This project has taken three years to get to this point. The team will continue to log their progress on this page. There is still quite a bit to do - refer to Stage 7 below.

Progress Update (20.12.2024)

Each ship has gone through a number of stages until it was complete with currently known information. If we receive information on a particular convict or we learn of more online sources then we will add any new information that we can get our hands on.

Stage 1: Ship Level Links - a lot of data is available online in data sets there are sequential by convict number. We have added all of the data that we have found so far at the ship level. This stage is complete for all ships. If we find more sources we will add them.

Stage 2: Convict Load - we have loaded all onvicts into our database one ship at at time using a spreadsheet load. This process is now complete for all ships.

Stage 3: Std WA Links - we have recorded links to a number of websites and other data which was added as each ship load of convicts was added to our database. This data includes:-

  • details of reconvictions where convicts end up being assigned more than one convict number
  • links to stories on Harvey History Online
  • East Perth Cemetery death and burial information
  • Convicts Who Left the Colony via Albany Register on Ancestry and data from Police Gazettes
  • convict deaths from Police Gazettes
  • convict deaths, punishment, permission to marry and permission to bring families to WA from the Half Year Returns
  • convict deaths in Fremantle prison hospital
  • known escaped convicts posters on SLWA
  • stories and references to convicts in published books (obviously we will add more as we find them)
  • links to the Australian Convict Register where it has additional information
  • links to digital panopticon where it has additional information
  • links to the Mid West Convict Register
  • links to the 1859 York Census
  • links to TOL and Reconviction Registers on Ancestry
  • links for WA convict reconvctions in WA
  • flags for a number on Military Indexes

     The Stage 3 process is complete for all ships.

Stage 4: UK Prison Register Links - we have added links to the registers of all the prisons (that are online) that each convict spent time in. Wherever possible we are using the registers on AJCP Trove which are free to access but many of them stop in 1852 so we will have to use findmypast for a number of prisons after that date. This process is now complete for all ships though we are adding more links to convicts where we beilve they will add value particularly Millbank PCOM2 links.

Stage 5: UK Newspaper Articles Links - where we can find them we are linking to newspaper articles for each convict. All ships up to the Pyrenees I are complete. Articles for the William Jardine, Dudbrook and the Minden are also complete. The Pyrenees II and the Sea Park are progressing.

Stage 6: Aust Trove and other Links - we are adding as many extra links as we can find. The Scindian, Hashemy, Mermaid & Marion are done. 

Stage 7: What is happening now that all ships have been loaded?

  • correct any errors as we become aware of them and add in any extra information which we receive
  • a big catch up on adding newspaper links which are ready to go
  • finish adding missing Millbank or Pentonville PCOM2 links where they are available (where we currently only have HO24 links)
  • add baptisms, census records & marriages for remaining convicts known to have descendants (where we have confidence in the data)
  • add ToodyayTOL images and Perth TOL 1386/1 images to convicts whom we know are being researched (done)
  • where we have confidence in the data, add previous transportation conviction details to convicts pages and links files 
  • add pages for the "Parkhurst Lads"
  • add Ancestry prison register links for convicts whom we know are being researched (done)
  • add accomplice links
  • add family links

