Convict Lives

Who were the convicts? What sort of people were they, and what crimes had they committed for which they were sent into exile thousands of miles away from home? It is a question which has intrigued many historians, and generated much debate amongst them.

As the historian Clark points out, perhaps “the best source for a broad classification of the types of convicts is the Indents of Convict Ships.¹” The question then becomes one of interpretation. Clark himself draws several conclusions from these indents, notably that the vast majority of crimes for which convicts were sentenced to transportation were theft-related. A study of the convict indent of the Pyramus, from 1836, suggests that this was indeed the case, as twenty-nine of the thirty-one female convicts listed were convicted for theft or robbery. Clark also argues that the occupations of the convicts listed in the indents suggests that they were mostly middle-class, semi-skilled urban dwellers; essentially part of what he describes as a “criminal class”.

Other historians have drawn different conclusions from this data. Deborah Oxley contends that the semi-skilled nature of the convicts was a quality necessary for the creation and expansion of a new colony, although she does focus in particular on female convicts.

While many historians have tried, attempting to find a broad classification for all convicts transported to Australia is inherently problematic. The issue lies chiefly in the sheer scale of the enterprise: between 1788 and 1868 approximately 160,000 convicts were transported to Australia² from all over Britain and it's empire. Futher complicating the issue is the changing sentiment on capital punishment which occured Britain during this period. A study of the convict indent of the Hougoumont from 1868, thirty-two years after the Pyramus, reveals several key differences. Firstly, all the convicts listed are male, but more importantly their crimes appear to be much more serious in nature than those committed by the convicts of Pyamus. For example, they include murder, rape, grievous bodily harm and high treason.

Perhaps what can be taken out of this discussion is that the position of each of the historians mentioned bears some merit, so that the truest picture of Australia's convict past must reflect aspects of each.

A Convict Ship, c 1840 Hobart Town

http://www.pictureaustralia.org/apps/pictureaustralia?action=PADisplay&mode=display&rs=resultset-3636766&no=13

1Clark, Manning 'The Origins of the Convicts Transported to Eastern Australia 1787-1852' in Gare, Deborah, Ritter David Making Australian History: Perspectives on the Past Since 1788, Cengage Learning (Sydney 2008) p. 103

2Gare, Deborah, Ritter David Making Australian History: Perspectives on the Past Since 1788, Cengage Learning (Sydney 2008) p. 95