Leslie Massey
Australia was populated by convicts from England, Ireland, and Scotland as a punishment for crimes committed in these countries. The British government acknowledged that the number of people being met with capital punishment was getting out of control, and so transportation to Australia was used as an alternative to execution. The majority of convicts were transported for non-violent property crimes, and many for extremely minor offences. The first fleet of convicts arrived in Australia in 1787, and over the next 80 years, more than 160,000 convicts were transported to the country.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of the first penal colony | 1788 |
| Country of origin of convicts | England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales |
| Percentage of Irish convicts | 24% |
| Percentage of Scottish convicts | 5% |
| Percentage of female convicts | 20% |
| Crimes committed | Theft, robbery, political insurgency |
| Colonies receiving convicts | New South Wales, Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), Swan River (Western Australia) |
| Colonies not receiving convicts | South Australia, Victoria |
| First free settlers colony | Swan River Colony (Western Australia) |
| Year of the last convict ship | 1868 |
| Year of the abolition of the Transportation Act | 1850 |
| Percentage of Australians descended from convicts | 20% |
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What You'll Learn
The British government's decision to send convicts to Australia
In the 18th century, criminal activity was rampant in England, especially in cities, and punishment was often harsh and excessive. The lack of a police force in England meant that victims of crimes had to take matters into their own hands, hiring mobs to locate perpetrators. As a result, courts often handed down death sentences to get criminals off the streets, regardless of the severity of the crime. Recognising that the number of people being sentenced to capital punishment was becoming unmanageable, the British government sought alternative solutions.
In 1783, James Matra, who had been a junior officer on James Cook's 1768 voyage to the Pacific, proposed to the British government that Botany Bay would be a suitable location for a colony. Initially, the plan was for the colony to serve as an asylum for British loyalists who wanted to leave America following its independence. However, after meeting with Home Secretary Lord Sydney, the scheme was altered to include mostly convicts instead. This proposal was supported by Joseph Banks, who had accompanied Matra on the 1768 voyage.
On May 13, 1787, the 'first fleet' set sail for Australia, comprising 11 ships carrying a mix of Royal Navy vessels, supply ships, and ships for criminal transportation. Over the next 80 years, more than 160,000 convicts were transported to Australia, with the majority coming from England and Wales, and smaller contingents from Ireland and Scotland. Convicts were transported for a range of crimes, with theft being the most common offence, accounting for 80% of transportees. Other crimes included political prisoners, such as Irish home rule insurgents and anti-industrialising Luddites.
The decision to send convicts to Australia had a significant impact on the development of the colonies and the shape of Australian society. Once their sentences were served, many convicts chose to remain in Australia, starting new lives and contributing to the growth of the nation. Today, it is estimated that approximately 20% of Australians are descendants of convicts, and the country has embraced its crime-ridden past, with numerous cultural works and landmarks celebrating this era.
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The majority of convicts were from England and Wales
The majority of convicts transported to Australia were from England and Wales. Between 1787 and 1868, hundreds of thousands of convicts were transported from Britain and Ireland to Australia. The population of England and Wales, which had remained steady at 6 million from 1700 to 1740, began rising considerably after 1740. By the time of the American Revolution, London was overcrowded, filled with the unemployed, and flooded with cheap gin. Poverty, social injustice, child labour, harsh and dirty living conditions, and long working hours were prevalent in 19th-century Britain.
The first permanent European colony on the Australian continent was established within New South Wales in 1788. The area has since developed into the city of Sydney. The members of the first fleet suffered a high mortality rate, mainly due to starvation from food shortages. The ships carried enough food to provide for the settlers until they could establish agriculture in the region, but there were insufficient skilled farmers and domesticated livestock to achieve this.
Most convicts were sentenced in the rapidly growing cities of Britain, where displaced rural populations struggled to find work in an increasingly industrialised world. The rise in the population of England and Wales contributed to the overcrowding in London, which led to an increase in crime rates. Convicts were mainly transported for non-violent property crimes, and more than half were exiled for their first offence. About 20% of those convicted were female, and a small proportion were political prisoners.
Convicts were sent to Australia to work, with their sentences stipulating that they would work from sunrise to sunset, Monday to Saturday. This was their punishment, but the colonial administration also viewed it as an opportunity for redemption. Once their sentences were served, most convicts stayed in Australia and joined the free settlers, with some rising to prominent positions in Australian society.
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The crimes committed by convicts
The majority of convicts transported to Australia were convicted of petty crimes, with theft being the most common offence. In fact, thieves made up 80% of all transportees. Other crimes included assault, robbery, and fraud. The Industrial Revolution saw a surge in petty crime, largely due to economic hardship and unemployment caused by the advent of machinery, which replaced human labour. As a result, many people migrated from rural areas to cities in search of work, and stealing became a means of survival for those who could not find employment. Robbery of small items like food and clothing could result in transportation for seven years.
