Here you will find a selection of articles, reviews and various information sources, that can be used by genealogists to assist in their research. Contact us if you require any further details about any information on this page.
Royal Historical Society of Queensland opens its research library on Thursdays.
115 William St, Brisbane
Take time to visit their excellent museum showing Brisbane's convict past.
Convict List for "Adelaide" 1849
Maree Worland of Roma has supplied a list of the 300 male convicts who arrived on the ship "Adelaide". They are listed under the county they were tried in. A copy of the list can be found here.
CONVICTS TO AUSTRALIA FROM OTHER PLACES
Taken from AJCP Reel 118. (Copied pages can be found in Convict Connections folder 72 in our lending library.)
Secretary’s Office, Sydney
January 1821
“List of Convicts who have arrived in this Colony from the East Indies, Isle of France, and the Cape of Good Hope, from the Year 1812 to the Year 1818 Inclusive, with their Places, and Times, of Trial, and Sentences, Extracted from the Indents of the respective Vessels by which they arrived.”
This is the heading given to an interesting list of convicts sent to New South Wales. I have also added, from a separate list, those who arrived in 1819 and 1820.
Rather than just reproduce the list, I have tabled the names in alphabetical order to make it easier to locate a convicted man. We tend to forget that many convicts arrived here from the old British outposts in India, the Cape of Good Hope, Bermuda, Mauritius, Canada, etc. A large number were soldiers whose crimes included mutiny, desertion and insubordination. You will notice that the convict ships Atlas and Guildford picked up men from the Cape of Good Hope en route from England to Australia.
Further information on ships which carried prisoners from these outposts can be found on the Perth DPS web-site.
Bangalore – became part of British India in 1809.
Bengal – covered the entire north-east part of India, including what is now Bangladesh. The capital of the region was Calcutta.
Cannanore – on India’s west coast.
Dinapore – a British garrison town in the 19th century in India.
Madras – first major British settlement in India.
Meerut – important military garrison north-east of Delhi.
Secunderabad – near Hyderabad.
Fort William – the main military garrison in Calcutta.
Name
Ship came by
Tried Where
Tried When
Sentence
Appleyard, Wilson Johnson
Seaflower, arrived Apr 1820 from India
Calcutta
14 Jul 1819
7 years
Barry, Patrick
Frederick 1815
Madras
5 Oct 1813
7 years
Bland, William
Frederick 1814
Bombay
28 Apr 1813
7 years
Bowers, John Perry
Seaflower, arrived Apr 1820 from India
Calcutta
14 Jul 1819
7 years
Boyle, Patrick
Hayeston 1816
Bombay
25 Jul 1815
7 years
Brabazon, Thomas
St Michael 1820
Glenelg transport off Island of Kenn, Persian Gulph
Court Martial
10 Feb 1820
life
Brady, Goine
Greyhound (Brig) 1818
Madras
21 Apr 1817
7 years
Branmer, John
Britannia 1814
Secundrabad
Court Martial
1 Aug 1812
7 yrs and to serve afterwards as a soldier for life
Buckley, John
Mariner 1816
Cape of Good Hope
18 Jan 1814
life
Burnett, Patrick
Seaflower, arrived Apr 1820 from India
Madras
19 Apr 1819
life
Butler, John
Frederick 1817
Cananore
Court Martial
27 Dec 1815
life
Cockroft, John
Atlas, convict transport touched at Cape of Good Hope 1819
Cape Town
1817
life
Connor, John
Mary 1817
Madras
8 Jan 1816
7 years
Coogan, Michael
Atlas, convict transport touched at Cape of Good Hope 1819
Cape Town
1817
life
Crabtree, James
St Michael 1820
Bombay Supreme Court
18 Oct 1819
14 years
Dawson, Thomas
Haldane (Brig) arrived Dec 1820
Madras
17 Apr 1820
7 years
De Haan, C
Guildford, male, English, convict transport touched at Cape of Good Hope on way hither from England 1820
Cape Town
22 jan 1820
5 years
De Silva, Anthony
Eliza 1813
Madras
5 Oct 1812
5 years
Dogherty, James
Britannia 1814
Madras
16 Apr 1812
7 years
Dougherty, John
Greyhound (Brig) 1818
Secundrabar
Court Martial
16 Jun 1817
14 years
Douglas, James
Frederick 1815
Ceylon
Court Martial
9 May 1814
Life
Duffy, Barnard
Britannia 1814
Madras
12 Apr 1813
life
Ellison, David
Jeune Ferdinand (Schooner) 1817
Isle of France
16 Aug 1817
7 years
Fallis, Joseph
Britannia 1814
Secundrabad
Court Martial
1 Aug 1812
7 yrs and to serve afterwards as a soldier for life
Farnham, Thomas
Hayeston 1816
Bombay
25 Jul 1815
7 years
Farrell, William
Seaflower, arrived Apr 1820 from India
Calcutta
4 Sep 1819
7 years
Fitzpatrick, James
St Michael 1820
Bangalore
Court Martial, Judges warrant
12 Nov 1819
7 years
Forbes, Francis Ewin
Mary 1817
Bengal
19 Nov 1816
14 years
French, John
Eliza 1815
Isle of France
1810
7 years
Frew, david
Frederick 1817
Fort William
Court Martial
6 May 1816
life
Gallagher, Thomas
Eliza 1813
Bombay
10 Feb
life
Gallagher, Thomas
Hayeston 1816
Calcutta
30 Jun 1815
7 years
Garthelney
Guide (Brig) 1818
Bengal
7 Nov 1817
5 years
Garton, George
Mary 1817
Madras
5 Oct 1815
life
Green, William
Frederick 1815
Bengal
25 Jun 1814
life
Halkett, James
Frederick 1814
Bengal
1812
life
Hall, Thomas
St Michael 1820
Madras G D
3 Jan 1820
life
Hanson, John
Mary 1817
Madras
18 Apr 1816
10 years
Harrison, John
Colombo
6 Oct 1815
7 years
Haslem, Owen
Frederick 1817
Fumbriddum
Court Martial
10 Apr 1815
life
Head, John
Seaflower, arrived Apr 1820 from India
Meerut
Court Martial
17 Nov 1818
7 years
Henkings, William
Eliza 1813
Bombay
13 Jul
life
Hilton, Joseph
Haldane (Brig) arrived Dec 1820
Madras
17 Apr 1820
7 years
Hitchcock, William
Atlas, convict transport touched at Cape of Good Hope 1819
Cape Town
1817
life
Holland, John
Atlas, convict transport touched at Cape of Good Hope 1819
Cape Town
1817
life
Howe, Michael
Eliza 1815
Isle of France
1813
5 years
Howes, John
Greyhound (Brig) 1818
Madras
21 Apr 1817
7 years
Hudson, John
St Michael 1820
Bombay G D
31 Jan 1820
7 years
Joseph, Francisco
Eliza 1813
Bombay
13 Jul
life
Kain, Michael
Seaflower, arrived Apr 1820 from India
Calcutta
Court Martial
9 Jan 1819
life
Kay, James
Kangaroo 1816 HM Brig
Colombo
14 Aug 1815
7 years
Kearnes, John
Kangaroo 1816 HM Brig
Colombo
24 Apr 1815
7 years
Kirby, John
Mary 1817
Bengal
19 Nov 1816
7 years
Kirwan, Dennis
Hayeston 1816
Calcutta
Court Martial
12 Mar 1814
life
Laffin, John
Haldane (Brig) arrived Dec 1820
Madras
Court Martial
2 May 1820
life
Laflear, Joseph
Atlas, convict transport touched at Cape of Good Hope 1819
Cape Town
1817
14 years
Lamb, Dennis
Hayeston 1816
Madras
17 Apr 1815
life
Landers, Morris
Frederick 1815
Madras
11 Jul 1814
life
Lennon, Peter
Guildford, convict transport touched at Cape of Good Hope on way hither from England 1820
Cape Town
29 May1820
Commutation of sentence of death to transportation
Lewis, Llewellen
Britannia 1814
Meerut
Court Martial
21 Jan 1812
life
Lickler, Samuel
Guide (Brig) 1818
Madras
3 Nov 1817
life
Linden, Henry
Britannia 1814
Madras
16 Apr 1812
7 years
Lighton, Thomas
Hayeston 1816
Madras
4 Jan 1815
life
Louis, Albertus Wynand
Atlas, convict transport touched at Cape of Good Hope 1819
Cape Town
Sep 1818
life
Lowe, James
Britannia 1814
Secundrabad
Court Martial
1 Aug 1812
7 yrs and to serve afterwards as a soldier for life
