In my personal study I would like to look at the convicted criminals who transported to Australia from Ipswich
and Woodbridge gaol in early 19th century. In the period of 1825- 1841 the 105 peoples sentenced to transportation
from Woodbrige gaol (S.R.O 106/3/8.3-8.4) and 205 people's sentence to transportation from Ipswich jail between
1840-1856. Unfortunately I could not find the gaol record of Margaret Catchpole who sent to Australia in 1801
after a robbery on the 3rd June 1797. Followed the Ipswich Journal that published in 29th October 1974, she had
a trial on the 19th August but she escaped from jail on the 29th March 1800 and recapture on the 5th of
the April. There was a re-trial on the 9th of August 1800 and finally she transported to New South Wales in 1801.
The aim of this study is what reasons the British government decided send them to Australia and the situation
of the Britain in those days and what did they gained from this. Also tried to understand the profoundly well
settlement of these white convicts in Australia. Also I would like to look at the change of emigration pattern
after the 1830.
Chapter1
Trial in Britain and Transportation
1) The social attitude in Britain
In the late 1700's, British prisons became overcrowded. The British government decided to send a group of convicts,
with Royal Marines as guards, to form a settlement at Botany Bay.
In May 1787, the First Fleet set out from England on its long voyage. The man in charge of the ships, Marines,
and convicts was Arthur Phillip. He became the first governor.
When Phillip reached Botany Bay, he found it unsuitable for a settlement. He then sailed a few kilometres to the
north and found a safe and beautiful harbour at Port Jackson. The deep water allowed the ships to anchor close
to the shore. Phillip's men also found a source of fresh water, a small stream called the Tank Stream. It flowed
into a bay now called Sydney Cove. Here, on Jan. 26, 1788, the new colony was set up.
The first settlers had many difficulties. They found that the poor, sandy soil around the settlement would not
produce crops easily. They did not have enough fresh water and food. They did not have enough tools, and the
ones they had were of poor quality. The convicts were lazy and knew little of building and farming. The Royal
Marines did not like acting as prison guards. Despite these difficulties, Phillip never lost heart. He believed
in a bright future for the new colony.
The worst problem, lack of food, was not solved until better soil was discovered in the Hawkesbury River Valley.
A settlement was established there, in 1794, on the present site of Windsor. James Ruse, a convict, became the
first man to grow wheat successfully.
When the convicts arrived in Sydney, they were made to labour on government works or they were assigned to work
for free settlers or officers. Convicts who broke the law in the new settlement were handled harshly. Some were
flogged. Others were sent to more severe penal settlements, such as Norfolk Island, where they were forced to
work in chains.
A woman convict, if married to another convict, could stay with him. Otherwise, she was often sent to work as
a servant for a free settler. A woman convict could also be employed at the Female Factory at Parramatta, where
conditions were bad.
If convicts were highly skilled or well behaved, they were given a ticket-of-leave. The ticket-of-leave represented
a form of parole that allowed them to live and work as free people. But they could not leave the colony. The
governor could also pardon convicts before they had served their full sentences. Pardoned convicts were called
emancipists.
If they were lucky, convicts could have fairly good lives. However, if they were unlucky enough to have a harsh
master, or if they were reconvicted, they could be cruelly treated.
The Royal Marines were unhappy in the colony. As a result, a special army regiment was formed in Britain and sent
to New South Wales to act as garrison. This regiment was the New South Wales Corps. The officers were given grants
of land and allowed to use convict labour to develop farms. Ordinary soldiers, if they retired in the colony after
completing their terms of service, were also given land.
The colony was generally peaceful, and as a result, the soldiers did not have much to do. The officers became
more interested in making their own fortunes. They operated their farms and engaged in trading. They formed groups
and bought entire cargoes from the ships that came to Sydney. The officers sold these goods to other colonists
at a high profit. One kind of cargo was very popular and profitable. This cargo was alcoholic spirits, usually
rum. The trade in rum created many problems. When the governors tried to stop the trade, the officers opposed
them. In the end, the officers led a mutiny against Governor William Bligh in 1808 and took over the government.
This action caused the end of the New South Wales Corps. It was recalled to Britain.
A new era began with the arrival of Governor Macquarie in 1810. Lachlan Macquarie was one of the most successful
governors of New South Wales. Under his guidance, the colony developed and prospered. Macquarie encouraged exploration,
and in 1813, the barrier of the Blue Mountains was crossed by Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson, and William Charles
Wentworth.
Whales were plentiful in Australian waters. By 1804, nine British ships were whaling off the Australian coast.
In 1805, Sydney merchants built the first Australian whaling ship. By 1834, Sydney shipowners had almost 1,200
men as crews of 42 whalers.
The growth of sheep raising resulted in more exploration because the sheep growers required more and more pastureland.
The main explorers were John Oxley, Charles Sturt, and Sir Thomas Mitchell.
Cedar timber was a popular building material. By 1804, convicts were cutting cedar logs on the banks of the Hunter.
Logs were hauled to the river by bullock teams. The logs were lashed together to form rafts and floated downriver
to a timber yard. The cedar-getters went further and further north from Sydney. By 1830, they had reached Moreton
Bay. By the 1890's, cedar had almost vanished from the eastern coast of Australia.
The free settlers did not like the fact that the governor had been given wide powers when New South Wales was set
up as a prison colony. They wanted more freedom. Their leader was William Charles Wentworth, who had been a member
of the expedition that had first crossed the Blue Mountains. Later, he became a lawyer, newspaper owner, and grazier.
Wentworth wanted more representation in government for the citizens. The fight for self-government in New South
Wales was largely won through his efforts.
In 1823, a small Legislative Council was set up to advise the governor on the laws he proposed to make for the
colony. In 1842, this council was enlarged, and some of its members were elected by the people. Finally, in 1851,
all the Australian colonies were given the right to govern themselves in most matters. They were allowed to set
up their own parliaments. The first New South Wales parliament met in 1856. Sir Stuart Donaldson was the first
premier.
In 1851, Edward Hargraves discovered gold near Bathurst. Gold had been found before, but this time a rush to Bathurst
took place. Many people left their work and went to the diggings. Many thousands of people migrated to Australia
in search of gold. Many settled permanently in Australia.
In 1889, Sir Henry Parkes, then premier of New South Wales, urged that the six Australian colonies should join
together to form a federal union. The union was finally established on Jan. 1, 1901. New South Wales became one
of the six states of the Commonwealth. The first prime minister of Australia was Sir Edmund Barton, who was a
well-known member of parliament and a strong supporter of the federal movement.
A period of prosperity after World War I was followed by the severe, worldwide economic depression of the 1930's.
The state government gave relief work or the dole (unemployment benefits) to many people who were dismissed from
their work. J. T. Lang, who was premier of New South Wales from 1925 to 1927 and from 1930 to 1932, put forward
some reform policies that alarmed many people. In 1932, Sir Philip Game, the governor, dismissed Lang from the
premiership.