What was life like for a child convict?
They could not speak until they were spoken to and were expected to follow the orders of the master and mistress of the house. For their work, they received food, clothing and lodgings but few were ever compensated for their work until they were emancipated or pardoned.
What did 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 was the work life of a convict?
Convicts were imprisoned at a penal settlement, worked in gangs or were sent to probation stations. Depending on their behaviour they passed through stages, with restrictions reduced as they moved towards ‘Ticket of Leave’ status. More than 80 probation stations were constructed during this period.
What skills did convicts have?
Many were skilled carpenters, blacksmiths or cobblers (shoemakers). , convicts worked to turn large wooden logs into smaller timber planks for buildings. They also made doors, window frames, shutters and roof shingles. Down at the edge of Sydney Harbour, convicts built boats and made rope and sails for ships.
What was the life like for a convict?
Life of a Convict. A convict’s life was not easy. Their accommodation was rough and the work was hard and the food was only what had been brought over on the ship until they had established their own food supply.
What was life like for the convicts at Hyde Park?
Some men were assigned to work for free settlers and they left soon after arriving. Others stayed at the Barracks for months or even years and worked for the government. They were called ‘government men’. Day in the Life of a Convict will help you investigate what life was like for the ‘government men’ who lived at the Hyde Park Barracks.
What did the convicts do in the rocks?
Convicts lived in their own homes in an area known as ‘The Rocks’, some with their families. But it wasn’t just convicts living in the village; local Aboriginal people lived there too. They camped near the convict houses, fished on the harbour, traded goods and food with townsfolk and brought news from further away.
What kind of clothes did the convicts wear?
What clothes did a convict wear? Convict men were given work clothes, called ‘slops’, by the government. They got a cotton shirt, a blue woollen jacket and waistcoat, white trousers and shoes. They were also given a woollen cap or hat. Women wore jackats, shifts (with a petticoat underneath), stockings, shoes and a cap on their head.