Convicts & Deserters

 

 

Lady Penrhyn was a First Fleet convict transport. She left Portsmouth on 13 May 1787, carrying 101 female convicts, and arrived at Port Jackson, Sydney, Australia, on 26 January 1788.    Wikipedia

 

 

‘How do you live upon half a crown a week?

”I don’t live on it ‘ said he.

‘How do you live then?’

‘Why…I poach, it is better to be hanged than to be starved to death’

Source: Interview with farm labourer W.Cobbet ‘Rural Rides’ 1833

 Introduction

Some time ago I commenced a project of extracting from the Government Gazette and other sources the names of convicts who had had their ticket of leave (tol) cancelled for various reasons as against existing sources that just listed the granting of tol. At the same time I noticed that there was also information available concerning soldiers who had deserted.

I did enter over 1000 names together with the details such as age, ship of arrival, native place, occupation, date and place of enlistment and the description of the ‘offenders’. In the process however, I found that the information had been gathered by others so rather than duplicate what had already been done I did not proceed with the project.

I still have the data and if it may be of interest to you follow this link.

I also hold scanned copies from the Government Gazette of all the entries.  see here

 

 

A project  very very much a work in progres  entitled A Convict’s Tale’ may be of interest.

 

 

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