Madden, Thomas
Atlas, convict transport touched at Cape of Good Hope 1819
Cape Town
Sep 1818
life
McDonald, John
Hayeston 1816
Madras
17 Apr 1815
life
McGuire, Edward
Britannia 1814
Madras
16 Apr 1812
7 years
Mc Hugh, Francis
Frederick 1817
Dinapore
Court Martial
10 Apr 1816
7 years
McLaughlin, Peter
Seaflower, arrived Apr 1820 from India
Calcutta
14 Jul 1819
14 years
Merchant, John
St Michael 1820
Madras G D
3 Jan 1820
life
Miller, John
Colombo
6 Oct 1815
7 years
Moassie, Pier
Atlas, English Mate, convict transport touched at Cape of Good Hope 1819
Cape Town
1817
14 years
Moore, John
Frederick 1816
Bengal
6 Nov 1815
7 years
Morrow, John
Atlas, convict transport touched at Cape of Good Hope 1819
Cape Town
1817
life
Muston, William
Seaflower, arrived Apr 1820 from India
Calcutta
5 Jul 1819
life
Nowland, Bryan
Mary 1817
Madras
18 Apr 1816
7 years
Odin (native of Colombo)
Kangaroo 1816 HM Brig
Colombo
Court Martial
4 Jun 1815
life
Orchard, William
Jeune Ferdinand (Schooner) 1817
Isle of France
16 Aug 1817
7 years
Owen, Thomas
Jeune Ferdinand (Schooner) 1817
Isle of France
16 Aug 1817
7 years
Paget, Thomas
Frederick 1817
Bangalore
25 Oct 1815
life
Peters, John
Britannia 1814
St Denis, Isle de France
Court Martial
17 Sep 1810
life
Perkins, William
Atlas, convict transport touched at Cape of Good Hope 1819
Cape Town
Jun 1818
3 years
Picking
Little mary (Schooner) 1819
Mauritius
22 Jan 1818
7 years
Pluck/ Plook, John
Greyhound (Brig) 1818
Fort William
Court Martial
15 May 1817
7 years
Porter, John
Hayeston 1816
Madras
10 Oct 1814
7 years
Randall, William
Frederick 1814
Bombay
28 Apr 1813
8 years
Rawlins, Edward
Atlas, convict transport touched at Cape of Good Hope 1819
Cape Town
1817
life
Rigley, John
Greyhound (Brig) 1818
Madras
7 Jul 1817
14 years
Roach, Cornelius
Eliza 1813
Bombay
10 Feb
life
Robjent, Thomas
Hayeston 1816
Bombay
7 Jan 1814
life
Sharpe, Robert
Frederick 1817
Bangalore
Court Martial
25 Oct 1815
life
Singleton, John
Atlas, touched at Cape of Good Hope 1819
Cape Town
1818
5 years
Slater, William
Hayeston 1816
Madras
4 Jan 1815
7 years
Smith, James
Greyhound (Brig) 1818
Meerut
Court Martial
15 Dec 1816
life
Steward, John
Jeune Ferdinand (Schooner) 1817
Isle of France
16 Aug 1817
7 years
Strettles, Thomas
Little Mary (Schooner) 1819
Mauritius
23 Oct 1817
life
Sullivan, William
Colombo
6 Oct 1815
7 years
Thompson, John
Campbell Macquarie (brig) 1812
Bengal
21 Dec 1810
7 years
Taylor, Abraham
Campbell Macquarie (brig) 1812
Bombay
12 Oct 1810
Life
Toole, William
Guide (Brig) 1818
Bengal
7 Nov 1817
7 years
Ward, Clara
Campbell Macquarie (brig) 1812
Bengal
21 Dec 1810
7 years
Ward, Thomas
Britannia 1814
Fort George
Court martial
12 May 1813
7 years, then at His Majesty’s disposal
Wheland, John
Seaflower, arrived Apr 1820 from India
Meerut
Court Martial
15 Jan 1819
7 years
Whiley, James
Frederick 1817
Bangalore
Court Martial
25 Oct 1815
7 years
White, William
Hayeston 1816
Bombay
25 Jul 1815
7 years
Williams, James
Frederick 1815
Ceylon
19 Feb 1814
Life
Williams, Thomas
Guide (Brig) 1818
Bengal
7 Nov 1817
life
Wilson, Alexander
Greyhound (Brig) 1818
Madras
7 Jul 1817
14 years
Winchester, Andrew
Guildford, convict transport touched at Cape of Good Hope on way hither from England 1820
Cape Town
29 May1820
Commutation of sentence of death to transportation
Woodhart, Edward
Guildford, convict transport touched at Cape of Good Hope on way hither from England 1820
Cape Town
22 Jun 1820
7 years
THE FELL TYRANT or THE SUFFERING CONVICT
Edited and annotated by Jennifer Harrison and J Steele.
