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Women in Plymouth, England, parting from their lovers who are about to be transported to Botany Bay, 1792. Penal transportation (or simply transportation) was the relocation of convicted criminals, or other persons regarded as undesirable, to a distant place, often a colony, for a specified term; later, specifically established penal colonies became their destination.
Many colonists in British North America resented convict transportation. As early as 1683, Pennsylvania's colonial legislature attempted to bar felons from being introduced within its borders. [46] Benjamin Franklin called convict transportation "an insult and contempt, the cruellest, that ever one people offered to another."
This convict transportation began in 1718 following the passing of a Transportation Act by the British Parliament in 1717. The transportation continued until 1775, when the American Revolutionary War halted the practice. Also, Ekirch explores the various roles played by England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland in this convict trade. [1] [3]
Convicts would be transported by private companies and sold by auction to plantation owners. Between 1718 and 1776, it is estimated that 30,000-50,000 convicts were transported for penal labor to at least nine of the continental colonies.
A convict and a marine were punished for passing forged quarter-dollars made from old buckles and pewter spoons. Ellen Fraser , mother of the second child of English parents born in the colony (John Fraser born 7 June 1789), is thought to be the female convict transferred from the "Prince of Wales" to the " Charlotte" during the stop over in ...
Although a convict-supported settlement was established in Western Australia from 1826 to 1831, direct transportation of convicts did not begin until 1850. It continued until 1868. During that period, 9,668 convicts were transported on 43 convict ships.
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From the very start of European settlement convicts were used as indentured labourers in five out of the six colonies. Many were used on public works, but a significant number were "assigned" to private individuals as domestic servants, rural workers, etc. Transportation was progressively abolished from 1853, eventually ceasing altogether in 1868.