Seeks Information: Convict Ancestor

(AUSTRALIA) Transportation from Ireland for crimes committed in Ireland, lasted from 1791 to1853, ending 15 years earlier than transportation from England. The records of the Chief Secretary'sOffice, which had responsibility for the Penal system, are the major Irish source of information ontransportees. Not all of the relevant records have survived, particularly for the period before 1836,but what does exist can provide a wealth of information. The records were formerly housed in theState Paper Office in Dublin Castle, which is now part of the National Archives of Ireland (NAI). Theprincipal classes of relevant records are as follows: Prisoners' Petitions and Cases, 1788-1836: these consist of petitions to the Lord Lieutenant forcommutation or remission of sentence, and record the crime, trial, sentence, place of origin andfamily circumstances. State Prisoners' Petitions: these specifically concern those arrested for participation in the 1798rebellion, and record the same information as the main series of petitions. Convict Reference Files, from 1836: these continue the earlier petitions series and can include awide range of additional material. Transportation Registers, from 1836: these record all the names of those sentenced to death ortransportation, giving the name of the transport ship or the place of detention, are sometimes givenas well. Male Convict Register, 1842-1847: in addition to the information supplied by the TransportationRegisters, this volume also gives physical descriptions of the convicts. Register of Convicts on Convict Ships, 1851-1853: this gives the names, dates and counties of trial ofthose transported to Van Dieman's land and Western Australia for the period covered. Free Settlers' Papers, 1828-1852: after serving a minimum of four years, male convicts had the rightto request a free passage for their wife and family to join them. The Papers contain lists of thosemaking such a request, along with transportation details and the names and addresses of the wives.A number of petitions from husbands and wives, and prisoners' letters, are also included. These records were microfilmed and a database was presented to the Australian government andcan now be found in many State archives. The NAI retains copies and the database, in particular, cansave a great deal of time and effort. www.nationalarchives.ie Early convict arrivals records, makingup some of the gaps in the NAI material, are also online at www.pcug.org.au/~ppmay/convicts.htm(Irish Convicts to Australia 1791-1815).