William Fawcett was the name given to two paddle steamers that operated in British waters from the late 1820s to the mid-1840s.

The first ship, constructed in 1828, is widely regarded as the inaugural vessel in the service of what eventually evolved into the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O).

In 1832, the vessel was sold to Richard Bourne and his associates for service with the Dublin and London Steam Packet Company.

[1][2] In 1835, Bourne partnered with Brodie McGhie Willcox and Arthur Anderson to charter the William Fawcett for five voyages between London and the Iberian Peninsula.

In 1837 and again in early 1838, the ship was chartered by the Peninsular company for a trip from London to northern Spain and return.