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| Picture courtesy of Wikipedia |
What better way to rid the country of its undesirables than to send them somewhere else?
Many convicted criminals were transported to
the penal colonies, which was an alternative punishment to the hangman’s rope.
The cost to the state wasn’t great, no first
class sea voyages for these people, and so everything swung along nicely for
quite some time.
The American War of Independence put paid to
the practise of hosting convicts in the latter quarter of the eighteenth
century. But in 1787, Britain had another idea and transportation to Australia
began. It is said that some 160,000 convicted criminals – men, women, and
children – were transported to Australia.
Fortunately for us, there are many records
we can check in order to trace our ancestors’ journeys.
Trace your Roots gives full details of where to search.
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