Convicts Their Story
In any of mankind's history going back way B.C. we will always find some dark areas in our world history we are not proud of. We are always great in hindsight - yes? It's very easy for people to sit in judgement either by reading media reports or visiting this country for short visits be it for documentary or holiday purposes and then to walk away thinking "we have become the "experts" on this whole era" - you would need to have years of experience understanding this country before you would have any inkling of the Aboriginal or convict story. I personally feel very sad that Australia has turned a blind eye to its remarkable history which includes not being taught to the young in schools. Why I would like to ask a number of authors (be it in books, newspapers, television, Internet, journals, etc) that I continually come across this, "that the Australian people will not apologise for their past sins"? I have a question for you all, why does Australia have this "correction in history" to make amends why not the country that started this in the first place, in this case England? (I might add I am English born and migrated to Australia years back) If the Australians were to stop worrying about what others outside their continent thought and started thinking what a great wealth of history they have and to have survived...............
Lets have a little refresher course of what was happening elsewhere in the world at this stage of the "convicts birth". George Washington made his farewell address as American President, Catherine the Second of Russia died, Beethoven's First Symphony and Third Piano Concerto was first heard, Britain and Spain declared war again, Russia was fighting Turkey, Irish rebels under Robert Emmert were challenging English rule again, France at one stage tried entering Ireland through the back door to defeat the British but failed in their attempt, President John Adams defeated President Thomas Jefferson and on went the events of the world while little was known about the inhuman suffering of convicts from England to Australia in such atrocious conditions.
To people standing on the docks of England waving off their loved ones all would have seemed idyllic and even romantic. Far from the truth below decks, convicts were squashed in tiny compartments with little room to breathe never mind lie down and stretch out. Tiny pin holes was all they had for fresh air and sunshine. If it rained (which it often did) too bad you were drenched whether it be freezing or scorching hot and many died from diseases they picked up from being weakened due to lack of food and filthy conditions they were forced to live in down in these hollows. Imagine yourself getting on a ship with only the clothes on your back as your only possession and landing in the new colony in these same clothes that are now rags and stinking of a stink that we today would faint on the spot. Then being subjected to being inspected like a cow or a horse to see if you were fit for hard work. Then the flogging's and humiliation for even the slightest transgression. Far away from home in a strange and hostile environment.
Below is a very small list of convicts, these people really existed they are not made up, they were living in England and Ireland, (there were a few Scots but no where near as many as the English & Irish) who for such trivial crime had their lives turned into horrendous nightmares.
George Humphrey, aged 37, stealing corn from his neighbour was sentenced to 7 years transportation; Daniel Gleeson, was sentenced to life transportation for house breaking; George Latimer, aged 18 sentenced 7 years for stealing money; Ann Shepherd, 7 years for stealing a pair of shoes; John Wiffen, sentenced for 15 years for burglary; Mary Baker, aged 16 sentenced 7 years for "stealing pewter"; George Porter, was sentenced to death but was sent to Tasmania instead where later in life he became a constable - go figure! Edward Reilly, 7 years for stealing a pig; James Wilbow, his sentence and crime are not known and rumour had it that he shot notorious bush-ranger Black Caesar, was granted land at Hawkesbury River and again another becomes a constable; Ernest Wentworth 7 years for selling bad bread to the establishment.
Many of these convicts spent a number of years in the British Gaol's (that you would not house a dog in) before being transported to the Colony. Once they were boarded onto these ships their troubles really began. They were kept below decks behind bars and many wore heavy chains. They were only allowed to come up on deck for air and exercise and that depended a lot of the time on the ships crew. These ship-masters etc could be very cruel and would leave the convicts down in those sweaty, dark, damp, rat and lice infested (you name it, it was in there breeding) boxes for days on end even weeks. All it took was for one convict to even look like they were going to start trouble and this was the consequences. Diseases loved the convicts for the poor souls were already weakened by the time they entered these ships. The weather on many of these voyages did not act kindly either, convicts were either burnt badly by the intense sun, which as today we know can lead to skin cancer. Or they dehydrated from this same sun so badly they died where they stood, and many times over the dead stayed down here with the living for weeks even months on end. Haven't mention giant seas yet have I? I won't as the convict cargo is a very depressing topic they really did have a bad time and it is no wonder that many of them never made it to the Australian shores. Some for that matter didn't even leave the Gaol's back in England for they had died in there. In 1801 the whole of convict saga was revised and it became more humane but only very gradually, it took many more complaints to head back to English Parliament before something was finally done about this whole sorry saga.
