Introduction
The British Government transported about 76,000 convicts to Tasmania between 1804 and 1853. You can search for them online.
Tasmania’s convict records are part of the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register along with the convicts records for New South Wales and Western Australia. The register is the equivalent for documents of the World Heritage List for built and natural sites.
The first convicts arrived in Tasmania in 1804 aboard the Calcutta. Apart from one direct convict ship arriving in 1812, most arrivals were small irregular shipments from Sydney, mainly of secondary convicted men. This continued until 1818 when a steady stream of convicts began to arrive directly from England.
Finding out about a convict’s life after their sentence expired
Many convicts are untraceable after their sentence expired. They often left the state, changed their names or generally kept a low profile. All our family history guides might be useful, but some places to start looking include:
- Census and musters. Also check the Victoria and other states as many ex-convicts left to go to the goldfields and other places.
- Employment records. For example, many ex-convicts had a publican’s licence.
- Royal Derwent Hospital Records
- Court records
- Later prison records
- Trove