recovering lives: 15 convicts in new south wales PDF
Preview recovering lives: 15 convicts in new south wales
RECOVERING LIVES: 15 CONVICTS IN NEW SOUTH WALES A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The Australian National University February 2015 Louise Westall Taylor I hereby state this thesis to be my own work; all sources have been duly acknowledged. (Louise Westall Taylor) i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have been blessed to have Paul Pickering as my supervisor. He has provided enthusiastic guidance and mentoring throughout this long journey, constantly finding time for me and my work despite his busy schedule. He has always shown respect for me even when I stumbled off track. His patience in reading and rereading my proofs has been remarkable. Thank you Paul. I would also like to thank those with whom I made email contact about their convict ancestors. I have been able to use many of the genealogical details they gave me in order to enrich the biographies included here. In alphabetical order they are: Bradley Collins, Adrian Earp, Anne Goodman, Gloria Hargreave, Robyn Johnson, Rod McDonald, Maureen O’Connor, Brent Richards, Pam Stewart, Jo Wendens and Virginia Willis. My fellow-students at the ANU Research School of the Humanities and the Arts have been wonderfully supportive and, in particular, I should like to thank Jen Clynk who frequently rescued me from my computer blunders. Also at the ANU I should like to thank Pennie Pemberton, Senior Archivist at the ANU Noel Butlin Archives Centre for her help with the Australian Agricultural Company records, Jessica Welch at the Chifley Off-Campus Service for her prompt responses to my requests for the reference books and Hans-Joerg Kraus, Coordinator of the Information Literacy Program for his patient help with formatting my thesis I should also like to thank Jennie Higgins at the National Library of Australia. Her knowledge of convict-related records is very impressive. Finally, I would like to thank my family for their support and encouragement throughout this time: Neville, Tasja and Jaime, Richard and Joy, Jess and Scott, Mark and Greg. Thank you. ii ABSTRACT While individual biographies of convict lives have appeared in the literature of Australian colonial history – albeit in truncated form – an aggregate study of convicts selected from a homogeneous group has appeared less often. Thus an opportunity has been missed to examine the commonalities as well as differences of such individuals over time – both before and after their punishment. My thesis examines the lives of 15 convicts who had worked during their bondage at the Australian Agricultural Company in New South Wales. Although the primary purpose is to use the method of micro-prosopography to seek the commonalities, differences and idiosyncrasies of these convicts’ experiences, as well as their aggregate, the biographies are important in themselves. By compiling portraits of their lives I have sought to rescue them from what E.P. Thompson famously called ‘the enormous condescension of posterity’. Gaps in the biographies inevitably appear, and more information about some than others has been found, but all biographies reveal enough information to highlight broader themes in colonial history – criminality and punishment, alcohol, and economic outcomes – which have been explored extensively. By tracing, where possible, the trajectory of the lives of their families I have also examined the legacy of convicts in the later history of Australia. iii ABBREVIATIONS AACo Australian Agricultural Company ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics ADA Australian Data Archives AGPS Australian Government Printing Service AJCP Australian Joint Copying Project ANU Australian National University AUN Archives of the University of Newcastle BC The Brisbane Courier CM The Courier Mail FT Forbes Times GG New South Wales Government Gazette HO Home Office MBC The Moreton Bay Courier MM The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser NAIGA North Australian, Ipswich & General Advertiser NBAC Noel Butlin Archives Centre NMH&MA Newcastle Morning Herald & Miners’ Advocate n.p. No page number given NSWG New South Wales Government NT Nepean Times PRO Public Records Office QSA Queensland State Archives SG Sydney Gazette & New South Wales Advertiser SH The Sydney Herald SLNSW State Library of New South Wales SM The Sydney Monitor SMH The Sydney Morning Herald SRNSW State Records of New South Wales TC The Courier TM The Monitor TNA The National Archives (United Kingdom) TQ The Queenslander WA Warwick Advertiser WET Warwick Examiner & Times iv
The list of books you might like
