charlotte'' and excitedly jumped from her longboat to the beach before anyone else on the western side of the harbour at The Rocks. This made her the first and most widely known of the convict girls to run up the beach in Australia amidst much cheering from the crowd of waiting male convicts and guards. On 14 July 1791, she received 25 lashes for coming in from her settlement without permission. She lived for a while with James Dodding and subsequently made her way to

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sep ...

(

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

) on the '' Porpoise''. On 28 January 1810, the reverend

Robert Knopwood Robert Knopwood (2 June 1763 – 18 September 1838) was an early clergyman and diarist in Australia. Knopwood was the third child and only surviving son of Robert Knopwood (from a wealthy Norfolk family) and his wife Elizabeth, ''née'' Bart ...

married Betty to Samuel King, a marine private who had arrived aboard the ship ''

Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbreviated Alpha CM ...

'' of the First Fleet. They settled in the Derwent Valley. They were married for 46 years. Betty King died 7 August 1856 at the age of 89 (according to the Convict Records Office). She is buried next to her husband in the Methodist Chapel churchyard in Lawitta Road,

Magra, Tasmania Magra is a rural residential locality in the local government areas (LGA) of Brighton (7%), Southern Midlands (9%) and Derwent Valley (84%) in the Hobart, Central and South-east LGA regions of Tasmania. The locality is about west of the town o ...

( north of

New Norfolk New Norfolk is a town on the River Derwent, in the south-east of Tasmania, Australia. At the 2011 census, New Norfolk had a population of 5,543. Situated north-west of Hobart on the Lyell Highway, New Norfolk is a modern Australian region ...

).Towns, Cities, Mountains & Lakes in Tasmania, Australia
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thackery, Elizabeth 1767 births 1856 deaths Criminals from Manchester British emigrants to Australia Van Diemen's Land people Convicts transported to Australia on the First Fleet