Royal Historical Society of Queensland 2003.
Convict Connections has recently purchased this most interesting and historically significant book from Jennifer Harrison. This is almost two books in one. The title is actually the original one that convict William Ross gave to his own publication released in 1836. Ross wrote an account of his life leading up to his sentence in England of transportation for seven years to New South Wales, and his time spent at the penal settlement of Moreton Bay.
His first hand account is reproduced in this 2003 version. At the bottom of most pages, Jennifer Harrison and John Steele have added comments and facts so that the reader can read the original text unhindered, or read both the text and the additions simultaneously.
The title Ross used was The Fell Tyrantor the Suffering Convict, showing the horrid and dreadful suffering of the convicts of Norfolk Island, and Moreton Bay, our two penal settlements in New South Wales.
The original, held by the Mitchell Library in Sydney, is perhaps the only copy which has survived in this country. Ross admits that at the completion of his sentence he found himself destitute in Sydney and desperate to return to England. With no employment he was obviously hoping to make some money by releasing his description of convict life in New South Wales. Others were doing the same. To this end he was naturally attempting to extract sympathy from the readers in England so some of the writings are exaggerated.
Jennifer and John have researched his various allegations, and have added their own foot-notes. It remains a first hand account of the Moreton Bay penal settlement under the tyrannical Captain Logan.
In this 2003 publication, the original text has been reproduced and annotations have been added by the two notable historians whose research into Moreton Bay history has been so extensive. Not only is the finished product of great general interest but for those like myself who had an ancestor at the Moreton Bay settlement during Logan’s years it is an invaluable source of information.
It is interesting to note that for almost six of his seven year sentence at the settlement, William Ross was an overseer and a constable from December 1826 to November 1832. In that position he had an understanding of how the settlement was run and was privy to the information he records about some of the people there.
Having completed his term of sentence, Ross despaired about being in Sydney. He found it a most inhospitable place and was unable to gain employment. His description of the town on pages 66 and 67 is an interesting one. Desperate though he was to return to England, legally he could not do so as his pardon only allowed him to move about freely in the colony, not to depart it.
“Sydney (the principal settlement), is a most inhospitable place; the society is as bad as it can possibly be; the whole study of both sexes is drinking, gambling, and whoring; they are covetous, and will not hesitate in daring any act, the most infamous, for lucre; they will even sacrifice their own offspring, and men, their own wives; their language is the most profane, and their whole study is, to slander and maliciously act against their neighbour; good, appears never to have entered their breasts, and in many cases the black savages in the Bush are a pattern to them…. Happiness, or even common comfort, is not to be had here; the inmates of every dwelling are vulgar and bad, and in none can confidence be placed, not even in the most affluent, for the rich and poor go hand in hand in villainy….”
(book available GSQ UK/310/045 and at BCC libraries)
CRIMINAL ANCESTORS– A Guide to Historical Criminal Records in England and Wales. By David Hawkings (1992)
This book has a lot of interesting information for the researcher. Throughout the text are examples of actual records so it is worth looking in the index to see if your convict is mentioned. Hawkings offers a really comprehensive look at what records are available, and his examples make this a most impressive resource.
At the back of the book you will find a glossary of terms and useful Appendices on using the records.
Keep in mind that this book was written in 1992, and some of the information in the Appendices may now be available on the Internet.
I am sure you will be astounded at just how many avenues there are for you to research your convict. This book covers so many topics and will no doubt whet your appetite for discovering more! Each chapter is well illustrated with examples of what you may find.
