Transportation

From the 17th century, criminals convicted of certain – often petty – crimes were transported to serve their sentence in the newly-discovered colonies in Africa, North America, Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), and Australia.

But this could not be done against their consent until the passing of the Transportation Act [1824], which enabled the King in Council to appoint places of confinement beyond the seas.

A later act of 1827 imposed the penalty of transportation for felony in all cases where no other punishment was provided.

The convicts were first sent to Millbank Prison, Pimlico, London, where they were held for up to 3 months – possibly in a Prison Hulk – until it was decided where to send them. During this time, they were (possibly) held in solitary confinement.

Some of them returned to Britain when they had served their sentence.

The Halifax Guardian [Saturday 1st April, 1843] reported

The colonies protested so strongly, and as a result, the sentence of transportation was abolished in favour of penal servitude.

Transportation to the east coast of Australia had ended by the 1850s. That to the west coast ended in 1868.

Several local people were transported for their various misdemeanours.

Valentine Ackroyd Abraham Akroyd Abel Ashworth George Ashworth Samuel Asquith John Baines John Baines John Bancroft Elkanah Bannister William Barber Jonas Barrett Isaiah Bentley Joseph Bentley Benjamin Borran Isaac Briggs Isaac Broughton James Brown John Bulmer John Clarke Henry Clayton John Clayton Joseph Clayton Joseph Cliffe John Cockroft Solomon Crabtree and 2 others John Crowther George Dawtrey John Downs Charles Evans Mark Farrar Gideon Fearnley John Fielding Joseph Firth James Fletcher William Gaukroger

John Greenwood Mary Greenwood James Hainsworth The Hermit of Hathershelf Edward Holden John Holden John Holden Samuel Holdsworth Mary Hyde George Ibbetson Joseph Ingham Henry Jagger Benjamin Jowett John Kitson William Law Simeon Lord Alexander Mackay Daniel Maude John Mellor John Mitchell Jonas Mitchell William Mitchell James Mozley James Naylor Ellis Nicholl Joseph Noble Paramatta cloth Richard Partridge James Pickles Matthias Pilling James Price Eli Priestley Jabez Priestley

Prison hulk Samuel Ramsden Joseph Ratcliffe Henry Riley Jonathan Rushworth Joseph Saville George Scholes James Scholes Sarah Shackleton George Cropper Smith Jonathan Smith William Snowden Thomas Spencer Thomas Squires George Stansfield Jonathan Stansfield Benjamin Stott Henry Sunderland Henry Sutcliffe Henry Sutcliffe Henry Sutcliffe John Swallow Joseph Tatham Benjamin Thorpe Robert Titterington Transportation John Verity Intruder apprehended by Mr Wade William Walsh Sidney Whitaker James Wilkinson Joshua Wilson John Wood John Wood Thomas Bardsley Wood

See Assigned servant, Certificate of Freedom, Convict ship, Millbank Prison, London, Prison Hulk, Punishment and Ticket of leave passport

Page Ref: QQ_63

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