OLD TIME MEMORIES - A FEMALE CONVICT SHIP.
By Phoebe Kirwan.
(Published in The Australiasian 27 January 1923)
No passengers other than military officers on Government service were permitted to embark on convicts' ships. Though the rule applied equally to vessels transporting females, it was not so strictly enforced on board the barque Gilbert Henderson, which sailed from Liverpool, chartered as a convict ship, for Hobart Town, Van Diemen's Land, in 1841, with 350 female convicts. Extracts from the narrative of a passenger might be of interest to all to whom the early days of life and happenings in Australia are of historic interest and value. The Gilbert Henderson was a fine new vessel of about 600 tons burden. Her crew consisted of the captain, three mates, a carpenter, a sail-maker, a steward, a cook, 16 seamen, and three apprentices — or termed by courtesy midshipmen — four passengers, and the naval surgeon — in this case a surgeon of higher rank than was usually appointed to do duty on board a convict ship. His name was Sir J. H.—, and, he had been knighted for his services in Prussia in the cholera epidemic of 1831-2. He had accepted the appointment on board the Gilbert Henderson because it afforded him an opportunity of reaching Van Diemen's Land free of expense, in order to settle upon an area of land on the island which had been granted to him for his medical services, in addition to his knighthood. The worthy knight brought out an elaborate equipment for a settler in the "bush," and additional elegancies of civilisation in the way of furniture, cases of books, pipes, and barrels of wine and beer. He believed that be was going to found a new Utopia in the wilderness on his grant of land. He remained one week. Heartily disillusioned, he took the first vessel ready for sea. The loneliness and the wildness of his grant were too much for his nerves and peace of mind.
The Gilbert Henderson sailed from Woolwich. Tolerably fine weather was experienced, and the horrors of sea-sickness were well over before the ship was out of the British Channel, and a regular routine of duty, combining the utmost order and regularity, was established on board. A "douceur," proportioned according to their relative ranks, was to be awarded to the captain and three mates if at the end of the voyage they produced a certificate, signed by the surgeon, setting forth that they had exerted them selves to the utmost to assist him, and had prevented any irregularities on the passage to Van Diemen's Land. There was, in truth, far more comfort, and even enjoyment, on board the vessel than there would have been if the convicts had been free immigrants. Their condition enabled the officers to exercise a much greater amount of moral and physical control over them than could otherwise have been the case.
The military or marine guard (constantly maintained on male convict ships) was dispensed with, and although a sufficient supply of handcuffs and irons was available on board, they were kept out of sight. There was little more appearance of force, or even harsh discipline, than was found on board an ordinary immigrant ship. The health, comfort, and convenience of the convicts were sedulously cared for during the long four months' voyage. As a result, after the first week or so, offences against the rules and regulations were rare.
All the convicts were required to be on deck (weather permitting) at 6 o'clock in the morning. At half-past 7 o'clock they went below to the comfortable, roomy "be tween" decks to breakfast—this meal consisting of a pint of cocoa for each person, with biscuits. The food was set out on the tables by a certain number of the convicts chosen weekly by the doctor to perform this duty. These women had also to stow away the beds, sweep, and twice a week to scrub the "between" decks, receive the daily provisions from the third mate (who acted as a sort of purser or steward, under the doctor), and to perform all the duties requisite to keep the portion of the ship occupied by the convicts in a clean and neat condition.
After breakfast (in fine weather) all but the sick and those whose duties detained them below were again ordered on deck, where they remained until noon, when, in obedience to the third mate's whistle, they went below to a dinner of boiled salt beef or pork, on alternate days, with the addition, according to the day of the week, of barley broth, rice and molasses, or pea soup. On Sundays and Thursdays flour and raisins and suet were supplied instead of peas, barley, or rice and each woman received 3/4 lb. of plum pudding. Supper at 6 o'clock consisted of tea with biscuit and the cold salt meat that had been left at dinner time.