The Prison Hulks – learn about conditions on board the hulks. A report published in 1847, containing some 29 pages, looked more closely at the regulations set down in 1839, and some of that report is reproduced in the book. The hulks were Warrior, Justitia, Unité, and Wye. Interesting here is the inclusion of 8 cases regarding hulk prisoners and their treatment. The report was critical of the management of the hulks and called for an end to their use. This did not occur however until 1857.
Hulks were also used at Bermuda and Gibralter. From these, some of the criminals were transported to Australia. It is wrong to assume that a sentence of transportation always resulted in banishment to one of the colonies. Able-bodied men were sometimes given the choice of joining the army or the navy. The old and infirm sometimes languished in the hulk or prisons instead of being transported.
Criminal Registers – PRO Class HO 26 and 27
In Middlesex, from 1791, annual registers of persons indicted for criminal offences were compiled. Up until 1802 a lot of detail can be found. After that the records are less informative.
From 1805, criminal registers were kept for the other counties of England and Wales. Although listed alphabetically, be aware that Hampshire is listed as Hants from 1805 to 1837, and as Southampton from 1838. Shropshire is listed as such until 1808, and as Salop after that. From 1805 to 1814, Welsh counties are found after the English ones, but after that date they are included alphabetically with the English. From 1855, they return to the end of the list. Bristol is listed after Gloucestershire, and London is with Middlesex. Monmouthshire was considered an English county, not Welsh. You may find that part of a county may have been missed in the main content and may have been added at the end – so check the end of each volume.
The criminal registers continue to 1892.
PRO Classes PCOM 2 and MEPO 6 are registers of habitual criminals.
PRO HO 16 lists Old Bailey prisoners.
Calendars of Prisoners –
Pre–trial Calendars show persons accused of crimes who were to be tried at Court hearings. Look for Order Books in the PRO and County Record Offices.
Post-trial Calendars were lists printed after the trial. These may include references to previous trials, convictions or aliases.
Check for these in the Quarter Sessions and Assizes records and in PCOM 2, HO 16, HO 77, HO 140, and CRIM 5. Most printed calendars have a name index at the beginning.
Courts of Quarter Sessions
From 1363, courts were held four times a year – Epiphany, Easter, Midsummer and Michaelmas – in all counties except Middlesex where Old Bailey Sessions were held every month. In the counties, the sessions were held in a different town each quarter.
By the 19 th century, proceedings had increased so that it took more than one day to deal with proceedings. You may find that your convict was tried at an “Adjourned Session”. Some towns also had their own quarterly sessions and they were called Borough or City Sessions.
Look for Depositions – statements made under oath by a witness before a magistrate or constable.
The courts dealt with criminal and civil proceedings. Of the latter, settlement disputes and bastardy charges are of interest to the historian. Settlement laws were very complex, and it wasn’t always clear which parish a rogue or vagabond rightfully belonged to.
Assizes Courts
Assize Circuits covered all counties except Cheshire, Durham, Lancashire and Middlesex. Itinerant judges traveled to the counties in Lent and Summer.
Old Bailey and Central Criminal Court
Middlesex was not covered by an Assize Circuit as the Old Bailey Sessions acted as the equivalent. Sessions were held each month and included two divisions – (1) Cases of those living in and accused of committing crimes in the City of London; and (2) Other cases for the County of Middlesex excluding London.
The Old Bailey proceedings were printed and bound into volumes. See PRO Class PCOM 1. The indictments are more informative – PRO Class CRIM 1, 4 and 5.
From 1834, the Old Bailey became the Central Criminal Court, and it included parts of Essex, Kent and Surrey.
The Palatinate Courts
The Palatinates were the counties of Cheshire, Durham and Lancashire. Until 1830, The Assize equivalent in Cheshire was the Palatinate Court of Chester. It was abolished in 1830 and Cheshire was covered by the Wales Assize Circuit. The Durham and Lancashire Assizes operated until 1876.
Wales
In 1543, Wales was divided into 12 counties. Each county held Sessions twice a year (Great Sessions of Wales) as well as Quarter Sessions. The Great Sessions stopped in 1830. The records are held at the National library of Wales in Aberystwyth.
Petty Sessions of Juvenile Offenders.
