| The Convicts | ||
Convicts |
ConvictsAustralia's first European settlement occurred in 1788 when the 11 ships of the First Fleet landed a cargo of about 780 British convicts and their gaolers at Botany Bay in New South Wales. About eighty years later, when the final shipment of convicts embarked in Western Australia, the total had risen to about 162,000 male and female convicts transported from Britain to Australia. About 70% were from England, 5% from Scotland and 25% from Ireland. Often they had been imprisoned for debt or other comparatively minor crimes and many of the Irish were political prisoners. They may have been regarded as the dregs of British society, but they were to become the backbone of a new nation as its population headed for one million by the year 1850. Convicts were normally sentenced to 7 or 14 year terms but others received sentences of 10 years and life. If they were well behaved, convicts were not usually required to serve their full terms and could qualify for a Ticket of Leave, Certificate of Freedom, Conditional Pardon or even an Absolute Pardon. With good conduct, a convict serving a seven-year term usually qualified for a Ticket of Leave after 4-5 years and those serving 14 years could expect to serve between 6-8 years. Lifers could qualify for their Ticket after about 10-12 years. Those who failed to qualify for a pardon were entitled to a Certificate of Freedom on the completion of their term that was calculated from their trial date. In 1788 the British colony of New South Wales comprised the entire eastern half of the Australian continent and stretched out into the Pacific Ocean where it took in numerous islands, including the north and south islands of New Zealand. Early convicts were all sent to Botany Bay, but by the early 1800s they were also being sent directly to other locations. The main destinations were Botany Bay, Norfolk Island, Van Diemen's Land, Port Macquarie and Moreton Bay. New Zealand separated from New South Wales in 1841 and during the 19th century New South Wales evolved into a group of British colonies. The western third of the continent was also claimed by Britain in 1827 and Western Australia became the new destination for convict transports after transportation ceased in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania in the late 1840s and early 1850s. A further 9,720 convicts were transported on 43 ships to the Swan River Colony in the eighteen years until the last transport arrived in 1868. In 1901 the colonies federated to form a unified, independent nation. The Commonwealth of Australia is made up of six states - New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia and two territories - the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory that was established in 1911. Source: Tracing your family history in Australia: a guide to sources, Nick Vine Hall, Adelaide: Rigby, 1994. |