Admin Table of Contents
Where did Britain transport its convicts to until 1776?
Transportation to North America From the early 1600s until the American Revolution of 1776, the British colonies in North America received transported British criminals. Destinations were the island colonies of the West Indies and the mainland colonies that became the United States of America.
Where did England send their convicts to after 1770?
Australia
After 1776, all criminal transportation was to modern-day Australia, specifically New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land (modern-day Tasmania). Many more records survive from this period but, as few are indexed by name, finding an individual can still be difficult.
Where did the British government first transport the convicts in Australia?
Botany Bay
Seeking to pre-empt the French colonial empire from expanding into the region, Britain chose Australia as the site of a penal colony, and in 1787, the First Fleet of eleven convict ships set sail for Botany Bay, arriving on 20 January 1788 to found Sydney, New South Wales, the first European settlement on the continent …
Why did the British send convicts to America?
Britain had been shipping convicts to America for decades before they started sending them to Australia. In fact, it was precisely because of America’s fight for independence that the Brits had to start sending their criminals to Australia. But from 1718 until 1775, convict transportation to the American colonies flourished.
Why did the British transport prisoners out of England?
The British were noted for transported prisoners out of England to be made to work at their numerous colonies. From 1615 to 1870, more than 200,000 criminals were conditionally pardoned, exiled, and transported to penal colonies.
Who were transported convicts in the 18th century?
It is reckoned that transported convicts made up a quarter of the British immigrants to colonial America in the 18th century. Before the Transportation Act of 1718, criminals either escaped with just a whipping or a branding.
How were convicts transported to New South Wales?
After considering several proposals for transporting convicts to locations in the Atlantic, the British government chose a site in the antipodes: Botany Bay. On January 26, 1788, the first convict transports arrived on the coast of what would eventually become the colony of New South Wales.