Convict assignment in WA 1842 - 1851 With Andrew Gill

Convict Assignment in Western Australia 1842-1851

Contrary to popular belief, the first convicts to be brought to the ‘free’ colony of Western Australia were not those who arrived on the Scindian in 1850. 

In his talk, Andrew Gill will reveal the story of the juveniles sent from Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of Wight to WA between 1842 and 1852, having been sentenced to "transportation beyond the seas". Here, they were described as ‘apprentices’ for fear of causing unrest in the community and contemporary documents scrupulously avoid referring to the youths as "convicts". Andrew will argue that all 234 Parkhurst apprentices employed in WA were most definitely convicts by any other name. 

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