Home - Female Convicts of the Hunter Valley

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The Female Convicts of the Hunter Valley website provides information about the female convicts who came to the Hunter Valley, north of Sydney, New South Wales, at some stage during their lives.

25,566 female convicts were transported to Australia beginning with those aboard the First Fleet ships, namely the Charlotte, Lady Penrhyn, and Prince of Wales. From 1804, we witness an increasing number of female convicts arrive at the port of Newcastle on vessels out of Sydney.

Newcastle 1821

Panorama of Newcastle : watercolour drawings attributed to Edward Close
NSW State Library Digital Collection

Newcastle was a very busy port and many vessels, both government and private, arrived and departed each day. Those most associated with transporting female convicts from Sydney to Newcastle were the Elizabeth Henrietta, the Estramina, and the Lady Nelson. The Colonial Secretary’s Correspondence holds a wealth of documentary evidence and some fascinating reading.

In a General Muster carried out on 12 July 1804 by the young Commandant, Lieutenant Charles Menzies, the following mix of European inhabitants were identified:

Civil Officers and Military 20
Male Convicts 55
Female Convicts 5
Free Women 4
Children 10

Eleven months later there were some 18 female convicts and 73 male convicts recorded.

Newcastle 1804

Settlement of Newcastle, ca. 1804 / possibly after Ferdinand Bauer
NSW State Library Digital Collection

Newcastle is now a large, bustling city but the female convicts arrived to a much different scene. Once Newcastle Gaol was built in 1818 they would have landed at Macquarie Pier and been taken to the goal atop the hill overlooking the coastline (shown at 0:30 and again at 3:35-3:56 on the video clip described below). If you would like an idea of what the Newcastle of around 1825 was like click this link to view the late Charles Martin’s short video from the Newcastle Time Machine Project.