What did convicts do in their free time?

Convicts played cards or games like chess or draughts that required different sorts of tokens, many of which were handmade. These might have been carved from animal bones (perhaps saved from dinner) or pieces of ceramic and wood they found, or cast in lead.

What happened to convicts when they got to Australia?

Free settlers were moving to Australia, and convicts were increasingly employed to work for them. As convicts either finished their sentence, or were pardoned, they were able to earn a living and sustain themselves through jobs and land grants. They could then be given a ticket-of-leave or pardon.

What did free settlers eat in Australia?

Soon the settlers began to make use of native foods. They adapted recipes from home using local meats such as kangaroo, wombat, and emu. They learned which wild fruits and nuts were good to eat.

Where did the convicts sleep in Australia?

Hyde Park Barracks

Who first found Australia?

Willem Janszoon

How many convicts did Britain send to Australia?

160,000 convicts

How old was the youngest convict sent to Australia?

Sentence and crime: Seven years transportation for breaking and entering. John Hudson, described as ‘sometimes a chimney sweeper’, was the youngest known convict to sail with the First Fleet. Voyaging on board the Friendship to NSW, the boy thief was 13 years old on arrival at Sydney Cove.

Was New Zealand a penal colony?

The New Zealand Penal Settlement was a Federation penal colony located on Earth in the New Zealand island group, east of the continent of Australia. Much like all rehabilitation colonies, this location was used to treat inmates and was a possible location for Maquis prisoners to be placed.

Why did convicts get shipped to Australia?

The convicts were transported as punishment for crimes committed in Britain and Ireland. In Australia their lives were hard as they helped build the young colony. When they had served their sentences, most stayed on and some became successful settlers.

What was convict life like?

By day, the prisoners were supervised by a military guard and convict overseers and, at night, they were locked up in small wooden huts behind stockades. Convict discipline was harsh. For those convicts who committed further offences in the colony, punishments were brutal.

What did convicts drink?

What did the first fleet drink? In the first years of the penal settlement convicts were often given a ration of alcohol, often rum, as a motivation to work, to the point where it was sometimes used as a de facto currency.

Who was the most famous convict?

Top 5 Famous Australian Convicts

  1. Francis Greenway. Francis Greenway arrived in Sydney in 1814.
  2. Mary Wade. The youngest ever convict to be transported to Australia at the age of 11.
  3. John ‘Red’ Kelly. John Kelly was sent to Tasmania for seven years for stealing two pigs, apparently.
  4. Mary Bryant.
  5. Frank the Poet.

What happens when a convict was pardoned?

An absolute pardon meant the convict was completely free. They could travel outside of the colony, including back to Britain. An absolute pardon gave the convict back their full legal rights as a citizen and could be awarded at any time during their sentence.

What was the punishment for the convicts sent to Australia?

Throughout the convict era, ‘flogging’ (whipping) convicts with a cat-o’-nine-tails was a common punishment for convicts who broke the rules. In Australia today, flogging a prisoner with a whip or keeping them locked in a dark cell for a long period of time is not an acceptable form of punishment.

What did the first settlers bring to Australia?

1788 First colonists on tight rations Public gardens were planted at Farm Cove. The First Fleet brought livestock to provide food for the first colonists. Records say that this comprised seven horses, six cattle,29 sheep, 12 pigs, and a few goats.

How did free settlers impact Australia?

The free settlers impacted Australia greatly. They impacted the indigenous Australians greatly by killing them off and taking their land. Free settlers cultivated the land, built infrastructure – cities, roads, businesses. Laws and law enforcement, parliaments and courts, defense force etc..

What was life like in the 1800s in Australia?

Factory owners were keen to exploit children as cheap labour.In the 1800’s children had to work in Factories and mines. Children were often hired at the same time as their parents and worked as young as 4 for up to 14 hours a day. They only had Sundays off and had no holidays.

How many died on the First Fleet?

48 deaths

What happened to convicts after their sentence?

Tickets of leave were generally given to convicts with good behaviour. Convicts became eligible for a ticket after a certain amount of their sentence had been served. Once a year the convict had to report in at the ticket of leave muster or else the ticket was revoked.

How did convicts die?

Many of the convicts who were sent to New South Wales in the early years were already disease ridden and many died from typhoid and cholera in the dreadful conditions on the ships. Those that survived were severely weakened by scurvy, dysentery and fever.

What did the convicts have to eat on the ships?

Convicts Food Convicts ate bread,hardtack,salted beef or pork,peas,oatmeal,butter,cheese. They also ate rise,fruit,vegetables.

What was life like for free settlers in Australia?

When free settlers arrived in Australia they received free passage, agricultural tools, two years provisions, and free grants of land from the government. The free settlers had a range of good and bad relationships with other groups.

What did convicts eat when they arrived in Australia?

They got out of their hammocks, went downstairs and were given breakfast – a salty meat stew sometimes with a few vegetables like cabbage, onion, potato and turnip. The stew was cooked in a large pot that could hold 280 litres, and each man was served the same amount of meat, 227 grams (half a pound).

What did convicts do to become a convict?

10 common crimes committed by convicts

  • Petty theft. By far the most common crime that led to transportation was petty theft or larceny.
  • Burglary or housebreaking.
  • Highway robbery.
  • Stealing clothing.
  • Stealing animals.
  • Military offences.
  • Prostitution.
  • Crimes of deception.

When did the first convicts get sent to Australia?

January 1788

Why is it called 19 crimes?

19 Crimes takes its name from the list of crimes for which people could be sentenced to transportation — offences which ranged from “grand larceny” to “stealing a shroud out of a grave.” Accordingly, each of the labels features one of those thousands of convicts who were transported halfway across the world as their …

What were the 19 crimes that get you sent to Australia?

The Crimes.

  • Grand Larceny, theft above the value of one shilling.
  • Petty Larceny, theft under one shilling.
  • Buying or receiving stolen goods, jewels, and plate…
  • Stealing lead, iron, or copper, or buying or receiving.
  • Impersonating an Egyptian.
  • Stealing from furnished lodgings.
  • Setting fire to underwood.

What was life like for convicts when they arrived in Australia?

Convicts lived in their own homes in an area known as ‘The Rocks’, some with their families. But it wasn’t just convicts living in the village; local Aboriginal people lived there too. They camped near the convict houses, fished on the harbour, traded goods and food with townsfolk and brought news from further away.