`Punishment and Service to the Injured State' - Irish Convicts Sentenced to Transportation, 1840-1852

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to present a comprehensive exploration of the Irish convict transportation system in the period 1840 to 1852. In a two strand approach this subject is examined from the perspective of the people caught up in the system and also how the system was managed and the practices that evolved over the years. Using a database created to record each convict in a microstudy of 1,207 convicts from Armagh, Kilkenny and Wicklow, a forensic examination of the surviving archival material, both Irish and Australian, has unearthed considerable information about the individual convicts. The prosopographical details give an insight into their profile and the nature of the offences they committed are examined for the pre-Famine and Famine period.

The second strand to this research project looks at the policies in place for the management of the convicts and the movement of the convicts cross country. It is evident that events outside Ireland and the interests of the British Empire put considerable pressure on an already struggling Irish penal system. This study concludes that the majority of the convicts sentenced to transportation were single, young able-bodied males and females of child-bearing age. Transportation served multiple purposes: to alleviate overcrowded gaols, to export criminal offenders and to build and enhance the development of the British Empire in its emerging colonies. These 1,207 Irish convicts gave `service to the injured state¿.