Under the Juvenile Offenders act of 1847, records were kept of offenders convicted in the County Quarter Sessions.
Assize Vouchers and Sheriffs’ Cravings.
The former contain lists of persons convicted. The second are requests by County Sheriffs for payment by the Treasury for costs incurred for court hearings, maintaining prisoners in gaol until their trials, conveying them to the hulks, and for executions.
See PRO Class E 370 for 1714 to 1832; and Class T 64 for 1745 to 1785.
Also, Sheriffs’ Payments can be found in Class T 90 and 207.
Treasury Warrants contain “Conviction Money”. References to criminals are indexed in PRO Class T 53 and 54 – 1721 to 1827.
Criminal Lunatics.
Until 1800 insane criminals were placed in gaols with other prisoners. After that sate they were supposed to be committed to asylums or mad houses, but this did not always happen.
See PRO Class MH 94, dating from 1846 only.
PRO Class HO 144 and 145.
Transportation to America.
1615 to 1775: Reprieves of death sentences saw prisoners being transported to Virginia. In most cases condemned prisoners could request transportation rather than be hanged. Merchants were paid to transport them, and on arrival in America the prisoner was sold to the highest bidder. This was lucrative as plantations paid up to £10 a head, and then the merchant returned with a cargo of tobacco to sell in England.
Look in the County Recored offices for transportation bonds. PRO class T 1 & 53 (Treasury papers) has lists of criminals on board ships. This is a tedious search but will give the ship and the destination in America.
Transportation to Australia.
1787 to 1868: In 1776 the declaration of Independence meant that America was no longer a British colony and transportation ceased. British gaols became overcrowded and the hulks had to be used until they too became overcrowded. Consideration was given to transportation to Africa but that was deemed unsuitable. As a result the First Fleet was sent to the new colony of New South Wales.
Many petitions are held in the PRO as attempts were made to have sentences reduced. Many sentenced to 7 years or less often served their time in Britain and were not transported at all.
PRO HO records should be studied.
Prison Registers and Hulk Records.
Not all of these records have survived. Information varies from county to county.
Look in the Treasury Papers of PRO.
Prison Books and Journals.
Look in PRO and County Record Offices for Governors’ Journals, Surgeons’ Orders, Visitors’ books, Chaplains’ Journals, Judges’ orders, pardons and Letter Books.
Captions, Transfer Papers and Licences
On conviction an Order of the Court, or Caption, was written out giving details of the convict, the crime and the sentence.
Transfer Papers are the official documents authorizing the removal of a convict from one prison to another. They contain previous sentences and details of misconduct and punishment. A physical description is given as well as the name and address of next of kin.
A system of Licences was introduced in 1853. Convicts of good behaviour were allowed out on parole and were expected to maintain a respectable way of life.
Home Office Warrants and Correspondence.
These records date from 1872 and can be found in PRO HO 13, 15 and 147.
Also look at HO 12,20,21,22,42,44,45.
Bankrupts and Debtors.
Although legally not criminals, they were imprisoned in county gaols. In London there were even prisons solely for such people.
See PRO B series
Newspapers.
Newspapers should not be overlooked as a source for information.
ORPHANS OF HISTORY– The Forgotten Children of the First Fleet – by Robert Holden.
This paperback book is in our Convict Connections lending library.
The author was inspired to write this book after reading Mollie Gillen’s book, “The Founders of Australia”. He was haunted by the fate of a young chimneysweep named John Hudson who was one of 34 children under the age of 14 years who arrived with the First Fleet. Hudson was not the son of a convict or the son of a marine – he was a convicted felon.
John Hudson becomes a pivotal character as Holden recreates the destitute conditions the orphan would have lived under as an exploited child in London. There are thought-provoking descriptions of how young children were “employed” as chimney sweeps, and the dangers associated with that work. Indeed, Holden transfers the reader back to London as it was in the 1780’s.
The poignancy of the words uttered by Hudson at his trial for breaking and entering are chilling –
Court to prisoner: How old are you?
Going on nine.
What business was you bred up in?
None, sometimes a chimney sweeper.
Have you any father or mother?
Dead.
How long ago?
I do not know.
