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Between 1787 and 1868, hundreds of thousands of convicts were transported from Britain and Ireland to Australia. The transportation of convicts was a common sentence for people convicted of crimes for which the death penalty was deemed too severe. The First Fleet, which set off in 1787, included six ships transporting around 1,000 convicts. The transportation penal system reached its peak in the 1830s, with nearly 7,000 people arriving in one year. By the time the last convict ship arrived in Western Australia in 1868, more than 160,000 convicts had been transported.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Total number of convicts transported to Australia | 160,000+ |
| Year transportation to Australia began | 1787 |
| Year transportation to Australia ended | 1868 |
| Peak year for convict transportation to Australia | 1833 |
| Number of convicts transported to Australia in peak year | 7,000 |
| Number of convicts transported to Australia on the First Fleet | 736-1,000 |
| Number of ships in the First Fleet | 6-11 |
| Percentage of convicts who were female | 20% [one in five] |
| Percentage of convicts who were Irish | 24% |
| Percentage of convicts who were Scottish | 5% |
| Typical sentence length for robbery or theft | 7 years |
| Maximum sentence length for robbery or theft | 14 years |
| Number of convicts transported to Australia between 1841 and 1850 | 26,000 |
| Number of convicts transported to Western Australia between 1860 and 1868 | 9,700 |
| Number of Australians estimated to be descended from convicts | 4,000,000 |
| Number of Britons estimated to be descended from convicts | 2,000,000 |
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What You'll Learn
The First Fleet
The majority of those transported on the First Fleet were convicts, tried and convicted in Great Britain, particularly England. The crimes committed by these convicts were often minor offences, such as petty theft, fraud, and violence. However, some political prisoners were also among the convicts, including Irish home rule insurgents and anti-industrialising Luddites. The convicts were subjected to harsh conditions during the journey, with many not surviving due to illnesses and the cramped and unhygienic environment.
The arrival of the First Fleet had a significant impact on the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land in the Sydney area, the Eora people. It marked the beginning of waves of convict transportation to Australia, which lasted until 1868, and it is estimated that around one-fifth of the current Australian population is descended from these transported convicts.
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Convict labour
The British government transported convicts to Australia as a source of labour and to solve the problem of overcrowded prisons in Britain. Between 1788 and 1868, approximately 171,000 men, women and children convicted of crimes in Britain and its colonies were transported to Australia as part of their punishment. The number of convicts transported peaked in 1833 when nearly 7,000 people arrived in one year.
The majority of convicts were English and Welsh, with a large contingent of Irish people (24%) and a smaller number of Scots (5%). Most were sentenced in rapidly growing British cities, where displaced rural populations struggled to find work in an increasingly industrialised world. Many were convicted of non-violent property crimes such as theft, fraud, robbery, and assault. However, a small proportion were political prisoners, including Irish home rule insurgents, the unionist Tolpuddle Martyrs, anti-industrialising Luddites, Canadian rebels, and political reforming Chartists.
The transportation of convicts to Australia ended in 1868. Today, it is estimated that around 20% of the Australian population, or around 4 million Australians, are descended from convicts transported from Britain and Ireland.
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Political prisoners
Between 1787 and 1868, hundreds of thousands of convicts were transported from Britain and Ireland to Australia. The transportation of convicts to Australia peaked in 1833, when nearly 7,000 people arrived in one year.
Among those transported were political prisoners who had been convicted of no crime. Approximately 3,600 political prisoners were transported to the Australian colonies, many of whom arrived in waves corresponding to political unrest in Britain and Ireland.
The first free settlers arrived in New South Wales in 1793, but convicts remained in the majority until the great influx of people lured by the gold rushes of the 1850s. Convicts were mainly from England and Wales, with a large contingent of Irish (24%) and a much smaller number of Scots (5%). Most were sentenced in the rapidly growing cities of Britain, where displaced rural populations struggled to find work in an increasingly industrialised world.
The small proportion of convicts who were political prisoners included Irish home rule insurgents, the unionist Tolpuddle Martyrs, anti-industrialising Luddites, Canadian rebels, and political reforming Chartists.
Convicts were sent to Australia to work. They lived under very strict rules, and any breaking of those regulations could result in punishment such as whippings, the wearing of leg irons, or solitary confinement. Serious crimes could result in sentences to hard-labour prisons such as Port Arthur or Norfolk Island. By the mid-1830s, only 6% of convicts were locked up; the vast majority worked for the government or free settlers and, with good behaviour, could earn a ticket of leave, conditional pardon, or even an absolute pardon. While under such orders, convicts could earn their own living. The majority of convicts stayed on in Australia after their sentences were served. Once free, they could own land, and under Governor Lachlan Macquarie (1810-21), some were appointed to key positions in the colonial government.
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Public opposition
Between 1788 and 1868, the British penal system transported about 162,000 convicts from Britain and Ireland to various penal colonies in Australia. The British government initially transported convicts to America in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. However, with the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, transportation to North America halted, and the British government sought alternative locations.
