After being sentence to transportation, convicts could petition the Government for a reprieve. These petitions give an insight into the lives of women before conviction, including details of family, employment and offence. Many petitions show the poverty and sad circumstances of the women and their grief at separation from loved ones. Also among the petitions are glimpses of cunning thefts and practised criminal activity. There are others which tell stories of society in appeals against the death penalty, crimes committed because of ignorance, or because of love or betrayal of others. Often, the only time we hear the voice of convict women is in their petitions.
Some of our volunteers (particularly Margaret Thomas, Colleen Arulappu, Rhonda Arthur and Keith Searson) are transcribing these petitions. The petition transcriptions are available in the Female Convicts in Van Diemen's Land Database listed against convicts on the Pre-transportation page.
A list of female convicts who have petitions, is available here:
Recent Petitions
(Petition transcriptions are available in the Female Convicts in Van Diemen's Land Database)
KENNA Margaret (Midlothian, 1853) CRF 1851 K37, Irish Transportation Records NAI (Contributed by Colleen Arulappu 25/10/2022).
KENNY, Ann (John William Dare, 1852). CRF 1851 K26 Irish Transportation Records NAI (Contributed by Colleen Arulappu 25/10/2022).
McQUADE/McGUADE, Sarah (per Midlothian 1853), CRF 1847 Mc26, Irish Transportation Records NAI (Contributed by Colleen Arulappu 19/10/2022). Sarah McQuade/McGuade was successful with this petition and she was discharged from the jail. But almost certainly it is the same woman who was convicted in 1851 and transported on the Midlothian 1853.
HANNEEN, Mary (per Martin Luther, 1852) CRF 1851 H45 Irish Transportation Records NAI (Contributed by Colleen Arulappu 17/10/2022)
THEEHY, Catherine (per Arabian 1847), CRF 1846 T6 Irish Transportation Records NAI (Contributed by Colleen Arulappu 13/10/2022)
SLOAN, Margaret (per Tasmania 1845), CRF1845 S8 Irish Transportation Records NAI (Contributed by Colleen Arulappu 13/10/2022)
DALY, Bridget (per Arabian 1847) CRF 1846 D36 Irish Transportation Records NAI (Contributed by Colleen Arulappu 11/10/2022)
DUFFE, Catherine (per Arabian 1847) CRF 1846 D34 Irish Transportation Records NAI (Contributed by Colleen Arulappu 11/10/2022)
FURY, Bessy, (per Midlothian 1853) CRF 1851 F39 Irish Transportation Records NAI. (Contributed by Colleen Arulappu 9/10/2022)
FITZGERALD, Honora, (per Martin Luther, 1852) CRF 1851 F41 Irish Transportation Records NAI. (Contributed by Colleen Arulappu 9/10/2022)
FLYNN, Mary(2nd) (per Blackfriar 1850). CRF 1851 F1, Irish Transportation Records NAI. (Contributed by Colleen Arulappu 2/10/2022)
AHERN, Mary (per Earl Grey, 1850). CRF 1851 A3, Irish Transportation Records National Archives Ireland. (Contributed by Colleen Arulappu 18/09/2022). Also includes petition for Mary Ahern (mother of the above Mary Ahern) CRF 1851 A10.
SHAW, Jane (per Blackfriar, 1850). CRF 1850 S43 Irish Transportation Records National Archives Ireland. (Contributed by Colleen Arulappu 8/09/2022)
McNULTY, Bridget (per Duke of Cornwall, 1850). Irish Transportation Records National Archives Ireland. (Contributed by Colleen Arulappu 28/07/2022)
MANN, Bridget ( per Duke of Cornwall 1851). Irish Transportation Records National Archives Ireland. (contributed by Colleen Arulappu 25/07/2022),
HENNESSY, Mary Anne (per Duke of Cornwall 1851). Irish Transportation Records National Archives Ireland. (contributed by Colleen Arulappu 6/06/2022)
Further Resources:
The Local Historian Volume 41, Number 1 February 2011, pages 44-51.
Petitioning For Mercy In Mid-nineteenth Century Yorkshire by Dick Hunter