A quantity of potatoes and other vegetables was taken on board when embarking, and this stock was renewed at the Cape Verde Islands — the captain putting into Fayal expressly for this purpose — and again at the Cape of Good Hope. There was a comfortable "sick bay," but illness was rare. Even in rainy or boisterous weather all were on deck for an hour or two in the course of the day, being sent up at such times in squads of 40 or 50 at a time. There was only one death, just when the ship had reached the Equator — a consumptive girl aged 18 years, who, in a moment's weakness through want, stole a muslin dress from a draper's shop, and was sent out on the convict ship, where the disease she suffered from ended her unhappy life. She was buried at midnight, on a calm moonlit night when the surface of the ocean was as smooth and as glittering as a mirror. Sewn up in a sheet and strapped to a board loaded with shot at one end, the lifeless form was laid across the bulwarks near the gangway. The sailors of the watch below and all the convicts were summoned by the slow tolling of the ship's bell. The passengers came from the cabins, and Sir J. H. read prayers appointed by the Church to be read at the burial of the dead at sea. When the body was consigned to the waters, there was lamentation from the assembled convicts which remained long in the memories of the listeners. Many retired sobbing hysterically to the deck below.
The doctor also read prayers every Sunday morning to the assembled convicts, passengers, and crew, according to the strict orders of the Government. It was also the practise of the monitors (chosen from the most energetic and best-conducted convicts to rule in a system of minor government over classes of 12 or 15) to say grace at each meal.
The monitors' duties were to ensure that all under their charge fulfilled the regulations of the ship in every respect, and to report for reproof or punishment those who were indolent/ stubborn, or disobedient. So well did the monitors perform their duty that in a very short time there was little cause for complaints, the convicts discovering that obedience conduced to their own comfort. Punishments were few, and not severe, and after the first month at sea were seldom necessary. Stopping the allowance of tea at supper time, or the allowance of plum pudding on the days it was provided, were the mildest and most frequent ''sentences." Next to these was the sending of the culprit below in fine weather, and compelling her to work while her companions were enjoying themselves on deck. For the more refractory a wooden box was provided. It resembled a sentry-box, in which she was compelled either to stand upright or to stoop in an uneasy posture for an hour or two, according to the nature of the offence. When the door of this prison was closed, the only light and air came from a hole in the top, and although only a half dozen of the convicts were punished in this way, only one hardened culprit again of fended sufficiently to warrant the temporary incarceration.
The worst and most dreaded punishment was the cropping of the head, young and old would almost as soon have lost their lives as have their hair cut close. It not only deprived them of their most cherished natural ornament, but it branded them as infamous on their arrival in the colony, and made them objects for ridicule. On one occasion only was it enforced. The culprit was a young, good-looking, generally well-behaved girl, with a head of luxuriant black hair. She pleaded as if for her life. but the offence for which she had been guilty was one that could not be overlooked, or, if overlooked, would have struck a fatal blow to the discipline of the ship. The doctor, however, permitted the offence to be condoned by merely going through the form of the punishment, and one of the women simply clipped off a quarter of an inch from the culprit's back hair. The girl was afterwards, as she had been before her lapse, one of the best behaved on board. It is difficult to imagine what she might have become if the really kind-hearted doctor had proved stern and enforced the dreaded degradation. The necessity for recreation was not overlooked by the authorities, and a quantity of coarse stuff suitable for rough needlework was supplied by the Government, as well as a great number of tracts, and religious, as well as instructive and amusing, books. Though none of the convicts was compelled to work beyond the regular duties assigned to them for the cleanliness of their quarters, there were few who, before the ship had been long at sea, did not apply for work, or books to read, to pass away the time, and needle work or books were only accorded to those who conducted themselves properly.
