Convict Death Register

The Convict Records of Australia.

Convict Death Register, 1828-79.

The Convict Death Register was maintained for the years 1828-1879. The register was used to record the deaths of convicts who died while still serving their sentence. It records name, ship of arrival, age, date of burial, parish and occasionally other details relating to convicts whose deaths were reported to the Principal Superintendent of Convicts (until 1855) and subsequently the Inspector General of Police.

The Convict Records of Australia reflect the forced emigration to the continent of Australia of 165,000 people in the 180 years between 1788-1868, representing the beginning of the modern age of globalization by a government agency. These records contain information relating to all aspects of convicts’ lives, including: physical appearance, literacy level, trade or calling, crime and sentence, behavior in incarceration, further punishment, pardon, ticket of leave, and marriage. The forensic details about individual convicts have enabled historians to build a picture of the human capital that shaped the economy, demography, and culture of early colonial Australia.