Name, year of birth, convict immigration details, year and place of marriage, date and place of death and burial, from Australian Royalty website, found in November 2023:
https://australianroyalty.net.au/tree/purnellmccor...49127/William-Clarke
Name: William Clarke
Birth: Circa 1770
Immigration: 12 July 1806 (aged 36 years), Sydney Cove, Greater Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Text: William Clarke, one of 306 convicts transported on the ship Fortune, January 1806.
Sentence details: Convicted at Middlesex Gaol Delivery for a term of 14 years.
Vessel: Fortune and Alexander.
Date of Departure: January 1806.
Marriage: 1810 to Anna Maria Singleton at Windsor, Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Australia
Petition to Governor: 20 May 1820, Windsor, Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Australia
Petition Citation details: Memorials To The Governor, 1810-1826
"...The humble petition of William Clark of Wilberforce
Respectfully sheweth that petitioner came to this colony with the Fortune in the year 1806. that he was emancipated about 6 years since by going across to Bathurst with a cart and that he supports himself his wife and five children by honest industry.
Petitioner therefore most humbly begs leave to solicit Your Excellency to be graciously pleased to grant him a proportion of land which he will promise to improve and for such indulgence
petitioner will ever pray. William Clark, Windsor 20 May 1820".
Death: 12 June 1848 (aged 78 years) at Sydney Benevolent Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Burial: St Matthews Cemetery, Windsor, Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Australia

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Australian Royalty
Britain used transportation to distant lands as a way of getting rid of prisoners. After Britain lost its American colonies in 1783 the jails of England were full. So, Australia, which had recently been claimed for the British Crown by Lieutenant James Cook, was chosen as the new destination.

Only a generation or so ago, descendants of convicts were ashamed of their heritage. However, since the 1988 bicentenary, it has become increasingly fashionable to discover a convict ancestor. Early arrivals, especially on the first fleet, were particularly welcome finds with convict ancestry one of the most sought-after prizes of genealogical inquiry.

Then, in January 2008, the first episode of the first season of the Australian version of the television series, "Who do you think you are"?, featured Australian award-winning actor, Jack Thompson, who quipped that, "these day, unlike times gone by, having a convict ancestor gives you the status of Australian royalty".

The new penal colony and British settlement in Australia was planned for Botany Bay, today the location of Sydney airport. However, Botany Bay was not as hospitable as first thought. The bay was shallow, there was not a large supply of freshwater, and the land was not fertile.

A beautiful harbour in Port Jackson to the north was discovered and had all those qualities. They named it after the British Home Secretary, Lord Sydney. They made this the site, Sydney Cove, for the new colony. The first ships (First Fleet) landed there, at present day Circular Quay, on 26 January 1788. This date today is being celebrated as Australia’s national holiday, Australia Day.

When transportation ended in 1868, over 150,000 convicts had been transported to New South Wales and other Australian colonies. Most convicts stayed in Australia after serving their sentences, and some became well-known, important people within the Australian colonies.

Some references:
https://guides.sl.nsw.gov.au/convicts-bound-for-australia
https://www.visitsydneyaustralia.com.au/history-5-first.html
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBri...onvicts-to-Australia/
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBri...onvicts-to-Australia/

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