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Convict Genealogy"This was the
largest forced exile of citizens in pre-modern history. Nothing in
earlier penology compares with it. Robert Hughes
So you think you
may have a few convict skeletons in the family closet? What was once considered a shameful association to be covered up at all costs is now, for most with Australian ancestry, a source of pride. Convict ancestry, if discovered in your family tree, can open up a whole new world for the novice genealogist. Documentation, generally, has valuable additions to what you may find from a birth, death or marriage certificate. Details, in particular distinguishing physical characteristics, are noted on certain records. Court reports, if discovered, will also be the source of a wealth of information on that 'infamous' ancestor. And let's be fair on these people, they were not all murderers, rapists and professional burglars. Many were 'transported' for petty crimes such as stealing a loaf of bread or a handkerchief. Life was harsh back then, and if you were poor it was often a choice of steal or starve. Transportation was 7 years for the stealing of goods worth less than a shilling (about $50 in todays value), and then upwards to 14 years or life for other crimes. The 'System', as it was called, lasted for 90 years and in that time approximately 165,000 men and women and, incredibly, *children, were sent to Australia from Britain. Once their time was served they could return to their homeland or, as was the case with most, get their Ticket of Leave and be absorbed into the colonial society as free citizens. Many, in fact, did go on to become leading members of the community and well respected. One in five of those transported were women and, unlike the men, it was usually on the first offence that this punishment was meted out. See Convict Women in Port Jackson which depicts what life was like for these women and how some, despite the odds, went on to become very successful in their new land. Why? The question inevitably arises - why was the 'System' necessary in the first place? For the answer to that we need to understand what life was like back then in Britain, and a good place to start is the city of London. The largest city, London was representative of many cities all over Britain at that time, only worse because of its size and rapid population increase. Between 1750 and 1850 the population tripled. This explosion was fueled by the 'Enclosure System" which forced many people off the land. The Lord of the Manor owned all that the peasants produced - houses, animals, food and in return they were allowed to work their own strip of land. As populations increased, there were less strips to go around until eventually all the land was combined and 'enclosed' by fences or hedges and farmed as one piece of land. In the cities poverty was rife and in consequence so was crime. There was a belief at the time in a criminal class from which it was thought the criminal 'mentality' could be passed on to others. Initially these 'criminals' were sent to **America and the Caribbean until the American Revolution. Up till then free settlers bought these indentured labourers, so unlike the Australian 'experiment' this solution had more economic merit, because as soon as the felons stepped ashore they ceased costing England a farthing. Prisons were hopelessly overcrowded in Britain, therefore, prisoners had to be placed in 'hulks', which were old rotting ships moored at the docks. Extra prisoners were arriving at the rate of 1000 per year so this 'solution' was quickly becoming unmanageable. Australia solved the problem beautifully as a destination for transportees. The overcrowded prisons were freed up and there was virtually unlimited labour for the new colony. The 'experiment' failed in respect of the hoped for 'purification' of Britain because the problem lay within the society, not the criminal. It did succeed however, in colonising Australia much quicker than would have happened otherwise. *The youngest
boy was John Hudson, aged 9. **Over 60 years, 40000 men and women from Great Britain and Ireland were transported.
The First Fleet is the name given to the 11 ships which sailed from Great Britain in May 1787 to establish the first European colony in New South Wales. It was a penal settlement, marking the beginnings of transportation to Australia. The fleet of 11 ships was led by Captain (later Admiral) Arthur Phillip. People of the First Fleet The number of people directly associated with the First Fleet will probably never be exactly established, and all accounts of the event vary slightly. Embarked at Portsmouth
Preparation for the voyage The decision to send criminals to Botany Bay was taken by the British Government on 18 August 1786, with the responsibility to organise and choose officials falling on then Home Secretary, Lord Sydney and his junior, Evan Nepean. Preparations to obtain ships, convicts, guards and provisions began soon after. At the time the five hulks in service held about 1300 men, and selected convicts, including women from county gaols were transferred to the hulk Dunkirk at Plymouth and the New Gaol in Southwark. Optimistically, it was hoped to be able to sail in October, but a series of postponements were made. In mid April 1787 the St James's Chronicle commented that “strange as it may appear, we are credibly informed of the Fact that the Transports for Botany Bay have not as yet sailed". [Gillen] By October 1786, more than 200 marines had volunteered for Botany Bay duty, and Major Robert Ross was chosen to command them. The man chosen to lead the expedition, command HMS Sirius, and take on the governorship of the colony, was Captain Arthur Phillip, of whom the first lord of the admiralty said “the little