Beyond the Seas?

Beyond the Seas? Convicts on the Hulk Justitia at Woolwich July 1824 - June 1825 [88 page pdf]

Convicts listed in the Justitia Hulk Quarterly Returns September 1824 to June 1825 [Excel workbook]

Questions I was keen to explore included: Just how much of a lottery was ‘the system’ for an individual convict at that time? Would he serve his sentence on a hulk in England, Ireland or Bermuda or would he actually be transported Beyond the Seas? If so would he be transported to New South Wales or to Van Diemen’s Land? If he remained on the hulk, would he be among the lucky ones to be pardoned or discharged before the end of his sentence, or would he be ill fated, and succumb to disease or an accident?

Were conditions on the hulks, or more precisely conditions on the Justitia at this time as bad as they have generally been painted? Also, what were the odds of a convict who was placed on the Justitia in 1824 actually being transported?

Kerry Vickers Created 4 September 2017 Updated 21 May 2018