Research Guides: Convicts: Life in the colony: Becoming free

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Becoming free

Convict lists

Search these resources to find the date and place of your convict's trial as well as their sentence to work out when they could be eligible for a Ticket of Leave or considered for a pardon.

In some cases, the Ticket of Leave, Certificate of Freedom, Conditional or Absolute Pardon number has been added later to the record. You can also find their age, crime, name of the ship and departure date, where they were sent and the name of person to whom they were assigned. In later records, you might find a physical description, their native place, trade, marital status and number of children.

Convict Indents, 1788–1842 — Ancestry Library Edition [eresource]
Find out who your convict was assigned to when they arrived in the colony. You can also find their sentence, the date and place of their trial, when they were expected to be free and in some cases, their crime and previous convictions.
Also available on microfiche as Convict arrivals, 1788–1842 in the family history area of the Governor Marie Bashir Reading Room.
Lists of convicts at Bathurst 1845-1855 [manuscript]
Ask at the Special Collections desk to request the manuscript. Mention ‘CY953: ZA1480 frames 1-2’ when requesting the manuscript.
Index to convict exiles, 1846–1850 [external website]
Find out if your convict was exiled to NSW after the 'official' end of convict transportation in 1842. These were prisoners who had served part of their sentence in a gaol in Britain and were granted a Conditional Pardon or Ticket of Leave on arrival in the colony. Sometimes in the remarks column you will find information about their employment, offence, marital status and death.

Census records and convict musters

1828 New South Wales, Australia Census — Ancestry Library Edition [eresource]
Check the 'class' of your convict to find out their status at the time of the census, whether they were pardoned or had been granted a Ticket of Leave. You can also find other details such as their age, religion, where they lived, the name of the ship they arrived on and assignment.
Also available in the Library on CD-ROM, microfilm (as part of the Archives Resources Kit) and in print on the Family history shelves in the State Library
Australia Convict Musters, 1806–1849 — Ancestry Library Edition [eresource]
Search for your convict to find their occupation, name of the master and the district of their work/residence as well as their age, marital status, date and place of the trial, sentence and the name of the ship and year of arrival. You will also find ex-convicts and people who were born in the colony included in the musters.
An index of occupations and an index of employers are also included. You can find many of the musters and convict lists in the Library on microfilm by searching our catalogue.
Australia Convict Ship Muster Rolls and Related Records, 1790–1849 — Ancestry Library Edition [eresource]
Search lists of the population on board the convict ships that arrived in New South Wales to see if any of your convict’s relatives were brought over. Your convict's family may have travelled on the same ship or a different ship (convict or immigrant ship) as their convict relative. You may also find your convict’s sentence, reports on their behaviour and memoranda regarding their family. The records also include ships that arrived in Van Diemen's Land between 1812 and 1824 as well as 1828 and in Norfolk Island between 1826 and 1840.
Also available on microfilm as Musters and other papers relating to convict ships, 1790-1849 in the family history area of the Governor Marie Bashir Reading Room.
General muster of New South Wales, 1814 [catalogue record | book]
Find relatives who lived in the colony. You can find details such as their name, age, the date and place of their trial, the name of the ship and date of arrival, where they lived and worked. Musters generally included all convicts as well as ex-convicts and people who were free and often grouped family members together.
Musters and lists, New South Wales and Norfolk Island, 1800-1802 [catalogue record | book]
Find out if your ancestor was still serving their sentence, had been pardoned or granted a Ticket of Leave at the time of the muster. You may be able to find the type of pardon received or when a Ticket of Leave was granted.
The paracensus of Australia 1788–1828 [catalogue record | CD-ROM]
If you haven’t been able to find your convict on the convict arrival lists for NSW and Norfolk Island, the paracensus is a good place to start. The paracensus has been compiled from an assortment of records and includes over 80,000 convict names. Many were not included in the official lists.
Earlier editions of the paracensus are available in print and microfiche.
Search for musters on microflim in the Library catalogue

Pardons, leave and freedom records

Search for your convict

Search across the different registers and indexes to see if your convict was granted a pardon, freedom or ticket of leave. You can find information like the date of the certificate, pardon or ticket as well as the date and place of their birth, their offence, and the date and place of their trial. In some cases, you will find a physical description.

