New Zealand’s dark secret: Many of us are descendants of Australian convicts. … About 162,000 convicts were sent to penal colonies across Australia between 1788 and 1868. Now growing access to historic records has increased awareness of the number who went on to start new lives in New Zealand.

What countries were convicts sent to?

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.

Was New Zealand a British penal colony?

The New Zealand Penal Settlement was a Federation penal colony located on Earth in the New Zealand island group, east of the continent of Australia. Much like all rehabilitation colonies, this location was used to treat inmates and was a possible location for Maquis prisoners to be placed.

What crimes did convicts commit to get sent 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.

How long did it take the convicts to get to Australia?

The eleven ships which arrived on 26 January 1788 are known as the First Fleet. They carried around 1400 convicts, soldiers and free people. The journey from England to Australia took 252 days and there were around 48 deaths on the voyage.

What crimes did female convicts commit?

Overall, the majority of crimes committed by convict women within the colony resulting in punishments by the magistrates were offences against Good Order and Convict Discipline: absconding, being drunk and disorderly, insolence, assault, refusing to work, being out after hours, immoral conduct, pilfering.

Why were Irish convicts sent to Australia?

Some of those who were transported to Australia, were prisoners of war, mainly those who fought in the 1798 Irish rebellion for independence, others were settlers who could not find a life during the Irish famine and the harsh years in Ireland afterwards.

Who was the youngest convict sent to Australia?

John Hudson, described as ‘sometimes a chimney sweeper’, was the youngest known convict to sail with the First Fleet. Voyaging on board the Friendship to NSW, the boy thief was 13 years old on arrival at Sydney Cove. He was only nine when first sentenced.

What did female convicts do?

Convict women were employed in domestic service, washing and on government farms, and were expected to find their own food and lodging. Punishment for those who transgressed was humiliating and public. Exile itself was considered a catalyst for reform.

Who was the most famous convict?

1. Francis Greenway. Francis Greenway arrived in Sydney in 1814. …
2. Mary Wade. The youngest ever convict to be transported to Australia at the age of 11. …
3. John ‘Red’ Kelly. …
4. Mary Bryant. …
5. Frank the Poet.

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Did the British sent convicts to America?

It is estimated that some 50,000 British convicts were sent to the Americas this way, and the majority landed in the Chesapeake Colonies of Maryland and Virginia. Transported convicts represented perhaps one-quarter of Britons that left the country during the 18th century.

What was Australia called in 1788?

After the Dutch era Cook first named the land New Wales, but revised it to New South Wales. With the establishment of a settlement at Sydney in 1788, the British solidified its claim to the eastern part of Australia, now officially called New South Wales.

When did the last convicts arrive 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.

How many babies were born on the first fleet?

It is estimated there were about 50 children on the First Fleet when it arrived at Botany Bay. Over 20 children were born at sea during the eight-month voyage.

What were the 19 crimes that sent you to Australia?

• 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 percentage of convicts were Irish?

Explore this intriguing minority Only 12 per cent of the convicts transported to Australia were Irish. Yet people often automatically associate the Irish with transportation.

What percentage of Australians have Irish ancestry?

In Australia, home to the third-largest population of Irish migrants, about 2 million people, or 10 percent of the population, said they were of Irish descent in the 2011 census. In Canada, which also has many Irish emigrants, about 13 percent of the population claims Irish roots.

What did child convicts eat?

It was usually 450 grams of salted meat (either mutton or beef), cooked again into a stew, and some bread.

What did female convicts wear in Australia?

The women wore clothes such as ‘slops’ in blue or brown serge, or a stuff gown, white apron and straw bonnet for Sunday with a jacket and a coarse apron for weekdays. Children remained with their mothers at the Factory until the age of four, at which time they were placed in Orphan Schools.

How were convicts punished in Australia?

In colonial Australia, there were three main punishments for male convicts; the wheel, irons and floggings. Often these were inflicted in ways that suggested that justice, rehabilitation, and societal protection were not important considerations.

What was life like in Australia for convicts?

Convicts lived in their own homes in an area known as ‘The Rocks’, some with their families. But it wasn’t just convicts living in the village; local Aboriginal people lived there too. They camped near the convict houses, fished on the harbour, traded goods and food with townsfolk and brought news from further away.

What happened to female convicts when they arrived in Australia?

“Half the women landed in mainland Australia and half in Tasmania. Less than 2 per cent were violent felons. For crimes of poverty, they were typically sentenced to six months inside Newgate Prison, a six-month sea journey, seven to 10 years hard labour and exile for life.

Who was the oldest convict?

Dorothy HandlandCriminal charge(s)PerjuryCriminal penalty7 years transportationSpouse(s)Robert Grey John Hanland

Who was the youngest female convict?

Elizabeth Hayward. was the youngest female convict, at 13, on the First Fleet. She received seven years transportation at the Old Bailey in January 1787, for being accused of stealing clothes from the clog maker she was working for.

Was Charlotte a real ship?

Charlotte was an English merchant ship built on the River Thames in 1784 and chartered in 1786 to carry convicts as part of the First Fleet to New South Wales. … Charlotte made an appearance in the movie National Treasure.

Who was in NZ before the Māori?

Māori were the first to arrive in New Zealand, journeying in canoes from Hawaiki about 1,000 years ago. A Dutchman, Abel Tasman, was the first European to sight the country but it was the British who made New Zealand part of their empire.

Where did the Māori come from?

Māori are the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, they settled here over 700 years ago. They came from Polynesia by waka (canoe). New Zealand has a shorter human history than any other country.

Who discovered New Zealand Māori?

The dutch explorer Abel Tasman is officially recognised as the first European to ‘discover’ New Zealand in 1642. His men were the first Europeans to have a confirmed encounter with Māori.

Did America send criminals to Australia?

Between 1788 and 1868, 160,000 convicts were transported to Australia. But this did little to deter crime in Britain. The government was unable to convince the “criminal class” that transportation was a terrible punishment when most convicts chose to remain in Australia after serving their sentences.

Did Britain send criminals to Canada?

Why? The British government did not designate destinations for convicts, but instead contracted merchants to ship them out. Planters in those colonies paid well, plus the merchants could pick up valuable return cargo while they were there.

Did Europe send us criminals?

It is reckoned that transported convicts made up a quarter of the British immigrants to colonial America in the 18th century. Before the Transportation Act of 1718, criminals either escaped with just a whipping or a branding. They were then released back onto the streets to commit more crimes. Or they were hanged.