My Great-Great Grandfather George Parker, named after King George IV, booked a berth for the price of some cloth. As a bonus he was granted a 7-year working holiday in a Sydney glass factory courtesy of George’s successor, King William IV. George was 18 – but would live to be 79 (almost as long as the indolent monarch whose name he was given). At the time, the average lifespan of male convicts was 61.
