Nelson & His World

Discussion on the life and times of Admiral Lord Nelson
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 Post subject: Transportation
PostPosted: Sat May 10, 2008 6:37 am 
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Criminals were often sentenced to transportation to Australia in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. They were accommodated in prison hulks at Woolwich before the journey but I have not been able to discover whether Royal Navy ships or merchant vessels were used (or a mixture of both?) to transport the convicts overseas. RN ships would probably not be available in wartime but could be used in peacetime.

While searching for information, I came across this little snippet from The Times of October 7 1803:

'A fellow lately being tried for bigamy and being convicted of the fact on the testimony of his two wives, the judge, when proceeding to pass sentence, after lecturing the fellow pretty severely on the heinousness of his offence, added, 'For my part, I have to regret that in this case the law deprives me of all discretion and suffers me to go no further than merely to sentence you to transportation for seven years. Instead of which, if I had my own will, I would certainly give you a more severe fate. I would sentence you to seven years' imprisonment in the same house with your two wives where you would feel indeed the punishment due to your atrocity.'


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PostPosted: Sat May 10, 2008 9:17 am 
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The overwhelming majority of ships used to transport convicts abroad were hired merchant ships, but occasionally naval vessels were used. The 'First Fleet' (1787-88 ) to Australia used nine merchant ships and two warships (Sirius and Supply); HMS Gorgon was used in 1791; HMS Glatton in 1803.

For a full list of the transports, number of convicts carried etc, look at:
http://www.convictcentral.com/

and click the link to Convict Ships


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PostPosted: Sat May 10, 2008 2:12 pm 
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Many thanks, PN, for that engrossing link, so full of the most fascinating information. The section on political prisoners is most interesting. The Tolpuddle Martyrs are well known, of course, but I didn't know that some of the naval mutineers at the Nore and Spithead were sentenced to transportation.

We had some gaol books at the PRO, listing prisoners sentenced to transportation, and their offences, some of them very minor indeed, and sometimes the port at which they embarked for their journey but nothing more than that, so this link was most informative.


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PostPosted: Sat May 10, 2008 9:31 pm 
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Location: Salmo, British Columbia, Canada
An extensive study of merchants and their activities, including the transportation of convicts and the administration of hulks, has been carried out by Dan Byrnes.

Have a look at his website at

http://www.danbyrnes.com.au/merchants/

In addition, his web-book The Blackheath Connection, specialises particularly in transportation.

http://www.danbyrnes.com.au/blackheath/


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun May 11, 2008 5:06 pm 
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Cahsbaz:

many thanks also for that interesting link - a reminder, if we needed one, of the close links between the Royal Navy and the success of Britain as a mercantile power.

The information on the transportation of convicts to America is also very illuminating - and something that receives little attention compared with the shipments to Australia.


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