 Additions or Significant Changes

  • 10.08.2021 Beginning of the project
  • 03.02.2022 Added Plans for Convict Establishment, Pensioner Guard Cottages to "Maps & Diagrams"
  • 03.02.2022 Added links to Half Year Returns to "Links"
  • 05.02.2022 Found Transport Registers for Phoebe Dunbar and Robert Small on AJCP Trove. Added to their ship level links
  • 10.02.2022 Added an Index for Convict Stories
  • 27.03.2022 Links to all known petitions that we could find were added to convict links files.
  • 02.04.2022 99 stories for Hashemy convicts written by Marcia Watson were added.
  • 16.07.2022 Ship No. 9 Pyrenees II loaded. Percentage of total convicts loaded = 20.9%
  • 22.07.2022 "Sneak Peak" Convict Resources page added to FHWA website for convicts whose links files have been prepared early!
  • 28.07.2022 Ship No. 10 Robert Small loaded. Percentage of total convicts loaded = 24.2%
  • 05.08.2022 Added a Link to the Register of Applications for Passage of Wives & Family to WA (CO 386/154)
  • 10.08.2022 Added links to the Medical Board Reports into the Robert Small and Phoebe Dunbar voyages which had 8 and 9 deaths.
  • 10.10.2022 Added details of Godfrey Woolnough's (#271) second trip on the Clyde (#7301).
  • 23.11.2022 Added an index for WA convicts who had previously been sentenced to transportation. Details of earlier transportation convictions have been added where we have been able to find them.
  • 27.11.2022 Phoebe Dunbar spreadsheet loaded.
  • 28.11.2022 General Godwin spreadsheet loaded.
  • 30.11.2022 Sea Park spreadsheet loaded.
  • 08.12.2022 Ramillies spreadsheet loaded.
  • 10.12.2022 Guide spreadsheet loaded.
  • 13.12.2022 Stag spreadsheet loaded.
  • 23.12.2002 Adelaide spreadsheet loaded. Pct of total convicts loaded 36.9%
  • 30.01.2023 William Hammond load finalised. Pct of total convicts loaded 39.6%
  • 09.02.2023 Runnymede spreadsheet loaded. Pct of total convicts loaded 42.2%
  • 20.02.2023 Court Martial Index and Executed Index added
  • 23.03.2023 Clara I spreadsheet loaded. Pct of total convicts loaded 44.9%  
  • 23.03.2023 Additional Character Book links added for Clara I and City of Palaces
  • 23.03.2023 Links to SA Police Gazette descriptions of expiree arrivals have been added where we could find them  
  • 29.03.2003 City of Palaces spreadsheet loaded
  • 08.04.2023 AJCP Trove Register links added for Gibraltar in addition to FMP links. 
  • 18.04.2023 Began adding links to Scottish Indexes where we had missed them from earlier ships. Complete up to Dudbook. Pyrenees II in progress.
  • 18.04.2023 Nile spreadsheet has been loaded but about a week's work still required on the Nile
  • 18.04.2023 Caduceus spreadsheet has been loaded. Pct of total convicts loaded 47.8%
  • 23.04.2023 Nile prison register, licences and reconvictions complete.
  • 23.04.2023 Scottish Indexes complete for Pyrenees II & Sea Park
  • 24.04.2023 Scottish Indexes all checked
  • 14.05.2023 Lord Raglan spreadsheet has been loaded. Pct of total convicts = 50.6%. Prison registers, licences and reconvictions complete.
  • 14.05.2023 Albuera spreadsheet has been loaded but there is still ongoing work on this ship.
  • 14.05.2023 York 1859 Census missing premises are being corrected 75% complete.
  • 14.05.2023 Adding in WA BDM reg details a a source for all known deaths where we can find an entry - 65% complete.
  • 14.05.2023 From Lord Raglan onwards convicts who have been previously transported are being flagged only. Up to the Nile we have added in prison register details for these prior convictions where we could find them but we will now wait until after the Hougomount.
  • 15.05.2023 Albuera is effectively complete barring the addition of a few trove links & other (hopefully) military links
  • 15.05.2023 Corrections to the York 1859 Census are complete
  • 20.05.2023 Four new military related indexes have been added. The information on military & ex military personnel convicted in civil courts has been added with much assistance from Margaret Baddeley. We have Diane Oldham to thank for identifying Crimean War Veterans.
  • 22.05.2023 An Albany related index has been added
  • 22.05.2023 An index of convicts known to have returned to England before their sentence expired and were subsequently reconvicted has been add. We will add more to this index as we find them.
  • 01.06.2023 Adding WA BDM source citations where we could find them has been completed for known deaths.
  • 01.06.2023 Edwin Fox spreadsheet has been added.
  • 11.06.2023 British Newpaper links updated for the Minden (finished) & Pyrenees II
  • 20.06.2023 We have started checking Find a Grave against known deaths and we will add links where there is extra information (Complete 10.7.2023)
  • 22.06.2023 We have begun a process of checking where we have used "The Genealogist" for links to make sure that there is always an alternative link (usually FMP). Now complete 02.07.2023.
  • 30.06.2023 Albany Census 1876 & 1881 records have been added
  • 30.06.2023 We have started adding images from the Toodyay TOL Registers 731/30 & 721/31. This is a background activity which will take some time.
  • 02.07.2023 Sultana & Frances have been added (spreadsheet and all std links). Pct of total convicts loaded 56.1%
  • 15.07.2023 Links to the CO 386 Register of application for passages to the colonies for convict's families have been added (to Family Status tags) and any passenger list entries we could find (added to links files)
