Convicts: Bound for Australia

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Key to library resources

Access anywhere with a library card In the Library (or anywhere with a Library card for NSW residents)
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Transportation lists, 1829-1840

How to use Transportation lists, 1829-1840

Only in the Library You can use Transportation lists, 1829-1840 when in the Library. Can't come to the Library? Contact us.

How to find a convict's date and place of confinement

You need to know the name of the ship your convict arrived on or its date of departure. Don't know the name of the ship or the date of departure? Try the resources under Beginning you family history research in this guide or Becoming free in our 'Convicts: Life in the colony' guide.

STEP 1

Collect the Micro Reference Book 2.2.CCC/1: The Corporation of London Records Office, The Guildhall London at the Special Collections desk in the Mitchell Library.

STEP 2

Search the book for the ship's name and departure date to find the microfilm reel number.

STEP 3

Complete a stack request slip (including the microfilm reel number) to have staff collect the microfilm reel for you.

STEP 4

Search for the title page of the ship to find the county where your convict was tried.

  • Micro Reference Book 2.2.CCC/1: The Corporation of London Records Office, The Guildhall London will give you some indication of where your ship can be found on the reel (the ships' lists are sorted by year).
  • Each ship's list is arranged alphabetically by county where the convict was sentenced.

Example of the information found in an entry (the letter 'G' is the first letter of the hulk):

Berkshire

William Dyer G Berks Qr Sessn (Abingdon) 17 Octr 1834 14 years

Use The intolerable hulks: British shipboard confinement 1776-1857 (see 'Appendix A') to work out the name of the hulk from the code (for example 'G') in your convict's entry.

Go to the resource

What's in the lists?

These are 'rough lists' of convicts on board particular ships awaiting transportation to Australia. The lists include prisoners sentenced in all parts of the British Isles as well as at courts martial in Bermuda and various West Indian stations, Upper and Lower Canada.

Why use Transportation lists?

Transportation lists are useful for identifying the name of the hulk the convict was on before being transferred. The initial letter of the hulk is listed beside the convict's name.