Holden has researched chimney sweeping well in an attempt to learn more about young Hudson. As readers, we are not spared any of the horrors associated with this dangerous occupation. Indeed, we are told of the quick consent to amputation of a leg which had been crushed in a fall when a child was told he would not be able to ascend a chimney with one leg. We learn of the deformities caused by sending such young undernourished lads into such small confines of chimney flues or “coffins of black”.
Hudson spent time in Newgate prison and a number of convict ships during the three years he was incarcerated before being transported for 7 years. The author points out that the conditions of the gaol and the hulks were probably no worse than those he was living in before conviction, so he was able to survive. He was 13 years old when he arrived in New South Wales.
The reason why there has been so little written about the children of the First Fleet is that the law stated that children were “tried with the full publicity and formality of the courts” and that “age by itself gave no right to special treatment”.
There is only one further recording of Hudson and that was in 1791 at Norfolk Island. He received 50 lashes for being outside his hut after 9 o’clock.
I would suggest that the reader begin not at the beginning of the book, but on page 198 where there is a Biographical Index of the Children of the First Fleet. This list of sixty-one children sets the scene for the voyage, the mortality rate, the parentage, and profiles (where possible) of their time in the new colony. Not all were children of convicts of course, and it is interesting to note how many later sailed for England on the Gorgon which departed on 13 December 1791. There seemed to be quite a number of deaths on that voyage.
The book also tells of Henry Kable and Susannah Holmes, both convicts, whose child was conceived in Norwich Castle Gaol. The English newspapers and Scot’s Magazine published a sympathetic appeal based on the unnatural separation of a mother and child prior to the sailing of the First Fleet. The appeal raised 20 pounds and with that “books, clothes and some comforts for the young family” were purchased. Their story raised public interest possibly because of the actions of the turnkey who nursed the unweaned infant on the coach from Plymouth to London and then gained an audience with the Home Secretary. It is most probable that this case alerted many readers for the first time to the fact that infants were a part of the human cargo of the First Fleet. The reports showed them not as hardened and repugnant criminals, but as unfortunate and distressed parents. We later read how Henry Kable prospered in the colony.
There is so much interesting information to be gleaned from this book and I do recommend it whole-heartedly. Holden has successfully given a voice to those young ones who first landed in the colony.
REGISTER OF FEES RECEIVED ON TICKETS-OF-LEAVE
1 August 1828 to 8 th October 1859
Microfilm NSW 882.003
This is Reel 891 of the NSW State Record Office Microfilm Reels. In the introductory page, we are reminded that the First Fleet arrived in January 1788, and that transportation of convicts to New South Wales continued until 1842. In that period, around 80,000 convicts were sent.
If the convict was well behaved, he was usually assigned to a private settler as a farm labourer. In the case of the females, they were usually employed as house servants. Minor misdemeanours in the colony were usually punished with floggings or time spent on a treadmill. More serious offences resulted in being sent to an iron gang. The most serious offences saw the removal of the convict to one of the penal settlements.
It is not generally known that fees were collected for tickets-of-leave.
The first part of the film is 4/4541 which covers 1828-1856. Here the columns are –
The register is not alphabetical, and the numbering of the Tickets-of-Leave is not in numerical order. If you know the reference number for your convict’s Ticket-of-Leave, e.g. 29/877, then you will have to search because I found it is placed between Ticket 30/102 and Ticket 30/26.
There are over 900 names here, some with aliases – but the names are not in alphabetical order.
The amount paid is 2 shillings and 8 pence, and is usually paid by the convict himself (or herself). Some show at which Magistrates Bench the fees were paid – many entries were for Windsor Bench and Stonequarry Bench. Some show that a spouse paid the fee, and in some cases it was an employer.
Some entries do not have a number at all! These are mostly conditional pardons – which cost 5 shillings and 6 pence. From 1833, some are listed as Absolute Pardons, and some are referred to as Free Pardons.
There is a whole section under the name Glennie in 1835 – obviously relating to convicts on his property at Patrick Plains.
The film includes actual Tickets-of-Leave for Stephen Parkinson; Thomas Thomas, alias Pythirch; George Price; John Edward Oakley; Uriah Street; and Timothy Ryan.
Of particular interest are the typed footnotes at the bottom of the form used for Timothy Ryan’s Ticket. New regulations obviously were made to replace old ones, as they are numbered 1,3,4,5, and 8.
