The Western Australian Convict Publication Project

Collage of sources being used by the Convict SIG I image Jo Hyland

We were just preparing a short exhibition commemorating the 150th anniversary of the cessation of convict transportation and decided to pull together a sub-committee from our own Convict Group committee to address what such a project might entail. The Scindian pilot project was begun primarily as with a smaller group of 75 men to focus on from that first ship in relation to the larger numbers of convicts on later ships, it seemed a more feasible target group to start with. 

I have been writing most of the short, formulaic stories of the convicts with strong support and extensive input from Bevan Carter and further research carried out by Julie Arrowsmith and Valerie White. All stories are based primarily on the Convict Establishment records held in the SRO, transcribed crime and trial reports in 19thC British newspapers (accessed via SLWA), Prison registers for Millbank, Wakefield and Portland prisons, Trove-accessed local newspaper articles, secondary sources and family input including some Ancestry.com records for genealogical purposes. We have also been generously supplied with convict databases detailing sources researched and collated by groups working in the Mid-West and Toodyay areas.

Stories for each of the 75 men have now been completed and are currently being reviewed for referencing, conformity and adding new source material as some things have developed over the course of the two-and-a-half-year writing period. Several of the stories that have more detailed content can be highlighted among the shorter profiles.

In addition, an introduction will be provided setting the context for convict transportation to WA, (including the earlier introduction of Parkhurst boys, convict Exiles and the use of Aboriginal labour) and findings and statistics about the men as a group will be analysed. I believe it is also the perfect chance to provide profiles on the officials of the early convict system who came out with the first convicts aboard the Scindian, namely Henderson, Manning and Dixon. The Enrolled Pensioner Force and their families will all be listed. The ship's voyage and local conditions in Fremantle at the time of the convicts' arrival can be examined, as well as the initial establishment of the convict system, the political correspondence and local reactions. It is a perfect opportunity to emphasise the importance of the Convict Establishment records of Western Australia as being the most complete set of convict documentation still existing today and to promote their use. 

The overall intention of the WA Convict Publication Project is not, however, to write stories for each convict that came to Western Australia, but rather to make available, freely and easily accessible online, sources on Western Australian convicts for all researchers, from home genealogists to academics. At this point the group are about four ships out of forty-three voyages into this objective, with additional and ongoing research being done by Marcia Watson and Bevan Carter, and our committee are examining existing websites for structure and ease of access to guide how we develop our databases and present our material.

This is viewed as a long-term project and we hope that by making a start and developing a framework we will not only build on previous work undertaken by members of FHWA and the Convict Special Interest Group but also generate ongoing interest so that members will continue with the project into the future.

Jo Hyland