FOLLIES, FEARS & FORTUNES? FEMALE CONVICTS - TROVE TUESDAY 8th Oct 2019 PT.1

Illustrated London News17.8.1850

FOLLIES, FEARS & FORTUNES?
Pt. 1. 

There is a wealth of information on convicts in general and there seems to be much more available on female convicts over the last few years. As with the men, they were heavily regulated as to what they could or could not do... They came from all walks of life, with all kinds of 'talents' and trained and untrained. Some were multiple offenders, others were just unlucky that they offended at a time when there was seen to be a shortage of women in the Australian colony.

Some women were accompanied by small children, some had actually committed crimes so that they would be sent to the colony in the hope of reuniting with their husbands and families... though not all were successful in doing so once they were here. Most were to become servants to free settlers, or to remain in the female factories where they would hopefully learn a trade if they didn't already have one.

These are just some of the crimes that could result in a free sea voyage...

There were rules and regulations for every aspect of their lives...all set out in the Goverment Gazettes of the time...

New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900), Wednesday 24 October 1832 (No.34)   National Library of Australia      http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230389211

If they were well behaved and had concluded their sentence, they could be granted their Ticket of Leave..

Government Gazettes reported all kinds of information.. they are a researcher's dream, though they can take quite a lot of searching to find what you are looking for.. All can be found regularly in TROVE.

New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900), Wednesday 11 September 1833  nla.news-article230390701.3   

The Sydney Monitor published a long dissertation as to the comments of Dr. Lang, who wrote his opinions in The Colonist...  a very interesting read..  Please click to enlarge
Sydney Monitor (NSW : 1828 - 1838), Wednesday 23 March 1836, page 2  

National Library of Australia  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32150994

  

Those with Tickets of Leave had their names published, mostly just a few at a time..

June 1836

This notice made me smile... I wonder why...

There were regular notices of this sort when ships arrived..

NSW Gov. Gaz. 1 May 1839

Sometimes they just had to set the facts straight.

New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900), Wednesday 8 May 1839 (No.414) National Library of Australia    

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230383601

Parramatta Female Factory    range of solitary cells

More rules and changes....

New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900), Wednesday 2 December 1840 (No.79)  National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230139400
Please click on first clipping to enlarge

New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900), Friday 10 March 1843 (No.22), National Library of Australia     http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230103571

Please click on first clipping to enlarge

Female Factory, Brisbane.. with St. Stephen's to the left
out of copyright


FURTHER READING

You can read more about the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement here


Contained on microfilm at the Queensland State Archives, “Moreton Bay Penal Settlement Maps and Architectural Plans,” Series I.D. 3739.

Read why the women's prison was moved to Eagle Farm...

Eagle Farm Women’s Prison and Factory in Brisbane yields artefacts from convict history 

The Courier-Mail

You can listen to a podcast from The World Today... 

Female Convicts Contribution Recognised 

here

There is a great article on ABC News by Ainsley Koch

The best convict sites in Tasmania you've never heard of

 Well worth reading.

In Part 2 of  

FOLLIES, FEARS & FORTUNES?   FEMALE CONVICTS 

I will examine the lives of a few female convicts and will show you where to find more on them.