The Hobart Town Gazette (1833-1925) has been digitized by FamilySearch.org and it is now available on line on their site. Also included in the digitization process were the Tasmanian Government Gazettes from 24 Feb 1827 to 8 May 1830 and from 15 May 1830 to 22 Feb 1833.
Each fortnight from 1832 to the late 1840s the Gazette published a column recording how many women and children were in the factories and the nurseries. The status of the convicts was also recorded: for example, Available for hire, solitary confinement, lying-in, in the sick ward, in first, second and third class. There was also a category for the number of women under sentence who were employed as staff – laundresses, nurses, servants and cooks.
One of our volunteers, Geoff Riddiford, worked with us to capture these details and enter them into spreadsheets so that we can better understand the state of each factory and some of the hiring depots at specific times. The facts vary over time, but this is a rich resource for anyone wanting to undertake a detailed research of the factory system.
Should you use this material we ask that you cite the Female Convicts Research Centre.
The original data can viewed at "Australia, Tasmania, Government Gazette, 1833-1925." Images. FamilySearch.
Hobart Town Gazette State of the Factories (xlsx files):
1832 | 1833 | 1834 | 1835 | 1836 | 1837 | 1838 | 1839 |
1840 | 1841 | 1842 | 1843 | 1844 | 1845 | 1846 | 1847 |
1844 - 1845 HTG Female Servants on board the Anson | |||||||