Archives Office of Tasmania : Brief guide 020 - convict records - explanation of format and frequently used abbreviations

Brief Guide No. 20 - convict records - explanation of format and frequently used abbreviations

Examples of some of the records referred to in this guide can be viewed on our site.

CON31 & CON40 - Conduct records of male and female convicts arriving under the ‘assignment system’.

Format

Top left hand corner	Name of convict Name of ship and date of arrival Place and date of trial Length of sentence
“Transported for”	Sentence
“Gaol Report”	Any previous convictions
“Hulk Report”	Behaviour on prison ship (in U.K.)
Marital Status
“Stated this Offence”	Convict’s statement of his offence including previous convictions.
Conduct while serving sentence	Date of offence - place of employment or employer - offence - sentence - magistrate’s initials.
Notes on bottom of page indicate the areas to which the convict was assigned.

Abbreviations (frequently used in most records)

T.L. - Ticket of Leave

C.P. - Conditional Pardon

abs - Absconded

miscondt - Misconduct

app^d - Approved

mos - Months

b & w - Bread and Water

n.p. - Native Place

casc - Cascades [female factory]

P.B. - Prisoners’ Barracks

conf - Confinement

Pr - Prosecutor

convt^d - Convicted

P.W. - Public Works

disobce - Disobedience

sol/solity - Solitary

hd lab - Hard labour

with^t - without

impt - Imprisonment

CON33 & CON41 - Conduct records of male and female convicts arriving under the 'probation system'

Format

Top left hand corner:	name length of sentence
"Tried"	Place of trial - Gaol Delivery, Assizes, Court of Justiciary, Central Criminal Court, Quarter Sessions
“Embarked”	date of sailing
“Arrived”	date of arrival at Hobart
marital status
“Stated this offence”	convict’s statement of what he was transported for, includes any previous offences
“Hulk Report”	behaviour on ships used as prisons in England
“Surgeons Report”	Doctor’s report of convict’s health and behaviour during the voyage.
“Description”	M:H = medium height; M:W = medium width; Bro = Brown
“Marks”	tattoos, scars and other distinguishing marks
“Station of gang”	Town in which convict is employed
“Class”	Probation Pass Holder [P.P.H.] - 3 classes of pass were issued varying in degrees of restriction and wages.
“Offences and sentences”	that is, conduct in the colony.
Date of offence - place of employment or employer offence - sentence - magistrate initials “vide Lieut Gov’s Memo/Decision” [these memos have not survived].
“Remarks”	refer to place and name of employer and any notable events during convict’s period of transportation, e.g. capture of a bushranger.

CON14 & CON15 - Indents of male and female convicts

Abbreviations (frequently used in most records)

N.P. - Native Place

F - Father

M - Mother

S - Sister

B - Brother

W - Wife

Jas. - James

M.A. - Mary Anne

Wm - William

Geo - George

Jno - John

Hy - Henry

Jos - Joseph

Eliz^th - Elizabeth

Saml - Samuel

Marg^t - Margaret

CON18 & CON19 – Description lists of male and female convicts

Abbreviations (frequently used in most records)

M.H. - Medium height

M.S. - Medium size

M.W. - Medium width

M.L. - Medium length

Dk - Dark

Bro - Brown

perpen’ - perpendicular

lt - light

point^d - pointed

D^o - Ditto = as above

Red^h - Reddish

Remarks - distinguishing features such as tattoos, scars, and moles are noted here

ins - inside

rt - right

blk - black

Plo’ - Plough

Far^s - Farm servant

Lab - Labourer

Some definitions

Assignment: On arrival in the colony, many convicts were assigned to work for free settlers who provided accommodation, food and clothing. Others were ‘assigned’ into government service. For male convicts the system was replaced in 1840 with the Probation System but female convicts continued to be assigned.
Certificate of Freedom: A certificate which was available to the convict when his or her sentence had expired. To certify to their ‘free; status. They were not necessarily collected by all convicts and those that were collected were not always collected immediately on completion of the sentence.
Conditional Pardon: A pardon granted by the Crown on the recommendation of the Lieutenant-Governor. The pardon stipulated conditions that the convict had to abide by. Generally these were limitations on returning to the United Kingdom or restrictions on the colony, or colonies, in which the holder was permitted to reside.
Free by Servitude: When convicts had served the period of their sentence and therefore became free they were recorded as being ‘free by servitude’. Men and women sentenced to life could never be freed by servitude in time they would be granted a pardon.
Probation System: This was a system that was adopted in 1839 to replace the ‘assignment system’ for male convicts. These convicts were not assigned on arrival but instead worked on government gangs for a period ‘on probation’. In time, and depending on their behaviour, they passed through stages of the probation process with gradual reductions in the restrictions placed upon them as they moved towards ‘Ticket of Leave’ status.
Ticket-of-Leave: An indulgence given at the Lieutenant-Governor’s discretion, which entitled convicts to work for wages, though they were required to report for regular musters. The minimum period before which a ticket could be granted was generally related to the length of the convict’s sentence.