Convict life on Norfolk Island was severe and often brutal. Below is a snapshot of one convict, John Walsh, who spent ten years on Norfolk Island from 1834 to 1844. John Walsh was born in County Dublin in 1793 and convicted of cattle stealing in 1823.
How were the convicts treated on Norfolk Island?
By 1829 there were 211 convicts on Norfolk and by 1834 there were close to 700 convicts, all employed by the government which, according to personal accounts of convicts and visitors, inflicted on them harsh punishments verging on the inhumane.
What was it like to live as a convict?
Convicts were often quite comfortable. They lived in two or three roomed houses, shared with fellow convicts or with a family. They had tables and chairs, cooked dinner (like pea and ham soup) over a fireplace and ate their food on china crockery using silver cutlery!
How many convicts died on Norfolk Island?
There are over 260 deaths during the first settlement of Norfolk Island. This CDrom history resource features complete details on each person and their family.
What problems did Norfolk Island have?
With no safe harbour, the ability to safely land ships was always an issue. Norfolk Pines had been found to be unsuitable for use as masts, the Norfolk Island flax was unfamiliar to the people brought to work it and produced only small quantities of useable cloth.
What did convicts do during the day?
Convicts played cards or games like chess or draughts that required different sorts of tokens, many of which were handmade. These might have been carved from animal bones (perhaps saved from dinner) or pieces of ceramic and wood they found, or cast in lead.
Where did the convicts sleep?
Convicts slept in hammocks that were folded away each morning. Each ward had a large wooden tub that served as a communal toilet. The convicts had to carefully carry these tubs outside daily to be emptied and cleaned. Each of the wards held up to 60 men.
How were convicts treated on ships?
The treatment of the transported convicts was poor and the use of excessive punishment was rife throughout the penal system. Lashings were commonplace and for those prisoners who did not behave accordingly, they were taken elsewhere to suffer a secondary punishment.
Did the bounty go to Norfolk Island?
Bounty Day is a holiday on both Pitcairn Island, destination of the Bounty mutineers, and on Norfolk Island. It is celebrated on 23 January on Pitcairn, and on 8 June on Norfolk Island, the day that the descendants of the mutineers arrived on the island.
Were there Aborigines on Norfolk Island?
“There are no indigenous peoples of Norfolk Island or indigenous population on Norfolk Island,” Australia has written in response to an appeal to the UN by islander Albert Buffett, 79.
Who owns Norfolk Island?
the Commonwealth of Australia
Norfolk Island is an External Territory under the Authority of the Commonwealth of Australia. The Norfolk Island Regional Council (NIRC) is the responsible Local Government entity. The currency used is the Australian dollar.
How many convicts went to Norfolk Island?
In 1788, Lieutenant Philip Gidley King, along with a party of 15 convicts and seven free men, arrived on Norfolk Island to set up a British colony. It ceased in 1814, in part due to rising costs and the impracticalities of its distance from New South Wales.
What happened on Norfolk Island?
Convicts and free settlers made Norfolk their home until 1814, when the island was abandoned due to its perilous landing sites, isolation, and the fact that the main settlement in Australia was now well established.
Can anyone live on Norfolk Island?
You can invest in a business or property or simply live on the island. It’s an ocean of possibilities now for new investors, families, retirees and workers. There is no need to apply for any residency as it is regarded as moving simply from one part of Australia to another. Simple.
What did female convicts wear?
Clothing in the Female Factories
Documents from the time tell us that these convicts were given: petticoats, jackets, aprons, shifts (smocks), caps, handkerchiefs, stockings, shoes and straw bonnets. They’d be made from cheap, coarse material.
What jobs did female convicts do?
Convicts were a source of labour to build roads, bridges, courthouses, hospitals and other public buildings, or to work on government farms, while educated convicts may have been given jobs such as record-keeping for the government administration. Female convicts, on the other hand, were generally employed as domestic
What were the punishments for convicts?
Difficult convicts were often sentenced up to 100 lashes. Flogging instruments included the cat o’ nine tails, a whip with nine knotted strands or cords, and the birch, a bundle of long birch twigs bound together by cord. Flogging was a brutal punishment that caused extreme pain and physical scarring.
What were the 19 crimes that sent prisoners to Australia?
The crimes that make up 19 Crimes include:
- 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.
Who was the most famous convict?
Top 5 Famous Australian Convicts
- Francis Greenway. Francis Greenway arrived in Sydney in 1814.
- Mary Wade. The youngest ever convict to be transported to Australia at the age of 11.
- John ‘Red’ Kelly. John Kelly was sent to Tasmania for seven years for stealing two pigs, apparently.
- Mary Bryant.
- Frank the Poet.
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 punishments did female convicts get?
The most common punishments were solitary confinement on bread and water, or separate treatment, and hard labour at the wash tubs. Many punishments were a combination of 2 or more.