Convict History - Shame or Pride?

"This was the largest forced exile of citizens in pre-modern history. Nothing in earlier penology compares with it. ....No other country had such a birth..." Robert Hughes 'The Fatal Shore'.

So you think you may have a few convict skeletons in the family closet? You are one of the lucky ones!!

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.

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. Elizabeth Hayward, at 13, was the youngest girl.

**Over 60 years, 40000 men and women from Great Britain and Ireland were transported.

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