1. “Holders of Tickets-of-Leave for the District of Sydney, residing within the town, shall be mustered in the Parishes in which they reside, under the inspection of a Police Magistrate, upon the first day of every month (or the second if the first shall fall on a Sunday), at such place and hour for each Parish as the First Police Magistrate shall appoint.”
3. “If a Ticket-of-Leave Holder shall quit his residence for another, in the same Parish, he shall within 24 hours report in writing to the Wardsman of the place to which he removes, or, if the removal be from one Parish to another, he shall report in like manner his removal and actual residence, both to the Wardsman within whose Parish he takes up his new residence. Any neglect of this regulation will cause an immediate Cancellation of his Ticket.”
4. “Holders of Tickets-of-Leave residing without the town of Sydney, but within the District for which Petty Sessions are held at Sydney, shall be Mustered Quarterly in Sydney under the inspection of a Police Magistrate, on the first days of January, April, July and October in every year (or the second if the first shall fall on a Sunday) at such place and time as the First Police Magistrate shall appoint.
5. “Holders of Tickets-of-Leave in the other Districts of the Colony shall be Mustered Quarterly, on the days mentioned in the preceding Regulation, at the Court House at which the Petty Sessions for the District are held, by a Police Magistrate, where such is stationed in the District, or otherwise by the Clerks of Petty Sessions under the inspection of a Justice of the Peace acting for the District.”
8. “The Magistrate Superintending the Muster, will, whenever he thinks it necessary, interrogate the holder of a Ticket-of-Leave, respecting his means of subsistence and manner of life, and if he shall not be satisfied that the Ticket-of-Leave holder subsists honestly, he will tender a Special Report of the case to the Principal Superintendent of Convicts, for the Governor’s information.”
The second part of the film, 4/4542, covers 1856 to 1859. All of these Tickets cost 5 shillings and 6 pence.
The third part, 4/4227, deals with an Index for 1849-1852. Here the columns are –
The Index is alphabetical, but the names under each letter of the alphabet are not listed alphabetically. There are also some copies of actual Tickets-of-Leave in this section.
The final part, 4/4228, covers the years 1852 to 1854 in the same format as the above.
This is a very informative microfilm, but it needs indexing so that the contents can be more readily found.
BANKRUPTCY INDEX 1842-1887
BANKRUPTCY INDEX 1888-1928
Microfilms NSW 834.001/2
These two microfilms were purchased by Convict Connections from the State Records Office of New South Wales as Reels 38 and 39. It is quite a possible that you may find your convict listed here. I personally found that these films well worth looking at, and they may lead you to a new area of research. The dates covered are quite extensive, so you may also find descendants of your convicts.
1842 -1887
The Index is alphabetical. Headings used are –
Also on the film is the Insolvency Index- Supreme Court: Registrar in Bankruptcy, Insolvency Index 1842-1887
1888-1928
Here you are more likely to find descendants of convicts. Headings are: Name, address and occupation; Date of Sequestration; Official assignee; Number; Register; Date of Issue of Certificate.
CONVICTS TO N.S.W. 1788-1812 – Complete listings from the Transportation Records – Compiled and edited by Carol J. Baxter for the Society of Australian Genealogists.
This is an incredibly useful research tool for those who had convicts who arrived between 1788 and 1812. It is easy to navigate your way around, and it also provides the sources from which the information was obtained.
The opening index has columns headed – Reference; Name; Ship; Arrived; Tried; When; Sentence; Age.
When you click on a convict from the list, the information is tabbed under the headings – Trial; Ship; Aliases; Other Details; References; and Notes.
Under Trial, you will find Place; Session; Date; Crime; Sentence; Comments; Hulk Details; Court Martial Details.
Under Ship, you will find Ship; Departed from; Departure Date; Arrived at; Arrival Date.
Under Notes, you will find Certificate of Freedom; Ticket-of-Leave; Conditional Pardon; Absolute Pardon; and Editor’s Remarks.
Of course, not all convicts have entries for each heading. There is a print facility included, and a “help” button for reference. The print-out is one page and gives all the details from each tabbed window.
The references are predominantly for Pro Reels and State Records NSW fiche and microfilm.
Some entries have “Editor’s remarks” included.
In all, this is an excellently presented CD and I recommend you peruse it if you had a convict who was an early arrival.