Moral Concerns and Changing Attitudes:
The transportation of convicts to Australia faced moral opposition from some segments of the public. Sir William Molesworth, a Radical Member of Parliament, led a commission of inquiry in 1837 that examined the morality of the penal system. Molesworth found the system of assigning convicts to individuals iniquitous and recommended its abolition. He also condemned practices like flogging. While Molesworth's portrayal of colonial society as violent and morally suspect outraged colonists, his report was well-received by the administration of Prime Minister Lord Melbourne, leading to the cessation of transportation to New South Wales in 1840.
Economic Concerns:
Some colonists and landowners opposed the transportation system due to economic interests. For example, the rise of a well-coordinated anti-transportation movement in Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) was partly driven by a severe economic depression in the early 1840s. Additionally, the influx of convicts as a source of free or low-cost labour may have negatively impacted local labour markets and economic opportunities for some colonists.
Public Safety and Social Stigma:
There were also concerns about public safety, as evidenced by the murder of Robert Wardell, a friend of William Charles Wentworth, by a convict in 1834. This incident likely fuelled opposition to transportation, particularly among those in the colony. Furthermore, convicts who had served their sentences and became free settlers continued to face social stigma and the label of being a criminal, which had lasting effects on their lives.
Alternatives to Transportation:
With the rise of industrialisation and rural populations migrating to cities, theft and other crimes increased as people struggled to survive. This led to overcrowding in prisons. Initially, transportation was seen as a solution to this problem. However, as public opposition to transportation grew, alternatives had to be considered. The British government investigated transporting convicts to Africa and the Caribbean, but neither destination was deemed suitable.
The End of Transportation:
The transportation penal system reached its peak in the 1830s, with nearly 7,000 convicts arriving in Australia in 1833 alone. However, by this time, public support for the system was waning. The last convict ship to arrive in Western Australia was on January 10, 1868, marking the end of 80 years of continuous penal transportation to the Australian continent. The end of transportation reflected a changing approach and attitude towards crime and punishment, and those who had suffered the fate of transportation eventually joined their fellow Australians as free settlers.
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End of transportation
The penal transportation of convicts from Britain to Australia ended in 1868. The last convict ship to arrive in Western Australia was the Hougoumont, which landed on 10 January 1868. The end of transportation came after a long period of decline in the number of convicts being sent to Australia. The penal system was wound down due to changing attitudes towards crime and punishment, and the growth of free settlers in the Australian colonies.
The transportation of convicts to Australia began with the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788. The First Fleet set off from Britain in 1787, aiming to establish a penal colony in New South Wales. Transportation was introduced as an alternative to the death penalty, which was becoming increasingly criticised in Britain. It was also a solution to the problem of overcrowded prisons, which were filling up with people convicted of crimes such as theft, fraud, and violence—crimes driven by economic hardship and unemployment caused by industrialisation.
The penal transportation system reached its peak in the 1830s, with nearly 7,000 convicts arriving in Australia in 1833. However, by the mid-1830s, the number of free settlers entering New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) was increasing, and opposition to the transportation of convicts grew. Influential spokesmen, such as newspaper proprietors and members of the church, argued that convicts were a source of crime and competition for honest free labourers. This opposition received a boost when a friend of Australian lawyer William Charles Wentworth was murdered by a convict in 1834.
In 1840, the suspension of convict transportation to New South Wales was achieved through the efforts of men like Wentworth and Australian-born lawyer Bourke, who worked to combat the inhumane treatment of convicts. Transportation was temporarily revived in 1846 due to overcrowding in British jails, but it was officially abolished in New South Wales in 1850. The Australasian Anti-Transportation League was formed in 1850 to lobby for the permanent cessation of transportation, and their aims were furthered by the Australian gold rushes of 1851, which attracted a great influx of free settlers.
In 1849, Western Australia was converted into a penal colony, and it received convicts until 1868. Overall, approximately 165,000 convicts were transported to Australia, with an estimated one-fifth of the current Australian population descended from these convicts.
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Frequently asked questions
Between 1787 and 1868, hundreds of thousands of convicts were transported from Britain and Ireland to Australia. Some sources place the number at over 160,000, while others estimate the number to be around 60,000.
Transportation was introduced to address the overcrowding of British prisons, which was caused by a soaring population and social disruptions brought about by the Industrial Revolution. Initially, British convicts were sent to colonies in North America, but this was halted by the American Revolutionary War. Australia was seen as a potential alternative destination.
Transportation meant that convicts suffered the loss of everything and everyone they had ever known, endured harsh conditions during a perilous sea journey, and struggled to survive in a strange and forbidding landscape. Many convicts worked on creating infrastructure for the convict system and were hired to work by free settlers. Despite the hardships, some convicts found that life in Australia offered possibilities not available at home.
