How did convicts contribute to the development of Australia?

In the first 50 years of white settlement, society was changing rapidly. Free settlers were moving to Australia, and convicts were increasingly employed to work for them. As convicts either finished their sentence, or were pardoned, they were able to earn a living and sustain themselves through jobs and land grants.

What was the purpose of transportation as a punishment?

Transportation was often a punishment given to people found guilty of theft – 80 per cent of transported convicts were guilty of theft. Most were repeat offenders. Transportation was also a punishment given to protesters. Some of the Luddites, Rebecca Rioters and the Tolpuddle Martyrs were transported.

What overall benefits were provided to the Australian colonies by the presence of convicts?

Convicts played a very important role in the establishment of New South Wales and most other Australian colonies. Up to the 1840s, much of the labour that opened the interior and built the towns, roads and bridges, and supported the farmers was provided by convicts.

What crimes lead to transportation to Australia?

Those who were taken to Australia had committed a range of different crimes including theft, assault, robbery and fraud. As part of their punishment they were sentenced to penal transportation for seven years, fourteen years or even life, despite the crimes that they had committed being generally low-grade.

What was the most common sentence of Transportation received by convicts sent to Australia?

Frequently, female convicts ended up as “prisoners of the prisoners” and were sold like slaves. “The sentence of the court upon you is, that you be transported beyond the seas for the term of your natural life.” More commonly, criminals were sentenced to Australia for a specific term like 7 or 14 years.

What did convicts do to become a convict?

10 common crimes committed by convicts

• Petty theft. By far the most common crime that led to transportation was petty theft or larceny.
• Burglary or housebreaking.
• Highway robbery.
• Stealing clothing.
• Stealing animals.
• Military offences.
• Prostitution.
• Crimes of deception.

What were the 19 crimes that sent prisoners to Australia?

The crimes that make up 19 Crimes include:

• Grand Larceny, theft above the value of one shilling.
• Petty Larceny, theft under one shilling.
• Buying or receiving stolen goods, jewels, and plate…
• Stealing lead, iron, or copper, or buying or receiving.
• Impersonating an Egyptian.
• Stealing from furnished lodgings.

What was the term used for sending convicts to Australia?

By the late 1840s most convicts being sent to Van Diemen’s Land (plus those to Victoria) were designated as “exiles” and were free to work for pay while under sentence.

Where were convicts initially taken by transportation ships?

Between 1788 and 1868, about 162,000 convicts were transported from Britain and Ireland to various penal colonies in Australia. The British Government began transporting convicts overseas to American colonies in the early 18th century.

How were convicts transported to Australia and what was the journey like?

The journey was long and hard. For the first 20 years, prisoners were chained up for the entire 8 months at sea. The cells were divided into compartments by wooden or iron bars. On some ships as many as 50 convicts were crammed into one compartment.

When did transportation of convicts end in Australia?

On 9 January 1868 the convict transport Hougoumont arrived at the port of Fremantle. On board were 269 convicts, the last to be sent to Western Australia. The ship’s arrival marked the end of 80 years of continuous penal transportation to the Australian continent.

What were the nineteen crimes?

The Crimes.

• Grand Larceny, theft above the value of one shilling.
• Petty Larceny, theft under one shilling.
• Buying or receiving stolen goods, jewels, and plate…
• Stealing lead, iron, or copper, or buying or receiving.
• Impersonating an Egyptian.
• Stealing from furnished lodgings.
• Setting fire to underwood.

How many convicts were transported to Western Australia?

Transportation continued in small numbers to Western Australia. The last convict ship, the Hougoumont, left Britain in 1867 and arrived in Western Australia on 10 January 1868. In all, about 164,000 convicts were transported to the Australian colonies between 1788 and 1868 on board 806 ships.

Where did the convicts go to work?

Backhouse, Edward, A chain gang, convicts going to work near Sidney [i.e. Sydney], New South Wales  1843,nla.obj-138467409 From January 1788, when the First Fleet of convicts arrived at Botany Bay, to the end of convict transportation 80 years later, over 160,000 convicts were transported to Australia.

When was Western Australia converted to a penal colony?

In 1849 the British Government authorised the conversion of Western Australia from a free settlement to a penal colony. On 9 January 1868 the convict transport Hougoumont arrived at the port of Fremantle.

What is the best way to research the history of convict?

A good starting point for convict research is the record of the convict’s arrival in Australia. It is best to have an idea of: the colony to which he/she was transported. Each of the three colonies which received convicts have separate records.