Skip to content

Category Archives: Convict Transportation

Convict Voyages: Convict Attitudes toward Transportation

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. Convict transportation was conceived as a relatively easy means of emptying British prisons and punishing repeat petty criminals without having to resort to a death sentence. Most convicted criminals facing potential execution were probably relieved to receive a reprieve from […]

Also filed in 4. Convict Voyages | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)

Convict Voyages: Starting the Journey in Newgate Prison

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. Convicted criminals who were tried at the Old Bailey in London and received a sentence of transportation began their journey to the American colonies in the notorious Newgate Prison. Like those sentenced to transportation at other prisons, they waited for […]

Also filed in 4. Convict Voyages | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Convict Voyages: Overview

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. Popular characterizations of early immigration to America give the impression that most of the people who made the trip across the Atlantic either belonged to religious groups looking for a place where they could freely practice their beliefs, such as […]

Also filed in 4. Convict Voyages | Tagged | Comments (0)

The Business of Convict Transportation: The Sale of Convicts in America

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. Convict transportation was modeled after the indentured servant trade. Many of the merchants who traded in indentured servants also took up the convict trade, and convicts were often transported alongside indentured servants. Both kinds of servants were generally sold at […]

Also filed in 3. Business of Transportation | Tagged | Comments (1)

The Business of Convict Transportation: Jonathan Forward’s Successors

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. Jonathan Forward served as the first Contractor for Transports to the Government from 1718 to 1739. He was succeeded by a tight network of convict transporters who dominated the industry up until the practice of shipping convicts to America ended. […]

Also filed in 3. Business of Transportation | Tagged | Comments (1)