There has always been confusion about the date and circumstances of Wentworth's birth. The text of his obituary in the Sydney Morning Herald of 6 May 1872, says "about the year 1792". "Burke's Colonial Gentry", 1891–1896, Page 96, says he was born in 1793, describes his mother as "Catherine Parry", and that she was the "wife" of D'Arcy. In the biography "William Charles Wentworth" by A C V Melbourne, he says that he "was born in 1792. His mother is believed to have been a Catherine Williams, who had been a convict on the "Neptune", where D'arcy first became acquainted with her". The date 26 October 1793 was celebrated as his birth date for some years. His coffin had attached to it a plate of pure silver which bore the simple inscription, "William Charles Wentworth, born 26 October 1793 died March, 20th, 1872".