Remembering the convict past

Old Government House Parramatta

The convict past has changed dramatically since transportation stopped in 1868 when the last boat arrived in Western Australia. Many other states that received convicts had stopped transportation at various other times. Attitudes towards the convicts have changes especially in relation to people’s family trees and how the people were viewed. This blog isnt a full account of what was occurring between 1868 and now, but a small snippet of what had occurred in the past in regards to the records, researcher, and government and family historians.

Over the last few years I have heard several different tales from people in regards to convicts in Australia. One person told me he found convicts in his tree so threw out all his research and walked away. Another story was about how family members came to Australia to live found there were convicts and moved on to New Zealand to live. These stories are probably repeated all over the place with many other people. Convicts did escape and some were reported to have made their way to New Zealand especially on the Bay of Islands with the whaling ships being present. Charles Darwin was thought to have called The Bay of Islands area ‘The Hellhole of the Pacific’.

The Convict image has changed over time especially since transportation ceased in the 1860s, when the last boat arrived in Western Australia. They were mostly stereotyped by many people including the government who tried to gloss over the facts the people had helped forge a new country after being sent to Australia. Words used like ‘The convict stain, ‘the hated stain’ even ‘Australia’s birth stain’ all have been used to describe the convicts of the past. There is a term used for the forgetting of the past about the convicts in Australia especially when it involves the Australian government and that is known as the ‘Collective amnesia’.  People were worried about being associated with the convicts that were found in their family tree and would either change the information around to lead in another direction or ignore the people altogether. In many cases the stereotypes were actually inaccurate about the men and women who were transported to Australia.

The records of the convicts have always been part of some issue with the government even before many arrived within archive centres around the country.  After Federation in 1901 the government questioned the need for the convict records. Many records had been lost over time either destroyed or went missing from the offices that held them. Some records turned up in garden sheds or under peoples beds decades later. Government officials thought they were doing the right thing by disposing of many records especially when people did not realise the importance of such records, nor until it was pointed out that many were stored in locations that were not ideal. Records that were on the verge of being destroyed were saved. It doesn’t mean there were not many records were destroyed. In 1863 in NSW the building holding what was thought to be medical records burnt to the ground and in 1870 more records were destroyed through pulping.

Archive centres were worried about using such records too and would restrict their access for many historians. Their view was they did not want to cause distress or embarrassment to any people especially when people were working with such records in the early 1900s. Between the 1930s and the 1960s there were many changes to interest in convict records. Restrictions that had been placed to discourage researchers were changed especially when Archivists hold the balance of power over what could and could not be accessed. Some earlier researchers could access the records through a review process, although there were others who were luckier. Convict records held a variety of information about the person, which included their age and other identifying information including their height. Other information may include their charges before being transported and the ship they arrived on. Convict records are becoming available to people on different formats within many archive centres. The records are available digitally and on microfilm to protect the fragile original documents from wear and tear from those who research the past. More records become available when they are requested.

Anniversaries in the past such as 1888 and 1938 were highly politicised and the government wanted to showcase the future of Australia, while hiding some aspects of the past by placing the convict in the shadowy background. Anyone associated with convicts were ignored as it was too painful to bring that to the front.  Interest in convicts made a huge turn around in the 1988 bicentenary in Australia, there was a resurgence of interest in the country’s past as people wanted to learn more. Convicts would become centre stage with people wanting to learn more about the past events and if there were any in their family. The information age meant computers were becoming available and accessing information was just a click away. Information could be accessed fairly quickly and in the privacy of someone’s home. Television and books are not the only places information is provided by the general public. The National, State and regional archive centres are available online.

Technology has helped to bring interest people about the past in Australia especially those of the convicts. The rise of Television is one such technological change that helped along with radio. Tourism as well helps bring the past to people by giving them a view of what they might have thought to have occurred along with businesses promoting the convict heritage through marketing campaigns. Community groups are aware of their local heritage and do their best to preserve what is left. Examples of locations are The Rocks in Sydney, Old Melbourne Goal and Port Arthur in Tasmania are relics of the past, which need to be preserved for future generations.

Attitudes have changed towards convicts in people’s family trees that once were swept under the carpet, especially those from the First Fleet. These attitudes have changed dramatically to one of inclusion as people are proud to find they have someone of convict stock.  Family historians proudly display their convict past for all to see. It had not been until after the 1960s, that convict ancestors became sources of pride although there were still older generations of people who were anxious about being related to them. Some people changed or discarded their records when they found they were related to convicts, but soon changed when people understood their stories. Convicts are part of the Australian identity, who once bought shame to many family members and now are largely part of family history research in Australia. Many historical societies hold basic information about where to find the elusive convict. Once people find a convict within their family tree, many people are able to identify themselves towards the Australian identity and place themselves within the Australian landscape. After the 1960s, people began looking into the convicts and convict heritage to see what they could find. It was not until after 1988 that people began to be interested in the past along with the television dramas about the First Fleet and societies appeared to help people with information about convicts. People want to find that elusive ancestor who was a convict amongst the many records that are available and to share with others. Family history has become a huge business for many people who want to help with research and the popularity provides interest in many archive centres.

Sources / further reading

Andrew, Barry 'More Sinned Against than Sinning: A Note on the Convict Legend', An introduction to Australian literature, ed. C.D. Narasimhaiah, Brisbane, Wiley, 1982. pp. 166-182.

Bennett, Tony 'Convict Chic', Australian Left Review, 106, 1988, pp. 40-41.

Bowden, Tim ‘The convict stain’, The devil in Tim: travels in Tasmania, Crows Nest, Allen and Unwin, 2005, pp. 205 – 243.

Broeze, Frank 'Introduction: The Convict Experience and Australian Society', Westerly, 30, 1985, pp. 31-35.

Elliott, Brian 'A Convict Story: Australian Stories Retold.’ Quadrant, 29, 1985, pp. 60-62.

Frost, Lucy ‘The Politics of Writing Convict Lives: Academic Research, State Archives and Family History’, Life Writing, 8, 2011, pp.19-33.

Karskens, Grace The Rocks Life in early Sydney, Carlton South, Melbourne University Press, 1998.

Macintyre, Stuart and Clark, Anna The History Wars, Carlton, Melbourne University Press, 2004.

Roberts, David Andrew ‘Bearing Australia's ‘beloved burden’: recent offerings in Australian convict history’, Journal of Australian Studies, 33,2009, pp. 227-236.

Sturgess, Gary ‘Convicts and sex slaves: sorting the fact from the fiction in British TV series 'Banished'’, Sydney Morning Herald, March 10, 2015, http://www.smh.com.au/comment/convicts-and-sex-slaves-sorting-the-fact-from-the-fiction-in-british-tv-series-banished-20150310-13yvc9.html, accessed 12 May 2015.

Shergold, Christine M. ‘A Note on the Destruction of New South Wales Convict Records’, Journal of Australian Colonial History, 11, 2009, pp. 220-226.

Smith, Babette ‘Propaganda as Australian History’ The Sydney Papers, 20, 2008, pp.14-23.

Smith, Babette Australia’s Birthstain: the startling legacy of the convict era, Crows Nest, Allen & Unwin, 2008.

Wright, Matthew Convicts: New Zealand’s Hidden criminal Past, Auckland, Penguin Books, 2012.