I know of [him] would [not] have led me to select him". [Gillen, p.xxiv] The convict ships (two were originally slave ships requisitioned by the Royal Navy) were fitted out with strong hatch bars between decks, bulkheads to divide convicts from crew, and guns and ammunition. Provisions included food such as flour, pease, rice, butter, salted beef and pork, bread, soup, cheese, water and beer. Coal and wood were provided for fuel. Beads, looking glasses and other gifts for native inhabitants were included. Vast amounts of hardware items were taken — tents (for the settlers to live in until huts had been built), wagons, wheelbarrows, gunpowder, collapsible furniture for the governor, scientific instruments, paper, ropes, crockery, glass panes for the governor's windows, ready-cut wood, cooking equipment (including some complete cast-iron stoves), and a miscellany of weapons. Other items included tools, agricultural implements, seeds, spirits, medical supplies, bandages, surgical instruments, handcuffs, leg irons and chains. A prefabricated house for the governor was constructed and packed flat. 5,000 bricks for construction and thousands of nails were loaded. As the party was venturing into unknown territory, it had to carry all its provisions to survive until it could make use of local materials, assuming suitable supplies existed, and could grow its own food and raise livestock. Convicts were delivered to the transports from the hulks and gaols with no reference to skills, or fitness to contribute to the creation of the new colony. The first arrivals embarked on the transports at Woolwich and Gravesend in early January, and continued throughout the next three months. Gradually the ships made their way to Portsmouth, where the last convicts were loaded on the day the fleet sailed. Eventually the fleet set sails and moved off down the English Channel on 13 May 1787. The voyage The departure of the fleet must have been greeted with fear and trepidation by the convicts and marines. They were embarking on the longest voyage ever attempted by such a large group. They were heading for a destination that was little explored by Europeans, and whose conditions were only to be guessed at. Few would have had any confidence in seeing England, their families and friends, ever again. With fine weather the convicts were allowed on deck, and on 3 June 1787 the fleet anchored at Santa Cruz at Tenerife. Here fresh water, vegetables and meat were taken on board. Phillip and the chief officers were entertained by the local governor, while one convict tried unsuccessfully to escape. On 10 June they set sail to cross the Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro, taking advantage of favourable trade winds and ocean currents. The weather became increasingly hot and humid as the fleet sailed through the tropics. Vermin, such as rats, bedbugs, lice, cockroaches and fleas, tormented the convicts, officers and marines. Bilges became foul and the smell, especially below the closed hatches, was over-powering. On Alexander a number of convicts fell sick and died. Tropical rainstorms meant that the convicts could not exercise on deck, and were kept below in the foul, cramped holds. On the female transports, promiscuity between the convicts and the crew and marines was rampant. In the doldrums, Phillip was forced to ration the water to three pints a day. The fleet reached Rio de Janeiro on 5 August and stayed a month. The ships were cleaned and water taken on board, repairs were made, and Phillip ordered large quantities of food for the fleet. The women convicts’ clothing, which had become infested with lice, was burned, and the women were issued with new clothes made from rice sacks. While the convicts remained below deck, the officers explored the city and were entertained by its inhabitants. A convict and a marine were punished for passing forged quarter-dollars made from old buckles and pewter spoons. The fleet left Rio on 3 September to run before the westerlies to the Cape of Good Hope, where they arrived in mid October. This was the last port of call, so the main task was to stock up on plants, seeds and livestock for their arrival in Australia. The women convicts on Friendship were moved to other transports to make room for livestock purchased there. The convicts were provided with fresh beef and mutton, bread and vegetables, to build up their strength for the journey. The Dutch colony of Cape Town was the last outpost of European settlement which the fleet members would see for years, perhaps for the rest of their lives. “Before them stretched the awesome, lonely void of the Indian and Southern Oceans, and beyond that lay nothing they could imagine.” (Hughes, p.82) Assisted by the gales of the latitudes below the fortieth parallel, the heavily-laden transports surged through the violent seas. A freak storm struck as they began to head north around Van Diemen's Land, damaging the sails and masts of some of the ships. In November, Phillip transferred to Supply. With Alexander, Friendship and Scarborough, the fastest ships in the Fleet and carrying most of the male convicts, Supply hastened ahead to prepare for the arrival of the rest. Phillip intended to select a suitable location, find good water, clear the ground, and perhaps even have some huts and other structures built before the others arrived. However, this "flying squadron" reached Botany Bay only hours before the rest of the Fleet, so no preparatory work was possible. The Supply reached Botany Bay on 18 January 1788; the three fastest transports in the advance group arrived on 19 January; slower ships, including the Sirius arrived on 20 January. This was one of the world's greatest sea voyages — eleven vessels carrying about 1400 people and stores had travelled for 252 days