How were female convicts treated on the First Fleet?

Women were seen as whores. According to officer in command of the expedition convict women threw themselves at the sailors and Royal Marines in “promiscuous intercourse” and “their desire to be with the men was so uncontrollable that neither shame nor punishment could deter them”.

How were female convicts treated in Australia?

These women faced extreme difficulty in achieving freedom, solvency and respectability. They would be employed in 'factories' (equivalent of the English workhouse) but often had to find their own accommodation, and would be under great pressure to pay for it with sexual services.

How many females were on the First Fleet?

The ships departed with an estimated 775 convicts (582 men and 193 women), as well as officers, marines, their wives and children, and provisions and agricultural implements.

How were the First Fleet convicts treated?

The treatment of the transported convicts was poor and the use of excessive punishment was rife throughout the penal system. Lashings were commonplace and for those prisoners who did not behave accordingly, they were taken elsewhere to suffer a secondary punishment.

What sorts of food did female convicts have?

Convicts and soldiers received a weekly ration of: 7 pounds of beef or 4 pounds of pork. 7 pounds of bread or flour. 3 pints peas.
...
At the Female Factory at Parramatta, each woman was given a weekly ration of:

• 7 pounds of bread.
• 3.5 pounds of fresh meat.
• 1 pound sugar.
• 2 oz tea (from Convict Guide, p.

What did female convicts do?

Convict women were employed in domestic service, washing and on government farms, and were expected to find their own food and lodging. Punishment for those who transgressed was humiliating and public. Exile itself was considered a catalyst for reform.

What did convicts wear on the First Fleet?

Both well-clad convicts and free men wore moleskin or duck trousers and hats made from kangaroo skin or narrow strips of palm. These woven hats, known as cabbage tree hats, were worn in country districts for many years.

What was life like on the Lady Penrhyn?

Lady Penrhyn had difficulty in her sailing abilities, often lagging behind the other ships. The woman convicts caused numerous problems on the voyage and were punished for thieving, fighting and abusive language. There was an exchange of three seamen between HMS Sirius and Lady Penrhyn.

How did the convicts feel on the First Fleet?

The departing convicts fretted over 'the impracticability of returning home, the dread of a sickly passage, and the fearful prospect of a distant and barbarous country' (Watkin Tench, 1789). They were unwilling participants in this colonial enterprise.

Why were female convicts given less rations?

Women and teenagers were given smaller rations than the men – so they would have often been hungry. Sometimes the meat was rotten because it had been kept for months, or even years, on a ship before being issued. In the colony, when the weather was bad and crops got damaged, the convicts were given less to eat.

What sorts of punishments did female convicts suffer?

The most common punishments were solitary confinement on bread and water, or separate treatment, and hard labour at the wash tubs. Many punishments were a combination of 2 or more.

Who was the youngest female on the First Fleet?

was the youngest female convict, at 13, on the First Fleet. She received seven years transportation at the Old Bailey in January 1787, for being accused of stealing clothes from the clog maker she was working for.

Who was the youngest convict sent to Australia?

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. He was only nine when first sentenced.

What did convicts do in Australia?

Convicts were a source of labour to build roads, bridges, courthouses, hospitals and other public buildings, or to work on government farms, while educated convicts may have been given jobs such as record-keeping for the government administration. Female convicts, on the other hand, were generally employed as domestic ...

How many babies were born in the Penrhyn?

The Lady Penrhyn has 109 female Convicts on board and 8 children and I shall give a List of their Names, Crimes, Ages, Trades, & the term of years they are transported for.

What happened to the Lady Penrhyn after the First Fleet?

In 1789 Lady Penrhyn was sold to Wedderburn & Co., London and used in a regular run to Jamaica.

Why did convicts have arrows on their clothing?

Political prisoners, mostly Irish, wore all-yellow suits, as did all prisoners at Port Arthur. The broad arrow marking, or pheon, was a symbol dating back to the 17th century, marking all government property to prevent theft. Convicts were considered government property with few rights and humanity.

What did the convicts do on the ships?

, convicts worked to turn large wooden logs into smaller timber planks for buildings. They also made doors, window frames, shutters and roof shingles. Down at the edge of Sydney Harbour, convicts built boats and made rope and sails for ships.

What clothes did male convicts wear?

This included:

• a cotton shirt.
• white canvas trousers.
• a thick blue woollen jacket.
• a yellow and grey waistcoat.
• stockings (long socks)
• shoes.
• a neckerchief.
• a woollen or. leather cap. .

Where did female convicts work?

In summary, female convicts in the: 1st Class could be employed as cooks, task-women, wards-women, hospital attendants, or in any other manner as directed by the Principal Superintendent of Convicts.

Why did Elizabeth Hayward steal clothes?

Elizabeth was accused of stealing a dress which she didn't do and was said to be guilty so she was sentenced to 7 years in prison. They thought it was her beacause she had some money that she was saving up to get back to her brother Edward, who was seperated from her when her mum and dad died.

Why did Elizabeth Hayward get 30 lashes?

Elizabeth Haywood was ordered 30 lashes for insolence to Mr Johnson. It is difficult to ascertain exactly what insolence meant in 1789, but we can be reassured that whatever Elizabeth did she certainly would have affected the dignity of the Reverend Richard Johnson.