may 13, 1787 - The first fleet of 11 ships to NSW left Portsmouth England leaving Capt Arthur Phillip in command. The fleet consisted of at least 1350 passengers, 750 were convicts and another 570 were free men, women and children, plus four companies of marines. About 20% of the convicts were women and the oldest convict was 82. Roughly 50% of the convicts had been tried in Middlesex and most of the rest were tried in the county assizes of Devon, Kent and Sussex.
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Date:
may 13, 1787
Now
~ 238 years ago