History has had a tendency to focus on male stories to the detriment of women, and the story of Tasmania's convicts is no exception. When we think about the early days of the British convicts sent to Port Arthur, we usually imagine men, and career criminals at that. However, between 1803 and 1853 over 12,500 women and 2,500 children were sent to Tasmania (and countless others to the Australian mainland). Often their crimes seem minor (petty larceny, theft of a few pounds, in one case theft of a few geese), though at least a few women were guilty of murder. Their first stop was often Hunter Island, off of Hobart, where they were assigned to the Female Factories or workhouses for the duration of their sentence. Tasks included needlework, washing, barrack duties, carding wool, spinning, cooking, or working as hospital attendants. Punishments were harsh: a months hard labor was a common punishment for refusing to make a bed, for instance, and other punishments included beatings, cell confinement on bread and water, and having to wear an iron collar for a month. Convicts could apply for tickets of leave or free pardons from the government to leave the factories; these could be denied for such reasons as absconding, being absent from muster, or being pregnant. They had to apply to the government to obtain for permission to marry, which was frequently denied.
While some of the children sent to Tasmania were convicts themselves, others were orphans or the children of female convicts. Orphan schools were sometimes set up to provide for their education.
The Female Convicts Research Center (second link below) is an institution devoted to researching and remembering the lives of these women. This looks like a formidable task, since many of the women changed their names and disappeared from written records after obtaining their freedom. Still, they have an impressive collection of data, including fascinating stories of individual women. It's definitely worth checking out if you find this type of history interesting!
A successful ex-convict family.
Also, in case you're wondering how all this is relevant today, apparently up to 74% of Tasmania's current population is descended from convicts.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-24/footsteps-towards-freedom-art-project-begins/6251596
http://www.femaleconvicts.org.au/index.php/about-us/photos
http://www.linc.tas.gov.au/research/browse-by-category/familyhistory/convict
http://www.alisonalexander.com.au/index.php/books/tasmania-s-convicts
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