Convicts research guide

From January 1788, when the First Fleet of convicts arrived at Botany Bay, to the end of convict transportation 80 years later, over 160,000 convicts were transported to Australia.

Although convicts were transported to the colonies of New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia, many convicts ended up in other states or colonies, having been taken there by their assigned masters or by moving there after gaining their freedom. Distant settlements such as Moreton Bay and Norfolk Island were also used as places of secondary punishment.

convicts chain gang

Backhouse, Edward, A chain gang, convicts going to work near Sidney [i.e. Sydney], New South Wales, from A narrative of a visit to the Australian colonies, 1843; nla.obj-138467394 

Backhouse, Edward, A chain gang, convicts going to work near Sidney [i.e. Sydney], New South Wales, from A narrative of a visit to the Australian colonies, 1843; nla.obj-138467394 

How do I know if my ancestor was a convict?

You will need to trace your family history back to your family's arrival in Australia to discover whether you have convict ancestry.

Pointers to a person being a convict may include:

  • the words 'with the permission of the Governor' on a marriage certificate
  • the name of your ancestor in a convict muster
  • the name of a ship and year after the person’s name, in a document
  • noted as a convict in a census or other official document, such as Colonial Secretary’s Correspondence.

What do I need to start convict research?

A good starting point for convict research is the record of the convict's arrival in Australia. It is best to have an idea of:

  • the convict’s arrival date; and
  • the colony to which he/she was transported.

Each of the three colonies which received convicts have separate records. Information found on the arrival record will enable you to research the convict's crime, trial and sentence and to follow their term of sentence in Australia.

The First Fleet

The eleven ships which arrived on 26 January 1788 are known as the First Fleet. They carried around 1400 convicts, soldiers and free people.

The journey from England to Australia took 252 days and there were around 48 deaths on the voyage.

Painting of The First Fleet in Sydney Cove, 1788

John Allcot, The First Fleet in Sydney Cove, January 27, 1788, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135776002

John Allcot, The First Fleet in Sydney Cove, January 27, 1788, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135776002

In this guide

An excerpt from a newspaper about a trial

Excerpt from the 1828 trial of Henry Sutton. Records of London trials, such as the one above, are freely available from The Proceedings of the Old Bailey online.

Trial records

Historic newspaper archives, such as the British Library Newspapers and the Irish Newspaper Archive, can be accessed by registered library users via our eResources.

Prison hulks death of a convict

Attributed to G. Cruikshank by Rex Nan Kivell, [Death of a convict on the hulk Justitia], 183?, nla.obj-135886659

Prison hulks

After sentence, some convicts spent time on a prison hulk awaiting transportation. A prison hulk was a decommissioned ship used for housing prisoners.

Research guide
the voyage Atkins Samuel

Atkins, Samuel, active 1787-1808, [Ships in the Thames], 1790?, nla.obj-135505485

The voyage

Convict journals provide a glimpse of convict life on the voyage to Australia, and sometimes accounts of colonial life. There are very few convict journals which have survived.

Research guide
Transportation & arrival

Sometimes it can be difficult to determine exactly when and where your convict ancestor arrived in Australia. You may need to check a few of the following sources to find the person you are looking for.

Research guide
Convict Assignment

Earle, Augustus (1793-1838), Female penitentiary or factory, Parramata [i.e. Parramatta], N.S. Wales  [1826?],  nla.obj-134500491

Convict assignment

Upon arrival, a convict was usually assigned to a master, the Female Factory or to Public Works. Who and where a convict was assigned to was recorded in an assignment register. 

Research guide
female convicts

The London convict maid, a cautionary tale of life in the colony, circa 1830, nla.obj-1117449

Female convicts

Female convicts were predominantly young, single women who had been domestic servants and/or who had come from a semi-skilled background - such as an apprenticeship.

Research guide
Tickets of leave

Convict uprising at Castle Hill, 1804, nla.obj-135226428

Tickets of leave / Certificates of freedom / Pardons

If they were well behaved, convicts were not usually required to serve out their full term.

Research guide

Video

Listen to Guy Hansen, Director of Exhibitions, examine one of the oldest cartoons in the Library's collection, 'Convict uprising at Castle Hill (1804)'.

Page published: 06 Dec 2023

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