Two hundred years ago, the Morley sailed from London to Hobart Town. This was the first time that convict women were sent to Van Diemen’s Land directly from England. The convict women on the Morley arrived at a time before the Hobart Town Female Factory was established, raising the question of how they were managed. The Morley disembarked 50 of its cargo of 121 women; the reminder sailed to Sydney. This pattern of shared voyages continued for some time and it was not until the Providence in 1826 that a female convict ship disembarked its entire shipment of convict women in Hobart.
Our Seminar for 2021 (cancelled in 2020) explored the experience of those convict women who came directly to Hobart Town and compare it with those who came via Sydney. Why was the system changed? What impact did it have on the lives of the convict women?
Seven of the presentations were audio recorded. If you would like access to listen to these, please email us.
Session 1
Dianne Snowden: An overview of the early years
John Ewington: Catherine Tobin: notorious strumpet and dangerous girl? No!
Alison Alexander: Maria Lord: convict, entrepreneur and governor’s lady
Session 2
The Morley was the first ship to bring female convicts direct to Van Diemen’s Land
Elaine Crawford: The voyage of the Morley, part one
Rhonda Arthur: The voyage of the Morley, part two (read by Colette McAlpine)
Dianne Lowe: Hobart Town and Sydney: a comparison of the lives of Morley women (pdf file of slides available on request)
John Stephenson: Virtual Hobart Town: a digital exploration of the convicts’ new home
Session 3
Don Bradmore: The shocking ordeal of Johanna Lynch (read by Wendy Donnelly)
Graeme Boxhall: Maria Allen: assigned to Sarah Island – twice
