English convicts were being transported to America, as America had more room than the ever growing British empire. However, in 1783 the American War of Independence had ended. America began refusing to accept any more convicts that were coming from England, with England's ever growing population and crime rates skyrocketing, the English government needed to find a place to put all the criminals. The reason why the jails were overflowing were because of the petty crimes that were being committed such as being gay (homosexuality), pickpockets, piracy, being an orphan, rebels from the irish and scottish rebellion, stealing petty things (such as handkerchiefs, food, animals and other petty things) and being poor. The English government came to an agreement that they needed to move the prisoners to a much larger area. When the ships set sail there were ‘over 162,000 convicts being sent to Australian shores.’ In amongst these convicts were a small proportion of women ‘at least 24,960 convict women’ were coming to Australia.
When convicts arrived on Australian shores, they were put to work immediately on building projects, particularly roads, and farming, they were made to be servants to the officers or maids in women’s cases. Women had different jobs to the male convicts, they were to tend to the children that were brought over from England or ones that had been born on the way, they were made to clean the houses that they worked in, and they were made to become wives to either the officers or convicts there. Male Convicts who attempted to escape from where they were working were sent to tiny island called Norfolk, 600 miles east of Australia or Port Macquarie and Moreton Bay. Convict women were sent directly to the Female Factory in New South Wales or Van Diemen’s Land Tasmania, there they were made to sew clothes and fabrics.
After convict sentences were completed they were given the choice to either go back to England, or they could remain in Australia. Many decided to stay in Australia because of the freedom and some had already settled with families. Convict settlements were more commonly found in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, and Western Australia. South Australia was not accepting convicts to live there, as it was trying to remain clean and prosperous. The jobs that many of the convicts had when they had their freedom was, shopkeepers, merchants, farmers, or if the pay was good as servants. There were many convicts who went on to achieve great things such as Margaret Dawson a founding mother, there was Lawrence Kavenagh a notorious bushranger or Robert Sidaway, he opened Australia’s first theaters.Though leaving England was hard for many of the convicts with family and friends there, many of them settled down in Australia.
When convicts arrived on Australian shores, they were put to work immediately on building projects, particularly roads, and farming, they were made to be servants to the officers or maids in women’s cases. Women had different jobs to the male convicts, they were to tend to the children that were brought over from England or ones that had been born on the way, they were made to clean the houses that they worked in, and they were made to become wives to either the officers or convicts there. Male Convicts who attempted to escape from where they were working were sent to tiny island called Norfolk, 600 miles east of Australia or Port Macquarie and Moreton Bay. Convict women were sent directly to the Female Factory in New South Wales or Van Diemen’s Land Tasmania, there they were made to sew clothes and fabrics.
After convict sentences were completed they were given the choice to either go back to England, or they could remain in Australia. Many decided to stay in Australia because of the freedom and some had already settled with families. Convict settlements were more commonly found in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, and Western Australia. South Australia was not accepting convicts to live there, as it was trying to remain clean and prosperous. The jobs that many of the convicts had when they had their freedom was, shopkeepers, merchants, farmers, or if the pay was good as servants. There were many convicts who went on to achieve great things such as Margaret Dawson a founding mother, there was Lawrence Kavenagh a notorious bushranger or Robert Sidaway, he opened Australia’s first theaters.Though leaving England was hard for many of the convicts with family and friends there, many of them settled down in Australia.