The ones that did survive had a very frightening and traumatic shock once they landed on Australian soil. Firstly it was stinking hot, the streets, if you could call them that, well there was none, not like back home. The houses were a joke and many of these convicts would have realised that they had traded their free souls to become slaves. It was on the backs of many a slave that Australia was to blossom into what she is today.
Many of these convicts spent a number of years in the British Gaol's (that you would not house a dog in) before being transported to the Colony. Once they were boarded onto these ships their troubles really began. They were kept below decks behind bars and many wore heavy chains. They were only allowed to come up on deck for air and exercise and that depended a lot of the time on the ships crew. These ship-masters etc could be very cruel and would leave the convicts down in those sweaty, dark, damp, rat and lice infested (you name it, it was in there breeding) boxes for days on end even weeks. All it took was for one convict to even look like they were going to start trouble and this was the consequences. Diseases loved the convicts for the poor souls were already weakened by the time they entered these ships. The weather on many of these voyages did not act kindly either, convicts were either burnt badly by the intense sun, which as today we know can lead to skin cancer. Or they dehydrated from this same sun so badly they died where they stood, and many times over the dead stayed down here with the living for weeks even months on end. Haven't mention giant seas yet have I? I won't as the convict cargo is a very depressing topic they really did have a bad time and it is no wonder that many of them never made it to the Australian shores. Some for that matter didn't even leave the Gaols back in England for they had died in there. In 1801 the whole of convict saga was revised and it became more humane but only very gradually, it took many more complaints to head back to English Parliament before something was finally done about this whole sorry saga.
The ones that did survive had a very frightening and traumatic shock once they landed on Australian soil. Firstly it was stinking hot, the streets, if you could call them that, well there was none, not like back home. The houses were a joke and many of these convicts would have realised that they had traded their free souls to become slaves. It was on the backs of many a slave that Australia was to blossom into what she is today.
The first Female Convict Factory was built at Parramatta in 1804, many women only remained here for a day or two and then they were assigned to settlers as domestic servants. (slaves would be a better term) Many of these women were soon married to settlers as it looked better to the ones in "power" eyes. A number of convicts were already married when they were transported but once they had waited 7 years they were then allowed to remarry. Many of the women convicts either had children before leaving England, or gave birth on the ships and kept them with them where ever they were sent. Many other girls and women turned to prostitution trying to survive life day to day. The young girls who were pretty were in a strange way the lucky ones for they were hired for the more "cushion type jobs" for they were fed and clothed but at a price. Many of the "shall we say gentry" often had their way with these young lassies who then like their other women folk found themselves in the same dire situation by being pregnant.
Despite all the agony a convict suffered from the moment of their arrest till the time their feet touched Australian soil you would have thought the convict had finally learnt to keep out of trouble. Not so, it just goes to show how the human spirit can be so strong it takes a lot before that spirit is finally broken. In many cases with the convicts the only way the establishment could win the battle was in the punishment of death of the strong willed convict. The colony witnessed over the years many dying at the gallows, flogging's, hanging's which included the women. I have read of the sad stories of children of these mothers hanged and will not write it down here if you want you go do research like I did. The cruelest punishment for convicts being the flogging's were then tormented even further by another convict having to use something like cayenne pepper and bathe the deep lacerations of the flogged victim which would have left them in pure agony. No such thing in a convicts life of bed rest and tender loving care administered by a nurse no it was straight back into the bloody hard working day. The aborigine's were witness to these atrocities at times and expressed abhorrence of the punishment, and sympathy for the sufferer.
