William Sykes (convict)

William Sykes (born circa 1815, died 1847) was an English convict transported to Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania, Australia) in 1834 for the crime of highway robbery. His transportation was connected to a series of events that brought him into association with the notorious bushranger Martin Cash.

Sykes arrived in Van Diemen's Land aboard the ship Katherine Stewart Forbes. He was initially assigned to hard labor, and records indicate a history of petty offenses and punishments during his time in the penal system. He worked in various government work gangs and was subject to flogging and solitary confinement for breaches of discipline.

The precise details of Sykes's involvement with Martin Cash are somewhat unclear and often romanticized in popular narratives surrounding Cash's life. Some accounts claim Sykes was instrumental in Cash's daring escape from Port Arthur in 1842, although historical records show that Cash was already gone by the time Sykes may have been present. He later joined Cash’s gang.

Sykes was eventually apprehended after the gang had committed a series of robberies. During the pursuit, and a subsequent shootout, Sykes sustained serious injuries. He was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. He was executed by hanging in Hobart in 1847.

Sykes remains a minor figure in Australian penal history, primarily remembered for his association with Martin Cash. His life reflects the brutal conditions and desperate circumstances experienced by convicts transported to Van Diemen's Land.