Convict Guide - published 2006 - Manual / Resource - Page 16
Guide to New South Wales State archives relating to convicts and convict administration
largely of men who shared his views. Not surprisingly it recommended
the abolition of transportation to New South Wales, but was prepared to
allow its continuance to Van Diemen's Land subject to certain
safeguards. In 1839 the British government reduced the number of
convicts sent to New South Wales and a year later the last ship
transporting convicts from England arrived. Ships transporting convicts
from Ireland and various colonies continued to arrive until January
1842.
Revised system
Transportation to Van Diemen's Land continued throughout the 1840s
and Norfolk Island remained a place of secondary punishment, initially
under New South Wales, then under Van Diemen's Land. (Robson,
History of Tasmania, pp.483ff). In the mid 1840s, however, after it
became evident that Van Diemen's Land was becoming overcrowded, an
attempt was made to recommence transportation to New South Wales
under a revised system.
Exiles
In 1844 the Royal George arrived in Port Phillip carrying 'exiles' who
were granted conditional pardons. Convict exiles were those who had
served part of their sentence in prisons in England and were granted
conditional pardons or tickets of leave on arrival. In New South Wales
they were sent to the Port Phillip district, Sydney and Moreton Bay.
Pastoralists welcomed this but the townsfolk were strongly opposed and
when a ship bearing convicts, the Hashemy, arrived at Sydney harbour
in 1849, mass demonstrations were organised at Circular Quay by the
powerful anti-transportation lobby, which had links with other colonies.
(Shaw, Convicts and the Colonies, pp.312ff). Confronted with this
situation the British government decided to abandon its proposals. By
now the prison system had been reformed in England and convicts could
be housed there. The last ship carrying convict exiles to the colony of
New South Wales was the Bangalore which arrived in Moreton Bay on
30 April 1850.
Convicts to Western
Australia
In 1853, after gold discoveries in Victoria had made it more difficult for
the government of Van Diemen’s Land to maintain discipline,
transportation ceased. Convicts were, however, dispatched to Western
Australia between 1850 to 1868 at the request of the colonists who
were suffering from an acute shortage of labour.
Demise of convict
system
In New South Wales the Convict Establishment was broken up at the
end of 1855 and the remaining duties were transferred to the Convict
Branch of the Police. Those remaining convicts still under sentence were
regarded as imperial convicts whose upkeep was paid for by the British
government. Many of these were aged and/or infirm and spent their
final years in government asylums.
State Records Authority of New South Wales
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