What did female convicts do?
Convict women were employed in domestic service, washing and on government farms, and were expected to find their own food and lodging. Punishment for those who transgressed was humiliating and public. Exile itself was considered a catalyst for reform.
What happened to female convicts when they arrived in Australia?
“Half the women landed in mainland Australia and half in Tasmania. Less than 2 per cent were violent felons. For crimes of poverty, they were typically sentenced to six months inside Newgate Prison, a six-month sea journey, seven to 10 years hard labour and exile for life.
What punishments did the convicts get?
In colonial Australia, there were three main punishments for male convicts; the wheel, irons and floggings. Often these were inflicted in ways that suggested that justice, rehabilitation, and societal protection were not important considerations.
What were the punishments for the convicts?
Prisons were constructed to conceal the punishment of criminals behind closed doors. During the convict era punishments included hard labour in leg irons, solitary confinement, floggings and restricted diets. Apart from leg irons, these punishments continued well into the 1900s at Fremantle Prison.
What was life like on the Lady Penrhyn?
Lady Penrhyn had difficulty in her sailing abilities, often lagging behind the other ships. The woman convicts caused numerous problems on the voyage and were punished for thieving, fighting and abusive language. There was an exchange of three seamen between HMS Sirius and Lady Penrhyn.
What did women do at the female factory?
The majority of women convicts were engaged in the manufacture of wool and linen at the Female Factory. A smaller number were employed as hospital nurses and midwives, as servants to officers, and in caring for orphans.
Are there any records of the female factory?
Unfortunately not many records have survived of the running of the Female Factory or its inmates. Index to the Female Factory Parramatta, 1826-1848, Fiche 5290-5291 compiled by Norma M Tuck and Joan Reese Colonial Secretary: Index to convicts and others, 1826-1895, compiled by Joan Reese.
When was the female factory at Parramatta built?
(Salt, Outcast Women, p.46). The new Female Factory was built on a site chosen at Parramatta in 1818. It was designed by Francis Greenway and enclosed by a high wall. The women convicts moved in during February 1821. “…the Women in the Female Factory at Parramatta, will be divided into Three distinct Classes as follows Viz….
What was the punishment for misbehaving female convicts?
In 1826 an Act codified the summary punishment of misbehaving female convicts, including the sentence of Hard Labour. This was reported in the Colonial Times: