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Australia's history as a penal colony is well-known, and it is often said that the country was founded by criminals. While this is a foundation myth, it is true that many of the first people to arrive in Australia were convicts, transported from Britain and Ireland. The First Fleet, which arrived in 1787, included six convict transport ships carrying almost 800 convicts, and it is estimated that 20% of Australians today are descended from convicts. However, it is important to note that most of these convicts were transported for minor offences, and the decision to send convicts to Australia was also driven by economic factors and the desire to relieve prison overcrowding in Britain.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of the first penal colony | 26 January 1788 |
| Location of the first penal colony | New South Wales |
| Number of convicts in the First Fleet | 1,000 people, about three-quarters of whom were convicts |
| Total number of convicts transported from Britain and Ireland to Australia | Hundreds of thousands |
| Percentage of Australians descended from convicts | 20% |
| Number of Britons with convict ancestry | 2 million |
| Number of Jewish convicts | 1,000 |
| Percentage of descendants of convicts in Australia today | Large minority |
| Year transportation to New South Wales was abolished | 1 October 1850 |
| Year the Transportation Act was abolished | 1850 |
| Year Moreton Bay penal settlement was closed | 1839 |
| Year free settlement was permitted in Moreton Bay | 1842 |
| Year Queensland became a colony separate from New South Wales | 6 June 1859 |
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What You'll Learn
- The crimes committed by the convicts were often minor by today's standards
- The First Fleet of convict ships arrived in Australia in 1788
- The majority of convicts were English and Welsh
- Convicts were offered incentives and opportunities for social mobility in Australia
- The convict era has inspired Australian culture and national character
The crimes committed by the convicts were often minor by today's standards
The First Australians were not all criminals, but many of them were convicts, transported to Australia as punishment for crimes committed in Britain and Ireland. The crimes committed by these convicts were often considered minor by today's standards.
The Industrial Revolution in Britain led to a surge in petty crime, largely due to economic hardship and unemployment caused by the advent of machinery, which replaced many workers. For those without work, stealing became a means of survival. Prisons and prison ships, known as hulks, were unable to accommodate the overflow, so transportation to the British colonies in North America was introduced as a solution. However, after the American Revolutionary War, America stopped accepting convicts from Britain, and attention turned to Australia.
The Transportation Act 1717 simplified the process of transportation: convicts guilty of capital crimes but commuted by the king received 14 years of transportation, while those convicted of non-capital offences could receive seven years. Convicts transported to Australia had committed a range of crimes, including theft, assault, robbery, and fraud. The majority of these crimes were considered minor, with thieves comprising 80% of all transportees. More serious crimes, such as rape and murder, became transportable offences in the 1830s, but since they were also punishable by death, comparatively few convicts were transported for such crimes.
Some notable examples of minor crimes committed by convicts transported to Australia include:
- Esther Abraham, who was sent to Australia for stealing a roll of lace.
- Samuel Speed, who deliberately set fire to a haystack in order to escape homelessness and was transported in 1866.
- John O'Reilly, a supporter of the Irish independence movement, was charged with treason, which was usually a capital offence, but his young age of 22 resulted in a sentence of 20 years of penal servitude.
- Thomas Muir, who was convicted of sedition for advocating parliamentary reform.
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The First Fleet of convict ships arrived in Australia in 1788
The First Fleet of convict ships, consisting of 11 vessels, arrived in Australia in 1788. The fleet departed from Portsmouth, England, on 13 May 1787 and reached Botany Bay eight months later on 18 January 1788. Botany Bay was initially intended as the site for the convict settlement, but Governor Arthur Phillip rejected it in favour of Port Jackson to the north, which offered deeper water close to the shore, shelter, and a small stream. The fleet arrived at Port Jackson on 26 January 1788, marking the beginning of the European colonisation of Australia and the convict era.
The First Fleet was the largest single contingent of ships to sail into the Pacific Ocean, travelling over 24,000 kilometres (15,000 miles) and enduring challenging conditions during the 250-day voyage. The fleet included two Royal Navy vessels, three storeships, and six convict transports, carrying over 1,400 people, including convicts, marines, sailors, colonial officials, and free settlers. It is estimated that about three-quarters of the passengers were convicts, with numbers ranging from 750 to 780.
The arrival of the First Fleet had a significant impact on the indigenous people of the region, the Eora nation, who were the traditional Aboriginal owners of the Sydney area. The Eora people's way of life was forever altered, and they experienced violence, conflict over land and resources, and devastating losses due to European diseases like smallpox.
The early years of the colony were marked by hardships such as starvation and crop failures and a high mortality rate due to food shortages. The colony relied on the arrival of subsequent fleets for additional supplies and support. The First Fleet of convict ships laid the foundation for the convict era in Australia, which lasted until 1868 and saw the transportation of over 150,000 convicts to the continent.
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The majority of convicts were English and Welsh
The First Australians were not all criminals, but Australia does have a deep history as a British penal colony. The country was initially colonised by the British in 1788, and it is estimated that between 1787 and 1868, hundreds of thousands of convicts were transported from Britain and Ireland to Australia.
