Mary Wade (abt. 1760 - 1818)

Born about 1760 in England

Wife of George Atkinson — married Nov 1791 in Norfolk Island

Died 2 Apr 1818 at about age 58 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

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First Fleet, Australia, 1788

Biography

Mary Wade was a convict on the First Fleet.

Conviction: Mary Wade (alias "Coclin"), (abt.1760 -1818) was tried at the Old Bailey in Middlesex, London, and found guilty on 19 July 1786 of stealing 63 yards of calico from two calico printers. Mary described herself as a dealer who had operated in Rosemary-lane, for fourteen years. She was sentenced to death but under a legal dispensation for this type of crime, the Judge was able to immediately reprieve the sentence to 14 years transportation. The Old Bailey trial can be seen here.^[1] Her age was recorded as 30 on 1 January 1787, when ordered from Newgate, and she was delivered to the Lady Penrhyn on the 6th, Surgeon Bowes recording that she was a dealer, aged 32. She was described as Mary Wade alias Mary "Cocklane" in the ships' muster list.^[2]

Mary was transported to Australia on the Lady Penrhyn, part of the First Fleet which arrived at Port Jackson New South Wales in January 1788.

At Port Jackson, on 12 September 1788 and again on the 21st, Mary "Cockran" was ordered 25 lashes for drunkenness.^[2]

On 1 March 1790 Mary was sent to Norfolk Island on the Sirius.^[2]

Marriage: She married George Atkinson on Norfolk Island. They were probably one of the many couples married by Reverend Richard Johnson in November 1791 (the registrations for these marriages have not survived). In April 1792 she was recorded as off stores and wife to George Atkinson and sharing a sow with Atkinson and Thomas Howard. Her husband George Atkinson returned to Sydney on the Kitty in March 1793, his sentence having expired.^[2]

Mary left Norfolk Island on the Francis on 2 February 1794 and in 1806 was recorded as living with Atkinson with one illegitimate son.^[2]

Death: Mary died (as Mary Atkinson) at Sydney on 2 April 1818. She was buried on 4 April 1818. The burial was recorded in the register of St Philip's, Church of England, Sydney, her age given as 56.^[3] She was buried in the Old Sydney Burial Ground, where Sydney Town Hall now stands.

Research Notes

The following "facts" are in some biographies but they are not correct:

In March 1790 she had a son, George, by fellow convict William Tyrell??? This is George Tyrril, son of William Tyrril, Convict, and Ann Tyrril; Convict, Born 22 Feb 1790 Baptised: 7 Mar 1790, Registered at St Philip's Church of England, Sydney, cited in BDA. Unbelievably, Ann is Mary Wade according to Don Chapman's book 1788: The People of the First Fleet, cited in Wikipedia. However she is actually another Lady Penrhyn convict, Ann Ward who married William Tyrrell on 6 April 1788.

Child: Edward Wade 1803??? This is Edward Haragan, son of Edward Haragan, and Mary Wade; Born 20 Aug 1803, Baptised: 25 Dec 1804, Registered at St Philip's Church of England, Sydney. However, she is another convict, Mary Wade (Lady Juliana) according to Michael Flynn, Second Fleet p.588.

Sources

1. ↑ Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 17 April 2023), July 1786, trial of MARY WADE otherwise COCLIN (t17860719-11) https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=t17860719-11-defend165&div=t17860719-11#highlight
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 368.
3. ↑ St Philip's Church of England, Sydney NSW: Church Register - Burials; State Library of NSW ref: Reel SAG 90

• NSW State Records, accessed 27 Mar 2015.
• State Records of NSW http://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/digitalcontent.aspx?id=12188_4_4003A_0007 : New South Wales Convict Arrivals, Mary Wade, Arrival date 26 January 1788, Ship name Lady Penrhyn,