Convicts

Convicts   

History Services NSW has indexed over a half a million items of information on

the 85,000 convicts who arrived between 1788 and 1849 in New South Wales

(and Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania prior to their legal separation from New

South Wales colonial administration).

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The information in the Convicts Database has been built up from the following sources:

1. Shipping Indents

2. All notices on convicts published in the Sydney Gazette from 1811 to 1831 and the NSW Government Gazette from 1832 to 1870 relating to:

  • Assignments

  • Abscondments from service and apprehensions

  • Tickets of Leave

  • Certificates of Freedom

  • Conditional and Absolute Pardons

  • Reward notices

  • Colonial convictions

  • Intestate estates

3. Documents from the State Records NSW relating to:

  • Tickets of Leave (including details of legible notations on each Ticket)

  • Applications to marry (1826 -1851)

  • Convict marriages

  • Convict deaths (1828 -1879)

  • Convict reports

  • Colonial convictions and punishments

  • Assignments to service and removal to various colonial settlements

  • Hyde Park Barracks Court Letter Book 1842-1848

4. Convict references in numerous journals, books, published local histories, musters and census information.

For a fee of AU$30 per search, History Services will undertake a search of the Convicts Database for a nominated convict.

In order for your convict to be identified, you must provide the name of the convict transport ship and the year of arrival.

To see a complete listing of Convict Transport Ships to New South Wales and their date of arrival, click here.


You will receive a Result of Search by email in the following format which summarises all the information held on the convict including the source reference(s).


Sample Results of Searches


For the "Result of Search" for the Convict Daniel Alone, click here (PDF)

result of search

For the "Result of Search" for the Convict John Armstrong, click here (PDF)

result of search

or the "Result of Search" for the Convict William Abbott, click here (PDF).



result of search

 

 

Should a search be unsuccessful you will be advised by email.

By ordering a search of the Convicts Database you acknowledge that you have read and accepted the following Terms and Conditions:


TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. The information in the Convicts Database is derived from a variety of sources, including: ‘State Records NSW’ documents, New South Government Gazette; Sydney Gazette; books, journals and some internet sites. No effort has been made to edit the material indexed from these various sources.

2. The ‘State Records NSW’ documents are sometimes difficult to decipher, that may lead to incorrect information occasionally being recorded. Similarly, published books and journals sometimes contain inaccuracies, which may lead to incorrect information being recorded in the Database. In view of these limitations, you should not rely solely on the information in the Convicts Database, but should view the original documentation given in the Result of Search, before making a definitive conclusion.

3. Search results do not include records on convicts who are not identified by their transport ship.

4. Information indexed on each convict varies according to that which is available from the various sources. Some convicts have little information recorded on them, while others have a considerable amount of material recorded.

5. If the Convict Database does not contain information on the convict you are researching, History Services NSW will not refund your search fee. A ‘nil’ search result should be regarded as an indicator that no information on the convict is held from the sources.

6. History Services NSW will not refund search fees in circumstances where the information provided is already known to you. Similarly, in view of the limitations disclosed above, refunds will not be given for minor errors in information provided.

7. History Services NSW makes no representations concerning the suitability, reliability or accuracy of the Content, the Service or the Website for any purpose.

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convict
Chain Gang NSW - to see the original image, click here.

 

convict uniform
Convict Uniform

The convict uniform was known as the "magpie".

This particular uniform is the only one known in existence and is in the National Library of Australia.

Read more

 

 

 

 

 

ticket of leave

Ticket of Leave

Right: Hugh Murdock's Ticket of Leave [1829] which is still in the files of the NSW Colonial Secretary in Sydney, signed but never delivered because of Tocal's convict revolt over sugar and milk.

Read more



History Services NSW will consider undertaking further searches of its databases to accommodate any special research requests. Please email your request.


Kevin McGuinness

© HISTORY SERVICES NSW