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. The Transportation Act of 1717 outlined that convicts guilty of capital crimes but commuted by the king would receive 14 years of transportation, while those convicted of non-capital offences could receive seven years.
A small proportion of convicts were political prisoners, including Irish home rule insurgents, the unionist Tolpuddle Martyrs, anti-industrialising Luddites, Canadian rebels, and political reforming Chartists. Some convicts were also non-indigenous black convicts who had been enslaved and were transported for resisting their enslavement or speaking or acting against the British Empire.
Convicts lived under very strict rules in Australia, and any breaking of those regulations could result in harsh punishments 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. Despite the harsh conditions, most convicts stayed in Australia after serving their sentences, and some even rose to prominent positions in Australian society.
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The impact of the convict era on Australia's culture
Australia's history is deeply intertwined with its role as a British penal colony. From 1788 to 1868, the British penal system transported about 162,000 convicts from Great Britain and Ireland to various penal colonies in Australia. The story of the Australian convicts is one of hardship, survival, and transformation, laying the foundation for modern Australian society. The impact of the convict era on Australia's culture was complex and far-reaching.
Population Growth and Development
The transportation of convicts helped populate Australia, and many of the convicts themselves became the first free settlers. Over time, some convicts gained their freedom through "ticket of leave" systems or through the completion of their sentences. Many of these former convicts became successful landowners, farmers, and businessmen, contributing to Australia's economy and infrastructure growth.
Social Hierarchy
The convict era created a distinct social hierarchy. Free settlers, often from the British upper class, looked down upon the convicts, but over time, this animosity diminished. Some saw the so-called ""convict stain"" of ancestry with shame, but for others, it became a point of pride as it symbolised survival and resilience.
Cultural Legacy
The convict system also left a lasting impact on Australian culture. It has inspired famous novels, films, and other cultural works, and its influence on Australia's national character has been studied by many writers and historians. Convicts were a popular subject during Australia's silent film era, with the first convict film released in 1908. The "convict stain" of convictism carried a social stigma for some later Australians, and being of convict descent instilled a sense of shame and cultural cringe. However, attitudes became more accepting in the 20th century, and today, many Australians celebrate finding a convict in their lineage.
Reconciliation
The convict era also had implications for Australia's relationship with its Aboriginal population. What had been a fragile accommodation between some Aboriginal First Nations and the Europeans was shattered when the penal settlements transformed into pastoral capitalist economies in the 1830s, leading to massacres and Black Wars. The role of convicts in dispossession is complex, with some integrating into Aboriginal society, while others formed working alliances. The conquest of Aboriginal Nations provides a profound and lasting scar on Australia's history, and efforts towards Reconciliation have been made in recent decades.
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The lives of convicts in Australia
Between 1788 and 1868, the British penal system transported about 162,000 convicts from Great Britain and Ireland to various penal colonies in Australia. Penal transportation to Australia peaked in the 1830s and dropped off significantly in the following decade, as protests against the convict system intensified throughout the colonies. The majority of the 165,000 convicts transported to Australia were poor and illiterate, victims of the Poor Laws and social conditions in Georgian England. They were mainly from England and Wales, with a large contingent of Irish (24 per cent) and a much smaller number of Scots (5 per cent). Most were sentenced in the rapidly growing cities of Britain, where displaced rural populations struggled to find work in an increasingly industrialised world.
Convicts were transported as punishment for crimes committed in Britain and Ireland. In Australia, their lives were hard as they helped build the young colony. They were treated very harshly, labouring in cold and wet weather, and subjected to severe corporal punishment for minor infractions. They were made to wear distinctive parti-coloured uniforms of yellow and black or dark brown, and were assigned to hard labour and government work in chain gangs.
Most convicts were transported for petty crimes, particularly theft: thieves comprised 80% of all transportees. Three-quarters of convicts were transported for non-violent property crimes, and more than half were exiled for their first offence. 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. A small proportion of convicts were political prisoners, including Irish home rule insurgents, the unionist Tolpuddle Martyrs, anti-industrialising Luddites, Canadian rebels and political reforming Chartists.
Once emancipated, most ex-convicts stayed in Australia and joined the free settlers, with some rising to prominent positions in Australian society. However, convictism carried a social stigma and, for some later Australians, being of convict descent instilled a sense of shame and cultural cringe. Attitudes became more accepting in the 20th century, and it is now considered by many Australians to be a cause for celebration to discover a convict in one's lineage.
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Frequently asked questions
Transportation to Australia was used as an alternative punishment to execution for crimes committed in Britain and Ireland.
Most convicts were transported for non-violent property crimes, particularly theft. Three-quarters of convicts were exiled for this reason, and 80% of all transportees were thieves.
Convicts transported to Australia were largely from England and Wales, with smaller contingents from Ireland (24%) and Scotland (5%).