The worst and most dreaded punishment was the cropping of the head, young and old would almost as soon have lost their lives as have their hair cut close. It not only deprived them of their most cherished natural ornament, but it branded them as infamous on their arrival in the colony, and made them objects for ridicule. On one occasion only was it enforced. The culprit was a young, good-looking, generally well-behaved girl, with a head of luxuriant black hair. She pleaded as if for her life. but the offence for which she had been guilty was one that could not be overlooked, or, if overlooked, would have struck a fatal blow to the discipline of the ship. The doctor, however, permitted the offence to be condoned by merely going through the form of the punishment, and one of the women simply clipped off a quarter of an inch from the culprit's back hair. The girl was afterwards, as she had been before her lapse, one of the best behaved on board. It is difficult to imagine what she might have become if the really kind-hearted doctor had proved stern and enforced the dreaded degradation. The necessity for recreation was not overlooked by the authorities, and a quantity of coarse stuff suitable for rough needlework was supplied by the Government, as well as a great number of tracts, and religious, as well as instructive and amusing, books. Though none of the convicts was compelled to work beyond the regular duties assigned to them for the cleanliness of their quarters, there were few who, before the ship had been long at sea, did not apply for work, or books to read, to pass away the time, and needle work or books were only accorded to those who conducted themselves properly.
Governesses were appointed from the more intelligent and the best educated to instruct the illiterate. This was productive of most beneficial results, for several poor neglected girls, who otherwise would have been unable to tell one letter of the alphabet from another, when they landed at Hobart Town, were able to read the Bibles supplied by the Government with tolerable facility. The governesses each Sunday read aloud from the Bible, or some religious book, the convicts listening attentively, all other reading being prohibited on Sundays.
The usual retiring hour was between 9 and 10 o'clock, although the convicts were sent to their quarters at supper-time. Occasionally a few were permitted, as a reward for good behaviour to stay on deck until 8 or 9 o'clock. Singing was a favourite pastime. The quarters were lighted with swinging lanterns. At 10 o'clock the doctor, accompanied by the third mate, went below, and thoroughly inspected the quarters, saw that all the women had retired to their bunks, that the decks were thoroughly cleared for the night, that all the lights, with the exception of a lantern at each end of the long deck, were extinguished, and listened to any complaints. Thus passed day after day of the long voyage, and as the end of the voyage drew near many were the heartfelt wishes from the convicts that they could remain on board and pass the whole term of their penal service sailing to and fro on the Gilbert Henderson. They had made friendships, they had learned to place confidence in those in authority, many of them had led a happier and more peaceful life on the ship than they had ever known on shore, and felt and acknowledged its benefits. Two amongst their number, whose offences would nowadays be considered almost venial, had been permitted to bring their children with them, and these two boys of two and three years of age respectively, had thrived wonderfully on the voyage, and been petted to a considerable degree.
At length the lofty, sombre mountains of Tasmania hove in sight, and the next day the Gilbert Henderson came to anchor in Hobart Town, and was immediately boarded by the Custom House officers and others of the colonial authorities. The superintendent of convicts came on board, and each convict was summoned before him and ordered to state her name, age, birthplace, and other particulars. The whole of the Convicts were then assembled, and the captain and doctor asked to state their general conduct on the voyage, and to point out the insubordinates. Both spoke well of them, and the women were then asked to make any complaints they had, but there were emphatic cries of "None." Later, Sir John and Lady Franklin, following their usual conduct of visiting every convict ship, came on board, and gave kindly and salutary advice to all. In the course of a day or two the convicts were all removed from the ship — some to go to the masters and mistresses to whom they bad been assigned, others to go to penitentiaries at Hobart Town, Launceston, and different parts of the island. It was a painful leave-taking. Many had been secretly working little souvenirs, such as bookmarks, which they now respectfully and timidly offered to the doctor, captain, and passengers who remained on board. Sadly and sorrowfully they stepped over the side of the ship into the tender that was to convey them to their destinations. When the rope was cast loose, and the steamer went off with her living freight, some of them tried to raise a feminine cheer as they waved their bonnets and handkerchiefs to those on board watching their departure. They could not manage it, the feeble cheer broke down, and many of them sat down sobbing, or threw their arms around the necks of their companions and wept on their shoulders.
Source: Old Time Memories (1923, January 27). The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), p. 52.
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