for more than 15,000 miles (24,000 km) without losing a ship. Forty-eight people had died on the journey, a death rate of just over three per cent. Given the rigours of the voyage, the navigational problems, the poor condition and sea-faring inexperience of the convicts, the primitive medical knowledge, the lack of precautions against scurvy, the crammed and foul conditions of the ships, poor planning and inadequate equipment, this was a remarkable achievement. It was soon realised that Botany Bay did not live up to the glowing account that Captain James Cook had given it in 1770. The bay was open and unprotected, fresh water was scarce, and the soil was poor. First contacts were made with the local indigenous people, the Eora, who seemed curious but suspicious of the newcomers. The area was studded with enormously strong trees. When the convicts tried to cut them down, their tools broke and the tree trunks had to be blasted out of the ground with gunpowder. The primitive huts built for the officers and officials quickly collapsed in rainstorms. The marines had a habit of getting drunk and not guarding the convicts properly, whilst their pompous commander, Major Robert Ross, drove Phillip to despair with his arrogant and lazy attitude. Crucially, Phillip worried that his fledgling colony was exposed to attack from the Aboriginies or foreign powers. On 21 January, 2 days after he had arrived in Botany Bay, Phillip and a party which included John Hunter, departed the Bay in three small boats to explore other bays to the north. They soon found what they were looking for and the men returned on 23 January with news of a harbour to the north, with sheltered anchorages, fresh water and fertile soil. Phillip's impressions of the harbour were recorded in a letter he sent to England later. He wrote "the finest harbour in the world, in which a thousand sail of the line may ride in the most perfect security ...". This was Port Jackson, which Cook had seen and named, but not entered. A decision was made to relocate the party to this new site. The party was startled when two French ships came into sight and entered Botany Bay. This turned out to be a scientific expedition led by Jean-François de La Pérouse. The French group remained until 10 March, but never returned to France, being wrecked with the loss of all lives near Vanikoro Island in the New Hebrides (Vanuatu). On 26 January 1788, the fleet weighed anchor and by evening had entered Port Jackson. The site selected for the anchorage had deep water close to the shore, was sheltered and had a small stream flowing into it. Phillip named it Sydney Cove, after Lord Sydney the British Home Secretary. This date is still celebrated as Australia Day, marking the beginnings of the first European settlement. It is considered "invasion day" by some indigenous Australians. Unknown to the first European arrivals, it was to be almost two and a half years before other ships arrived with their cargo of new convicts and provisions. These were Lady Juliana, shortly followed by the storeship Justinian and the three ships of the infamous Second Fleet. Many people died shortly after the First Fleet reached Australia. The reasons were; the lack of farming skills, poor quality tools and the fact that the existing food had to be rationed. Ships of the First Fleet There were eleven ships in the fleet, namely: Naval escorts:
Scale models of all the ships are on display at the Museum of Sydney. Nine Sydney harbour ferries in current service were named after these First Fleet vessels (the unused names are Lady Penrhyn and Prince Of Wales). Notable First Fleet Members Officials
Many other convicts made significant contributions to the early years of the colony, but few are remembered today, except by their descendants.
The tables below will give you an indication of the type of convict records available and over what years: Tasmanian Records (Van Diemens Land)
TITLE SUBJECT YEARS Convict arrivals indexes List of convicts transported to VDL 1803-1853 Indents Information compiled about convicts
before disembarked in Australia 1827-1853 Assignment lists Details of where convicts were
assigned to work 1810-1852 Description lists Height, age, colour of eyes, tattoos,
etc 1828-1853 Appropriation and Employment registers Record of the trade of convicts and
who employed them 1831-1835 Comprehensive registers of convicts Conditional pardons (CP) 1804-1853 Certificates of freedom (Cert) 1804-1853 Emancipation Applications to marry, 1833-1886 Tickets of leave Conditional & absolute pardons Remission of sentence Indulgences or privileges To sleep out of barracks 1833-1886 Have wife assigned To marry, etc Conduct registers Record of convict behaviour 1803-1893 Death registers Deaths 1825-1874 Correspondence Any correspondence relating to
convicts 1832-1867 Miscellaneous convict records Northern Tasmania 1823-1844 Macquarie Harbour 1829-1833 Tasman Peninsula 1834-1871 Maria Island 1846 Norfolk Island 1792-1796, 1830-1855 Prisoners Barracks, Hobart 1834-1860 Female House of Correction, Hobart 1833-1834, 1847-1890 Van Diemens Land court records 1832-1889
New South Wales
The following links will give you a more detailed background on the life of convicts under the 'system' and access to many records to help you with your research. "What did the first man hanged in Sydney, a seventeen-year-old lad of 'most vile character' named Thomas Barrett, really mean to say when, stammering and trembling and seeming 'very much shocked,' he announced at the foot of the ladder that 'he had led a very wicked life'. How much 'wickedness' could a boy compress into that small span from his birth to the fatal act of stealing some butter, dried peas and salt pork at Sydney Cove?" Robert
Hughes
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