Register of Absolute Pardons

The Convict Records of Australia.

Registers of Absolute Pardons, 1791-1843.

Upon receipt of an absolute pardon the convict’s sentence was entirely remitted. They were free both within and outside of the Colony and could return to Britain. The earliest absolute pardons from 1790 to 1810 show name, number and date of pardon only. From March 1810 to August 1825 much fuller details are provided including native place, trade or calling, place /date of trial and basic details of height, complexion, hair and eye color.

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.