The Industrial Revolution in Britain bought about huge change pushing the rural population towards the cities which then became overcrowded. Jobs were scarce, and people struggled to survive. Petty crime became rampant. Swift apprehension was almost inevitable, and penalties severe.
Due to the American Revolution the transportation of British convicts to America was no longer an option and in order to relieve the stress on Britain’s Gaols transportation to NSW commenced. The First Fleet set sail on 13 May 1787 with 11 ships eventually settling in Sydney Cove.
It was not long before it became apparent that convicts who were difficult to manage or offended for a second time would need to be isolated from the rest. Newcastle, or Coal River as it was then known, provided a suitably remote location while also providing an abundance of essential items such as coal, cedar, salt and lime.
Between 1804 and 1824, when Newcastle officially ceased to be a place of secondary transportation, an increasing number of female convicts made their way into the Port of Newcastle from Sydney by sea. The vessels most frequently associated with transporting female convicts from Sydney to Newcastle were the Elizabeth Henrietta, the Estramina, and the Lady Nelson.
The women were to be provided with: one jacket, one petticoat, one shift, one cap, one handkerchief, one pair of stockings, and one pair of shoes. A lack of supplies and abuse of the system often led to difficulties supplying these requirements.
From the end of 1823 the numbers of convicts, both male and female, began to drop as Newcastle ceased to be the location of secondary transportation in NSW. Port Macquarie took on the role and many of Newcastle’s convicts and soldiers shifted further north.
Of course, not all the convicts ventured north. Many had been assigned to settlers in the Newcastle and Hunter Region and consequently remained in the area. Many of the female convicts had also married and they, too, remained in the area.
Neither did Newcastle cease to function completely as a destination for female convicts after 1823. One such instance was following the Parramatta Female Factory Riot of February 1831 when most of the women involved were sent to Newcastle on 5 March 1831.
Another instance was in October of 1832 when some 40 women were selected from the Parramatta Female Factory, under the instructions of the Colonial Secretary, and sent to Newcastle by boat. The purpose of this exercise was to allow the unwed men of the district the opportunity of selecting a wife. Mary Ahearn, the last female convict on this list, was selected by Joseph Jones (Hadlow, 1818). Their banns were posted, and they wed on 12 January 1833, after which Mary was assigned to her husband, which was not uncommon. The couple settled down to raise a family on a farm near Tarro until they were forced to leave the area due to droughts and depression during the period between 1843 and
1851.
There were also transport ships carrying female convicts which had their charges directed straight to Newcastle after their arrival at Port Jackson. On board the Pyramus (2) which arrived in late December 1836 were 31 such women who came straight to Newcastle for assignment. Judith Cuffe, from Dublin, found herself working in the hospital attached to Newcastle Gaol shortly after her arrival.
Some of the 1,500 female convicts identified merely passed through but others remained to become the pioneers and matriarchs of the region, their large families populating the Hunter where many descendants remain to this day.