![Old Bathurst Gaol. NRS-4481-2-[4/8619]-727](https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/styles/juicebox_large/public/Collection/Photos/old-bathurst-gaol-NRS-4481-2-%5B4-8619%5D-727.jpg?itok=wO80yUGJ)
Upon arrival in the colony, convicts were either assigned to a settler or kept to work for the government and this assignment would determine the measure of independence they would experience. The movements of the convicts or prisoners were restricted by military presence, there were night patrols by constables, curfews and some prisoners were physically constrained by leg irons. A secure gaol was required for those who committed criminal offences within the colony and who were sentenced to imprisonment. Gaols were also used to house prisoners awaiting trial or transportation to another penal settlement.
Overview
An Act for the Regulation of Gaols, Prisons and Houses of Correction in the Colony of New South Wales 1840 (4 Vic. Act No.29) nominated the gaols at Sydney, Parramatta, Windsor, Bathurst, Liverpool, Campbell Town, Berrima, Newcastle and Melbourne as the public gaols and the House of Correction at Sydney for the colony.
In addition to buildings erected for the purpose, hulks were used for the confinement of prisoners. The Phoenix was used from 1825-1838 and the Harmony in 1863.
Sydney and Darlinghurst Gaols
The first temporary gaol was built in Sydney in 1797. A permanent stone building was planned in 1799 and erected in the following year. Sydney Gaol closed in 1841 and the prisoners were transferred to the new gaol in Darlinghurst. (HRA vol. 17, p.630).
When the State Penitentiary at Long Bay opened on 2 June 1914, Darlinghurst Gaol was closed and it ceased to be a prison on 14 July 1914.
Parramatta Gaol
The first gaol in Parramatta, built in 1798, was destroyed by fire on 28 December 1799 and was rebuilt in 1802. (NSW Government Gazette, 4 June 1841, pp.767-68). A new prison was erected on the site between 1837 and 1843 because of the poor physical state of repair of the previous premises. The building under construction was proclaimed a 'Public Gaol, Prison and House of Correction' in 1842.
Phoenix Prison Hulk
The ship Phoenix, of 589 tons, was damaged on 6 August 1824, when she struck the Sow & Pigs Rock in Sydney Harbour. She was condemned by the Vice-Admiralty Court to be broken up and her stores were to be sold, but she was instead bought by the government for one thousand pounds, and fitted out in May 1825 as a prison hulk. (Fletcher, Ralph Darling, pp.111-2).
The Phoenix was used to house the overflow from the Sydney Gaol and to house prisoners detained for trial and those under sentence of transportation to the penal settlements. The Phoenix, which had the capacity to accommodate about two hundred prisoners, ceased to be used as a prison in 1838.
Indexes to the records
- Index to Bench of Magistrates, 1788-1820
- Criminal Court Records Index, 1788-1833 (compiled from Court of Criminal Jurisdiction, 1788-1824 and Supreme Court: Criminal Jurisdiction, 1824-1836)
- Index to the Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825
- Colonial Secretary's Correspondence: Index to convicts and others, 1826-1896 (compiled by Joan Reese)
- Colonial Secretary's Correspondence: Index to letters sent re convicts, 1826-May 1855 (compiled by Joan Reese)
- Contemporary NRS-922, Colonial Secretary's Indexes and Registers, 1826-1900
- Sydney and Darlinghurst Gaols: Index to inmates, Dec 1819-1849. Compiled by Ann Smith
- Index to Clerk of the Peace - Quarter Sessions records, 1824-1837. Compiled by Joan Reese. Also available at COD 520
- Female Factory Parramatta, 1826-1848 - Index to inmates. Compiled by Norma M Tuck and Joan Reese
- Index to the Gaol Photographs, 1870-1930
Bathurst Gaol
See digitised entries about Bathurst Gaol in the Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825 »
See Plan of Bathurst Gaol, 1837 in NRS 1286, Blue Book 1837, [4/269], *Fiche 474, Reel 5 *ARK.