Certificates of Freedom, 1827–1867 — Ancestry Library Edition [eresource]
See if your convict received a Certificate of Freedom for serving out their sentence in full. You will find their year of birth, the date and number of their certificate, the date and place of their trial, the name of the ship and date of arrival, and in some cases, details about their trade and appearance
Convict Pardons and Tickets of Leave, 1834-1859 – Ancestry Library Edition [eresource]
See if your convict was pardoned from serving their full sentence or had been granted a Ticket of Leave for good behaviour. You may also find their birthplace, trade or occupation, the name of the ship and the arrival date, the date and place of their trial and conviction, the district they were confined to as well as a physical description.
Convict Registers of Conditional and Absolute Pardons, 1788-1870 – Ancestry Library Edition [eresource]
Search across the different registers to see if your convict was granted a Conditional or Absolute Pardon. You can find the date of the pardon as well as the date and place of their birth, their offence, and the date and place of their trial. In some cases, you will find a physical description. Pardons were generally granted to convicts with life sentences.
Tickets of Leave, 1824-1867 – Ancestry Library Edition [eresource]
See if your convict was granted a Ticket of Leave. You can find the date and number of the ticket as well as their year of birth, native place, trade, the date and place of their conviction, sentence, appearance, the name of the ship and date of arrival.
Search the catalogue for Ancestry items also available on microfilm/microfiche
The following items are also available in the Library on microfiche/microfilm:
NSW State Archives & Records Authority Convict Indexes
Search the NSW State Records Indexes to find out more about your convict's freedoms. Indexes include:

Searching Ancestry

Find out how to search a specific collection in Ancestry Library Edition
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Thomas Siderson, Certificate of freedom, 25 July 1832
Digital order number: a928955 (album ID: 839970)

What is a Certificate of Freedom?

A convict received a Certificate of Freedom when they had served their full sentence.

What is a muster?

Musters were used to keep track of convicts in the colony. General musters recorded convicts and ex-convicts. They include details about Tickets of Leave, Certificates of Freedom and pardons. A muster was conducted under the order of the Lieutenant Governor and an officer of the Commissary.

Abbreviations used in Musters and Censuses

B.C.	Born in the Colony
C.F.	Came Free
F.S.	Free by Servitude
A.P.	Absolute Pardon
C.P.	Conditional Pardon
T.L.	Ticket of Leave
C.	Convict
C.S.	Colonial Sentence
G.S.	Government or Assigned Servant
O.S.	Orphan School
C.P.	Clearing Party

Pardon?

Pardons were generally awarded to convicts with life sentences. There were two types of pardons: conditional and absolute pardon.

Absolute pardon granted to Hannah Dodd alais Foster, 10 July 1827 (A 3815/9)
Digital order number: a586011 (album ID: 824056)

What is an Absolute Pardon?

Absolute pardons excused convicts from serving the remainder of their sentence. These convicts then enjoyed the same rights as free people, including the right to return to the UK or Ireland.

Thomas Siderson - Certificate of freedom, 25 July 1832
Digital order number: a928958 (album ID: 880428)

What is a Conditional Pardon?

Conditional Pardons excused convicts from serving the remainder of their sentence but they had to remain in the colony.

What is a Ticket of Leave?

Tickets of Leave were granted to convicts for good behavior. It allowed them to work for his or her own wages, provided they remain within a Police District. The convicts reported once a year at the Ticket of Leave muster and their ticket was cancelled if they didn't attend.

What is a Ticket of Leave Passport?

A Ticket of Leave Passport allowed a convict to travel for work, visit family or markets. Only convicts who had a Ticket of Leave could receive a Ticket of Leave Passport.

Convicts: Life in the colony