| Courses |
| Australian: Convict Records | ||||||||||||||||||
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| A study of convict records includes some discussion of the British legal system and the conditions that led to convicts being transported to the colonies of Australia. Governments kept copious records at all stages of their control of the convicts and these provide more information about the convicts in Australia than for free settlers of the same period. The passage of convicts through the legal system may be traced from their trials and imprisonment, transportation, the convict administration in the colonies, as well as their various assignments until the eventual end of their imprisonment (by death or freedom). In addition, the course includes some records of the changing attitudes to convict heritage and the impact that has on the records that are available. Course Content Module 1 Websites Introduction Where to Start? Searching Tips Remote Access to Records Historical Background Legal Terms Module 2 Trial and Transportation Websites Introduction Trial Records Newspapers Hulks Petitions and Pardons Transportation Module 3 Life In An Australian Penal Colony Websites Introduction Colonial Secretary’s Correspondence Indents and Assignments Ancestry.com.au Musters and Censuses Female Convicts Marriages and Families Children Bank Accounts Module 4 Reoffending In The Penal Colonies Websites Colonial Offences Castle Hill Rebellion 1804 Gazettes and Newspapers New South Wales Penal Settlements Newcastle – Coal River Port Macquarie Norfolk Island Moreton Bay Penal Establishment Port Phillip District Van Diemen’s Land/Tasmania Penal Settlements Western Australian Penal Settlements South Australia Module 5 Leaving The Convict System Websites Tickets of Leave Certificates of Freedom Pardons Deaths Escapes Convict-Aboriginal Relationships Exiles Departing Passengers Module 6 Convict Impact Websites Introduction Military Guards Changing Attitude to Convicts Other Sources of Convict Information Suggested Reading | ||||||||||||||||||