![Old Bathurst Gaol. NRS-4481-2-[4/8619]-727](/sites/default/files/Collection/Photos/old-bathurst-gaol-NRS-4481-2-%5B4-8619%5D-727.jpg "Old Bathurst Gaol. NRS-4481-2-[4/8619]-727")
Corrective Services
| Series | Title | Dates |
|---|---|---|
|
[4/8490-8500] |
Entrance books
|
1831-1898 |
|
[4/8501-8502] |
Indexes to Entrance books
|
1846-1868, 1887-1897 |
|
[5/1096] |
Description book | 1837-1844 |
|
[4/8527] |
Copies of returns This volume appears to comprise copies, kept in the gaol, of returns sent to the appropriate administrative office in Sydney (for example, Colonial Secretary, Comptroller General of Prisons). The format varies over time, but the returns normally consist of monthly lists of prisoners admitted, together with an annual list of all prisoners in the gaol on a certain date (usually Michaelmas Day, Sep 29). The 1836-37 returns give statistics only, under similar broad headings to those in the 1847 return (see below), together with comments on the general state of the gaol and on prisoners' health and behaviour. The 1847 return appears to list all prisoners in the gaol as of January that year, as well as month-by-month lists of admissions. Prisoners are classified under the following headings: free or bond; born in the colony; home sentence; married or single; religious denomination; age; charges; number of times in gaol before; education; punishments in prison; date of punishment. There is a further breakdown by sex in each of the above categories. The 1872-81 monthly returns give similar information, with the omission of convict details and religious denomination, and with the addition of details on committals (whether under hard labour, confinement, awaiting trial, on remand, in transit, or a debtor). |
1836-1837, 1847, 1872-1881 |
Cockatoo Island
see the Convict Penal Settlements guide
Hulk - Harmony
(moored in Lavender Bay)
Used to house prisoners from February 1863 and remained in use as a prison until November of the same year.
Colonial Secretary
| Series | Title | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| NRS-905 |
Letters received See entries in Colonial Secretary's Correspondence: Index to convicts and others, 1826-1896. Compiled by Joan Reese. |
1861-1867 |
|
CSIL 62/762 in [4/740.1] |
Special bundles
|
1847-1863 |
Hulk - Phoenix
(moored in Lavender Bay)
The following references are of value for the history of the Hulk:
- NRS 14492, Papers re the wreck of the Phoenix, 1824-25, [4/7025]
- Sheriff; NRS 13235, Rules for Sydney Gaol and Phoenix Hulk, c.1830, [5/1199]
- NRS 1286, Returns of the Colony (Blue Books), Fiche 450-452
- Includes Administration of, and particulars concerning, 1830 [4/261 p214]
- Colonial Secretary, NRS 905, Letters received, 1826-1982.
- Discontinuance as a prison, 1838 CSIL 38/2513 and enclosures in [4/2428]
See digitised entries about the Phoenix Hulk in the Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825 »
Colonial Secretary
| Series | Title | Dates |
|---|---|---|
|
[4/1790 pp.75-8], Reel 890 |
Letters received Instructions to be observed and followed by the Superintendent of the Convict Hulk in Sydney Harbour |
1825 |
|
Special bundles
|
1826-1836 |
Corrective Services
| Series | Title | Dates |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Copies of letters sent by the Superintendent
|
11 Feb 1828-4 Oct 1836 |
| NRS-2422 |
Entrance books The volumes record name; ship and year of arrival; free or bond - on arrival and on entering hulk; native place; religion; trade or calling; details of admission (when, where, purpose); disposal (how, when); and an occasional note on behaviour.
|
20 Aug 1825-30 Jan 1837 |
|
[4/6445 part], Reel 820 |
Transportation entrance book The volume records the entry of prisoners into the Hulk prior to their transportation for a colonial offence, providing details of - name, ship, original and colonial conviction (when, where, offence, sentence), Governor's decision and when forwarded. There is an index in the back of the volume. |
18 Jan 1833-7 Sep 1848 |
|
[4/4539], Reel 819 |
Copies of weekly transcripts of entrance book These are copies of weekly returns sent to the Colonial Secretary containing the same information as series NRS 2422 (see above). |
2 Jan 1831-9 Feb 1834 |
| NRS-2426, 2522 |
Copies of weekly transcripts of transportation entrance books These are copies of weekly returns sent to the Colonial Secretary of prisoners transported elsewhere from the Phoenix.