  • 25.07.2023 We have checked all convicts known to have gone to SA against the SA Prison Registers in Ancestry. We found some photos! Check out Hack #1973 & Sheehan #2306
  • 22.08.2023 Palmerston has been added (spreadsheet and all std links). Pct of total convicts loaded 58.8.%
  • 30.08.2023 British Newspaper links for the Dudbrook have been added.
  • 10.09.2023 Lincelles has been added (spreadsheet and all std links). Pct of total convicts loaded 62.0%
  • 30.10.2023 Norwood I has been added (spreadsheet and all std links). Pct of total convicts loaded 65.4%
  • 22.11.2023 York has been added (spreadsheet and std links except some Prison Register links). Pct of total convicts loaded 68.2%
  • 30.11.2023 Prison Register links for the York have been completed.
  • 13.12.2023 Merchantman has been added. Pct of total convicts loaded 70.6%
  • 22.12.2023 Clyde has been added though not all prison registers have been added yet. Pct of total convicts loaded 73.5%
  • 28.12.2023 Clyde now complete
  • 06.01.2024 Lord Dalhousie has been added though not all prison registers have been added yet. Pct of total convicts loaded 76.6%
  • 17.01.2024 Lord Dalhousie now complete
  • 01.02.2024 Clara II has been added though not all prison registers have been added yet. Pct of total convicts loaded 80.0%
  • 04.02.2024 Clara II is now complete
  • 15.02.2024 Merchantman Ii has been added though some prison registers have yet to be added. Pct of total convicts loaded 82.2%
  • 18.02.2024 Merchantman II is now complete
  • 03.03.2024 Racehorse has been added though not all prison register links have been added yet. Pct of total convicts loaded 85.7%
  • 09.03.2024 Racehosre is now complete.
  • 16.03.2024 Vineira has been added though some prison registers have yet to be added. Pct of total convicts loaded 88.5%
  • 21.03.2024 Vimeira is now complete.
  • 31.03.2024 Early Guildford burial details added.
  • 04.04.2024 Belgravia has been added though not all prison register links have been added yet. Pct of total convicts loaded 92.0%
  • 08.04.2024 Review of deaths in the Bicentennial Dictionary complete. Approx 70 deaths added.
  • 20.04.2024 Belgravia is now complete
  • 30.04.2024 A number of catholic marriage links for the Mid West region have been added to links files
  • 30.04.2024 Citations for Albany deaths & burials have been added with links to Familysearch
  • 30.04.2024 Some baptisms, census and marriage links have been added - ongoing
  • 30.04.2024 Corona has been added though not all prison register links have been added yet. Pct of total convicts loaded 94.5%
  • 05.05.2024 New Feature - "Recent Changes" Index will enable you to see all convicts that have had changes made to their page since the last load date. Unfortunately if we only change their links file, it wont show up.
  • 13.05.2024 Millbank PCOM2 register links. We are progressively adding these where we currently only have HO24 links. Up to the William Hammond.
  • 18.05.2024 Added Indexes for Eastern States Convicts who were later sent to WA and for Convicts sent to WA on two different ships.
  • 18.05.2024 Millbank PCOM2 register links checked/added up to the Edwin Fox.
  • 19.05.2024 Corona is now complete.
  • 24.05.2024 A Family_link tag has been added to connect brothers (and father/son) who were transported to WA. Also added to the Indexes.
  • 26.05.2024 Norwood II has been added though not all prison register links have been added yet. Pct of total convicts loaded 97.8%
  • 27.05.2024 Millbank PCOM2 register links checked/added where possible up to the Lincelles.
  • 28.05.2024 Norwood II is now complete.
  • 01.07.2024 Hougoumont has been loaded allthough not all prison register links have been added yet. Pct of total convicts loaded 100.0%
  • 10.07.2024 Hougoumont is now complete.
  • 23.07.2024 PCOM2 links checked/added where possible for the Norwood.
  • 27.07.2024 Accomplice links are being added progressively. The entry/entries will appear after the main body of events. The process will take some time so contact us if you want your man/men to jump the queue.
  • 30.09.2024 PCOM2 register lnks, Ancestry Prison Register links, Newspaper links and Accomplice links have been added for nearly 2/3 of the convicts that we know are being researched.
  • 30.09.2024 SROWA have put the Cons 1386 (Perth District TOL Reigisters and Occurence Books online. A link has been added to our Links page.
  • 07.10.2024 A Crime Category Index has been added for all convicts.
  • 15.10.2024 We have added links to the 6 individual TOL files for Acc 1386 Perth TOL in the Links page. We have also added an index to all 6 files to the FHWA website
  • 01.11.2024 PCOM2 links checked/added where possible for the York
  • 05.11.2024 PCOM2 links checked/added where possible for the Merchantman I
  • 16.11.2024 We have added an index to Acc 720 Toodyay TOL files to the FHWA Website
  • 16.11.2024 PCOM2 links checked/added where possible for the Clyde
  • 28.11.2024 Port Gregory district related index added.
  • 28.11.2024 Jewish convict index added.
  • 30.11.2024 PCOM2 links for Millbank checked and added where possible for Lord Dalhousie
  • 06.12.2024 Stories have been added to all 75 convicts who arrived on the Scindian thanks to Joanne Hyland.
  • 06.12.2024 PCOM2 links for Millbank have being added for the Clara II where possible.
  • 12.12.2024 PCOM2 links for Millbank have being added for the Merchantman II where possible.
  • 20.12.2024 PCOM2 links for Millbank have being added for the Racehorse.