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 did female convicts wear in Australia?
Each female convict in a Female Factory (from 1829) was issued with the following clothing made of cheap and coarse materials:
- 1 cotton or stuff gown or petticoat.
- 1 jacket.
- 2 aprons.
- 2 shifts.
- 2 caps.
- 2 handkerchiefs.
- 2 pair stockings.
- 1 common straw bonnet of strong texture.
What did female convicts eat?
Convicts and soldiers received a weekly ration of: 7 pounds of beef or 4 pounds of pork. 7 pounds of bread or flour. 3 pints peas….At the Female Factory at Parramatta, each woman was given a weekly ration of:
- 7 pounds of bread.
- 3.5 pounds of fresh meat.
- 1 pound sugar.
- 2 oz tea (from Convict Guide, p.
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.
Why were female convicts given less rations?
Female convicts and marine wives received 2/3 of male convict ration. In order that they could tend their own gardens, convicts did not have to work on Saturday afternoons. This means a reduction of 12lb for every 100lb of beef and 8lb for every 100lb of pork.
How were female convicts treated on the First Fleet?
They would be employed in ‘factories’ (equivalent of the English workhouse) but often had to find their own accommodation, and would be under great pressure to pay for it with sexual services. In this way, all the women convicts tended to be regarded as prostitutes.
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.
How many crew members does Lady Penrhyn have?
Lady Penrhyn left Portsmouth on 13 May 1787, arrived at Port Jackson, Sydney, Australia, on 26 January 1788. She carried 101 female convicts, and three officers and 41 other ranks of the New South Wales Marine Corps, as well as her crew.
How much did the Lady Penrhyn weigh?
338 tons
Lady Penrhyn, a three-masted wooden cargo vessel of 338 tons, was built in 1786 on the River Thames, by Edward Greaves of Limehouse London for Curtis & Co., London. She had a length of 103 9/10 feet and a beam of 27 5/10 feet, with a round house and quarter badges, with a woman figure-head.
Did the Lady Penrhyn sink?
She also carried a cargo for the British East India Company (EIC). The French captured her in the West Indies in 1811 and scuttled her.
How long did it take for Lady Penrhyn to get to Australia?
Cape Town to Botany Bay was the longest leg of the voyage, taking sixty-eight days. On 20 January 1788 as all the ships entered the Botany Bay harbour and, as they passed, Lieutenant Clark hailed the Prince of Wales and Charlotte and ask the lads on board how they did; answered all well.
Where did the convict women go before going to Australia?
Prior to their voyage to Australia, most of the women were incarcerated at Newgate Prison in London, which Deborah says was often referred to as “the prototype of hell”. It was here that the women came into contact with Elizabeth Gurney Fry, the first internationally known female social reformer.
Where did the women on the convict ship sleep?
According to detailed ship journals, most of the female convicts had never even travelled on a rowboat, let alone a large ship before, so most experienced extreme sea sickness during the voyage. “The women were housed on the orlop deck, the lowest and the smelliest where they slept on wooden bunks that measured eighteen inches wide,” says Deborah.
When did the women in the convict factory riot?
In 1827, when their tea, sugar and bread ration was cut, the women rioted. In 1828 there were more than 100 women spinning coarse wool and weaving it into cloth, producing 30,000 yards (about 27,000 metres) that year.
Are there any records of convict women in Tasmania?
Records of the lives of convict women living in Tasmania are well-preserved, while those documenting the lives of their counterparts in Sydney have been destroyed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPM7AG-THaw