Watkin Tench

Watkin Tench
Watkin Tench was a British Marine officer and writer best known for his detailed accounts of the early years of the British settlement in Australia. He authored "A Narrative of the Expedition to Botany Bay" (1789) and "A Complete Account of the Settlement at Port Jackson" (1793), which provide valuable insights into the First Fleet and life in the Sydney colony. His works offer firsthand observations of the Indigenous peoples, convict life, and the challenges of establishing a penal colony. Tench's writings are regarded as some of the most informative and engaging early accounts of European settlement in Australia.

Author's Books:


CHAPTER I From the Embarkation of the Convicts, to the Departure of the Ships from England. The marines and convicts having been previously embarked in the River, at Portsmouth, and Plymouth, the whole fleet destined for the expedition rendezvoused at the Mother Bank, on the 16th of March 1787, and remained there until the 13th of May following. In this period, excepting a slight appearance of... more...

PREFACE When it is recollected how much has been written to describe the Settlement of New South Wales, it seems necessary if not to offer an apology, yet to assign a reason, for an additional publication. The Author embarked in the fleet which sailed to found the establishment at Botany Bay. He shortly after published a Narrative of the Proceedings and State of the Colony, brought up to the beginning... more...