The majority of these convicts were English and Welsh. This was due to a variety of factors, including the lack of a police force in England at the time, which led to a high level of criminal activity. The British government responded to this by imposing harsh and excessive punishments, including the death penalty. However, recognising that the number of people being sentenced to death was becoming unmanageable, they sought alternative solutions, which eventually led to the use of transportation as a common punishment.
The American Revolutionary War had halted transportation to North America, so the British government looked to the east and chose Australia as a new penal colony. The First Fleet, which set off in 1787, included six convict transport ships carrying almost 800 convicts, of whom almost 200 were women. The fleet arrived at Botany Bay, Sydney, in 1788, and the first permanent European colony was established within New South Wales.
The convicts transported to Australia were often people who had committed minor offences, such as petty theft, fraud, and violence. Many were also political prisoners or insurgents. The labour of these convicts was put to use in the creation of a colonised nation, and their presence has undoubtedly shaped Australia's sense of lawlessness and independence.
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Convicts were offered incentives and opportunities for social mobility in Australia
The idea that Australia was founded by criminals is a foundation myth. While it is true that many of the first people to arrive in Australia were convicts, they were mostly transported for petty crimes such as theft. In fact, it is estimated that around 20% of Australians are descendants of convicts, with approximately four million Australians related to transported convicts.
Convicts were subject to onerous physical punishment, such as whippings, solitary confinement, and the wearing of leg irons. However, they were also offered incentives and opportunities for social mobility. For instance, they were well-fed, receiving more than twice the calories of English labourers. Convicts who behaved well could be given a ticket of leave, granting them some freedom. At the end of their sentence, they were issued with a Certificate of Freedom and could either return to England or become settlers in Australia.
Most convicts in Western Australia spent very little time in prison. While under ticket-of-leave orders, convicts could earn their own living. Many ex-convicts stayed in Australia and joined the free settlers, with some rising to prominent positions in Australian society. For example, Esther Abraham, who was transported for stealing a roll of lace, hooked up with George Johnston, the first lieutenant of the New South Wales Marine Corps. Johnston, who later led the Rum Rebellion, received large land grants, which Abraham eventually obtained in her own right.
The colonial administration viewed convict labour as an opportunity for redemption, with Governor Phillip believing that "honest sweat" was the convict's best chance of improvement. Convicts could also be assigned to create infrastructure for the convict system, such as the Convict Establishment in Fremantle.
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The convict era has inspired Australian culture and national character
The idea that Australia was founded by criminals is a foundation myth that seems to fit the Australian self-image of independence and self-reliance. However, it is important to note that criminals only made up a small proportion of early colonists, and Australia's economic potential was likely a more significant factor in its colonisation. Nevertheless, the convict era has had a significant influence on Australian culture and national character.
The convict era in Australia lasted from 1788 to 1868 and involved the transportation of about 162,000 convicts from Great Britain and Ireland to various penal colonies in Australia. The British government sought to relieve overcrowding in prisons and hulks, and Australia was chosen as the site of a penal colony to pre-empt the expansion of the French colonial empire into the region. The First Fleet of eleven convict ships arrived in Botany Bay on 20 January 1788, establishing the first European settlement on the continent, which later became Sydney, New South Wales.
The convict era has inspired famous novels, films, and other cultural works, and it has been studied by many writers and historians. For example, the character of Abel Magwitch in Charles Dickens' novel "Great Expectations" is a convict, and Marcus Clarke's novel "For the Term of His Natural Life" is considered the most famous convict novel. The extent to which the convict era has shaped Australia's national character has been a subject of debate and analysis.
Some argue that the convict era contributed to an anti-authoritarian attitude in Australia, with the high standing of working men and the prevalence of their values in the culture. The shortage of labour in the colonies removed the fear of the boss, and men wandered independently from station to station, not bound to one employer. This sense of independence and mateship among men is often associated with the convict origins of the nation. Additionally, the legacy of convict criminals has shaped Australia's sense of lawlessness and a national appreciation for the underdog.
The convict era has also influenced Australian literature and theatre. For example, the poems of Frank the Poet are among the few surviving literary works created by a convict while still incarcerated. George Barrington is recorded as having written the prologue for the first theatrical play performed by convicts in Australia, titled "Our Country's Good".
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, many of the first people to settle in Australia were criminals. However, it is important to note that many of them were only guilty of minor offences, such as petty theft, that would not be considered crimes today.
In the 18th century, criminal activity was extremely common in England due to a lack of police force in the country. This led to an increase in the number of people being sentenced to death. The British government acknowledged that the number of people being met with capital punishment was getting out of control and so in 1718, they declared the Transportation Act. Initially, this involved sending criminals to America, but after the American Revolution, the British government looked to Australia as an alternative location.
The criminals were sent to penal colonies, where they were put to work. The labour was back-breaking and led to the creation of a colonised nation. Once a convict had served their sentence, they could remain in Australia and climb the social ranks, or they could pay to return to England.
The convict era has inspired famous novels, films, and other cultural works. It is estimated that 20% of Australians are descendants of convicts, and around 2 million Britons have convict ancestry. The extent to which the convict era has shaped Australia's national character has been studied by many writers and historians.
