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Overview

John Joseph McNamara on a convict ship

British convicts were transported by ship to penal colonies around the world for centuries. The practice came to an end in 1868, the year that the last prison vessel set sail for Australia.

Did you know?

• The terms of transportation were often for 7 or 14 years - and frequently for life.
• The American Revolution ended the transportation of British convicts to America, and then many convicts were held in overcrowded 'hulks', on the Thames.
• Over 165,000 people had been transported to Australia by 1868 - numbers averaged 4,000 a year in the 1830s.
• Conditions on board the prison vessels were poor, and many convicts died before reaching their destination.

Assize and trial records

Sentences of transportation can be located in the English trial papers held at The National Archives. Records for Wales dating from before 1830 are stored at the National Library of Wales, thereafter at The National Archives, at Kew.

For further information:

For further information on sources for convicts:

For proceedings of the Old Bailey 1674-1913:

For the Convict Transportation Registers Database:

Transportation records

Records relating to the transportation of prisoners can be found at The National Archives. These include the name of the prisoner, the vessel they sailed on, their destination and the date of departure.

For further information:

Many prisoners died during the voyage. Conditions on board ship can be researched via surgeons' logs.

For further information:

Penal colony records

Records relating to the administration of penal colonies often include census returns, with information on the families of the convicts who voluntarily elected to accompany them.

For further information: