Research Guides: Convicts: Life in the colony: Illness and death

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visitors are kindly advised that this website includes images, sounds and names of people who have passed.

All users should be aware that some topics or historical content may be culturally sensitive, offensive or distressing, and that some images may contain nudity or are of people not yet identified. Certain words, terms or descriptions may reflect the author's/creator's attitude or that of the period in which they were written, but are now considered inappropriate in today's context.

Key to library resources

	Log in as a Library member (NSW residents only) or visit the Library
	Visit the Library
	Freely accessible eresource

Illness and death

Death registers and inquests

Convict Death Register, 1826-1879 – Ancestry Library Edition [eresource]
Find out if your convict died while serving their sentence. You will find the date of their death or burial, their age at the time of their death and the district or parish where they lived. In some cases, there might be other details about your convict or their death such the cause of death or the name of the officiating priest or minister.
Also available in the Library on microfiche (1829-1879).
Port Macquarie: the windingsheet [catalogue record]
You can find biographical details from cemetery records including date of death and sometimes the date of burial, when and where tried, sentence, date of arrival and a physical description. In later records you can sometimes find headstone inscriptions, newspaper reports and biographical details about free settlers. This resource covers 1818 to 1886.
Reports of inquests, 1796-April 1824, June 1828 [microfilm]
- This link opens in a new window
Search for your convict to find their age at the time of their death, cause of their death (or the coroner's verdict) as well as the circumstances surrounding their death and some personal information about your convict.
You can also view the original records in the Library on Ancestry Library Edition (Registers of Coroners' Inquests, 1821-1937) or by visiting State Archives & Records NSW. You can search the Index to Coroners' Inquests, 1796-1824 on the State Archives & Records NSW website.
Registers of Coroners' Inquests, 1821-1937 – Ancestry Library Edition [eresource]
Find the date of your ancestor’s inquest, where it was held, the findings on their death, how old they were and the year they were born.
Also available in the Library on microfilm as Registers of coroners' inquests and magisterial enquiries, 1834-June 1942. You can search the Index to Coroners' Inquests, 1796-1824 on the State Archives & Records NSW website.
Index to Coroners' Inquest, 1796-1824 [external website]
Search the index to see if you convict was involved in an inquest as either the deceased or as a witness. You will find the date and place of death as well as details about the original record.
You can view the original records in the Library on Ancestry Library Edition (Registers of Coroners' Inquests, 1821-1937) or on microfilm (Registers of coroners' inquests and magisterial enquiries, 1834-June 1942). Use the details found in the index to locate the original records at State Archives & Records NSW.

Wills and probate records

NSW probate index (wills), 1800-1985 [catalogue record | microfiche]
- This link opens in a new window
See if your convict left a will to uncover details of any beneficiaries who may be family or friends. Your convict could be listed even if they didn’t leave a will or the will was invalid as the court may have issued a letter of administration to authorise someone to act as executor.
Check the State Archives & Records NSW website for information about viewing probate packets (1817-1970). You can also order a copy to be sent to you using their Probate Packets copy service.
State Archives & Records NSW - viewing probate packets (1817-1970) [external website]
Check State Archives & Records NSW website for information about viewing probate packets (1817-1970)

Hospitals and Asylum records

Connecting Kin - guide to records: a guide to help people separated from their families search for their records [PDF 2.64MB]
Refer to this guide to see where hospital and asylum records are held. You will find a brief description of the records available and how to access them.
Crown Street Women's Hospital Guide [external website]
Find out which Crown Street Women's Hospital records are available from State Archives & Records NSW and how to access them. Patient records such as birth registers and labour ward registers are not kept at State Archives & Records NSW. Check this website to find out who to contact to access these records.
Records may be closed to the public until a certain amount of time has passed.
Infirm and destitute asylums Guide [external website]
Learn about the types of records available and how to access the records. You will find most records contain brief details of the admission and discharge and many are incomplete. Some details you might find on the records include age, birthplace, occupation, marital status, last address, names and addresses of relatives and correspondence from relatives. It’s rare to find a patient’s case history in the records.
Patient health records less than 110 years old are closed to the public with the exception of patient records from Liverpool State Hospital and Home, 1890-1959. Records of inmates at Hyde Park Asylum are not held by State Archives & Records NSW.
Liverpool State Hospital and Home Guide [external website]
Learn about the types of records available and how to access the records. You will find many of the surviving records are incomplete and only provide brief details. Search these records to see if your convict was admitted and to find information about their admission.
You're able to view all records, including patient records, created by the Liverpool State Hospital and Home between 1890 and 1959.
Mental health facilities Guide [external website]
Learn about the types of records available, including related records, and how to access the records. You might find admission files, case papers and medical case books which might include your convict’s age, birthplace, occupation, marital status, religion, admission and discharge details, medical history, and correspondence with family members and other medical institutions.
You're able to view records that are 110 years and older. For records less than this, you will need to request permission from the NSW Health Department to view.

Ward at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, 1886 from Sir Edward Knox family papers

Digital order number: a419005 (album ID: 823973)

What is in the Convict Death Register?

If a convict died while still serving their sentence, their death was recorded in the convict death register. This was part of monitoring convicts in the colony.

The death register generally shows the convict's name and age, their ship of arrival and the date and place (district or parish) of burial. In some cases you may find an indication of the cause of death.

Probate?

Probate is the legal process of validating and settling a person's will after their death.

Sydney Hospital / Star Photo Co. ca. 1900-1910.

Digital order number: a116212

Coroners' Inquests

Coroners were responsible for inquiring into unnatural or sudden deaths. They also investigated deaths when a body was unidentified, a cause of death was uncertain or the deceased was in the care of the state.

You can access the registers of coroners’ inquests in NSW for 1796 to 1942 in the Library on Ancestry Library Edition or microfilm. The coroners' registers contain similar information to death certificates.

Looking for asylum records?

Visit State Archives & Records NSW or their website to find records from asylums and other mental health facilities in New South Wales.

Check out the State Archives & Records NSW research guide on Asylum records for further information.