Exploring the life-course and intergenerational impact of convict transportation

Abstract

Between 1788 and 1868 over 160,000 convicts were transported to Britain's Australian penal colonies. Subsequent generations in the Australian colonies blamed societal ills on the legacy of convict transportation, widely referred to as 'that hated stain'. It was often assumed, for example, that former convicts and their children accounted for a disproportionate number of court appearances. This chapter uses a variety of sources, including records assembled by the colonial administration to regulate the lives of the 59,000 male and 13,500 female transported convicts. By linking this information to birth, death and marriage registers, we build intergenerational data that allow us to examine the impact that of forced migration, convict labour and punishment on subsequent marriage and family formation. With other record groups we explore convict interactions with the court system prior to transportation, while under sentence in a penal colony, and post-release. We conclude by considering conviction histories for the children of former convicts and placing them within the broader experience of the courts.