Marine Settlers Norfolk Island Atlantic Nov 1791
The publication Norfolk Island Marine Settlers Atlantic 1791 features each of the 29 First Fleet discharged marines who travelled to Norfolk Island per Atlantic in November 1791 as marine settlers. The publication outlines the terms offered to them such as 60 acre grants, rations, tools, and livestock, and recounts their arrival and early conditions on the island. It also explains that the settlement system soon ran into serious problems, including shortages of essential supplies. Disputes over land grants, resulted in many of the marine settlers abandoned their pending land holdings and farms, whilst others remained on the island and concludes with a dated list of their final departure from Norfolk Island. The marine settlers’ individual profiles also include the details of the next generation.
The analysis of the related primary records which have all been meticulous checked was an integral part of the research for Norfolk Island Marine Settlers Atlantic 1791. These records are located across a vast range of repositories, including the National Library Australia, New South Wales State Archives, Mitchell Library Sydney NSW, State Library NSW, Tasmania Archives Heritage Collection, and the National Archives (UK). In addition to these, I also consulted the collection of historical colonial databases held by University of New England (UNE).
The archival research and references for the cohort study of Norfolk Island Marine Settlers Atlantic 1791 does provide a valuable resource for both historians and family history researchers. Surviving records of the First Fleet marines are often limited, so in some cases little is known about their lives before arriving in NSW in 1788. Some of the primary sources used in this project have not yet been digitised, nor an online index currently available. Citation references are included as footnotes at the bottom of each page for easy consultation.
Norfolk Island Marine Settlers Atlantic 1791 is being published in Aug 2026.
Pre-publication offer $25.00 including postage with book orders posted in early Aug when book is published
