This is a brief guide to help you research records of transportees. The National Archives holds records of criminal trials and convictions, including those of people sentenced to transportation, as well as of convict voyages, censuses and pardons. Many of these records are not indexed by name, so it may be difficult to find a particular person. It will be easier if you know the name of the ship or the date when it sailed.
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What do I need to know before I start?
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Try to find out:
- when and where the convict was tried
- the name of their ship
- the date on which their ship sailed
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What records can I see online?
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Records of transportees to Australia (1787-1879)
Search convict censuses, musters, pardons and tickets of leave (including HO 10, HO 11 and CO 209/7) on Ancestry.com.au (£There may be a charge for accessing this information. Searching indexes may be free.).
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Index to Tasmanian convicts (1804-1853)
Search the Index to Tasmanian convicts (Archives Office of Tasmania) by name to see some digitised records, including conduct records, indents, and descriptions.
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What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?
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Registers and quarterly returns of convicts in prison hulks (1784-1876)
Search the Catalogue in HO 9 and HO 8 by name of prison hulka prison ship moored near a naval base to house prisoners, often awaiting transportation and year for records of prisoners held on the hulks.
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Judges' reports on criminals (1784-1830)
Search the judges' reports on criminals from 1784 to 1830, which includes some transportees, in HO 47.
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Convict ship medical journals (c.1816-1856)
Search the Catalogue by ship's name or convict's name in ADM 101 to find journals documenting convicts' illnesses during the voyage to Australia.
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To access these records you will either need to visit us, commission research (£there will be a charge) or, where you can identify a specific record referencea unique set of letters and numbers identifying a document in The National Archives, order a copy (£there will be a charge).
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What records can I find in other archives and organisations?
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Records of convicts are held by Australian libraries and archives, including the State Library of Queensland, the State Library of New South Wales, and the Archives Office of Tasmania.
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What other resources will help me find information?
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Websites
Search the website Convict central by name of convict or ship.
Search the Convict transportation registers database (State Library of Queensland) by name of convict.
Consult the section of The State Library of New South Wales' website called Family History: Convicts.
Consult the website Female Convicts Research Centre for information on female convicts transported to Tasmania from 1803.
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Prisoners
Criminal trials and convictions
Prisons