|
Jan 1831-Feb 1846 |
| NRS-2427 |
Description books The volumes record each prisoner's name, ship and year of arrival, year of birth and physical peculiarities of prisoners entering the hulk. The indexes to the entrance books in the previous series could be used as a guide.
|
1831, 1833-1837 |
| NRS-2428 |
Discharge books Details of prisoners leaving are noted: date of discharge, name, ship, sentence, where discharged to, and vessel's name.
|
6 Sep 1825-3 Nov 1833 |
| NRS-2429 |
Daily occurrence books Daily journal noting the happenings of the day.
|
12 Sep 1826-8 Jul 1830 |
|
[4/6283 part; 4/6284 part], Reels 822, 2720 |
Weekly state of the Hulk These volumes contain numerical returns showing numbers of: various grades of officials on the establishment, convicts in hospital, for trial (various courts), under sentence (state, destination etc.), detained, government convicts (at various places), total actually confined, vacancies, and total capable of being confined. The volumes also contain reports on general conduct, number of boats and their condition, the state of the Hulk, and return of total prisoners showing increase and decrease. [4/6283] was also used as a Discharge book, and [4/6284] also served as a record of the Monthly state of the Hulk. |
1831-1835 |
|
[4/6284], Reel 2720 |
Monthly state of the Hulk Record of number of convicts daily: respited awaiting H.M. pleasure, awaiting H.E. pleasure, labour on board, awaiting to be sent to Norfolk Island, Moreton Bay, Iron'd gangs, witnesses, further orders, Van Diemen's Land, or those whose destinations were not fixed. Also included are returns of the total establishment, the floating magazines, and any increases or decreases. |
1 Jan 1834-1 Nov 1837 |
|
Sources held elsewhere
|
Newcastle Gaol
See digitised entries about Newcastle Gaol in the Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825 »
See Plan of Newcastle Gaol, 1837 in NRS 1286, Blue Book 1837, [4/269], *Fiche 474, Reel 5 *ARK.
Colonial Secretary
| Series | Title | Dates |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Copies of letters to the Sheriff, 5 Jul 1828-31 Dec 1850
|
1831-1850 |
Corrective Services
| Series | Title | Dates |
|---|---|---|
|
[2/2003-2009], Reels 755-757 |
Entrance books A record, under the following headings of each prisoner admitted: gaol annual number, name, ship and year of arrival, free or bond (on arrival, on entering gaol), native place, religion, trade or calling, admitted (when, where, sentence), how and when disposed of, and behaviour in Gaol.
|
1829-1848 |
|
[2/2020], Reel 757 |
Entrance book The volume provides the following details relating to each prisoner: date received, name, ship, condition (bond or free), committed (by whom, when and where), crime and sentence. The series is indexed by the volume located at [5/781, Reel 2367]. |
1840-1848 |
|
[2/2010-2017], Reels 758-759 |
Description books The volumes record the following particulars of each prisoner: name, ship and year of arrival, year of birth, physical description and connections and history.
|
1832-1848 |
|
[2/2018-2019], Reel 760
|
Discharge books The volumes record, in most cases, the following particulars of prisoners discharged: date received, name, gaol number, ship, sentence, when discharged and how disposed of.
|
1840-1848 |
|
[5/1240], Reel 761 |
Weekly reports of the female prisoners received or discharged The volume provides details of name, ship of arrival and class of the women prisoners under the headings Prisoners Received and Prisoners Discharged. |
29 Apr 1838-18 Apr 1846 |
Parramatta Gaol
See digitised entries about Parramatta Gaol in the Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825 »
![Plan shewing the situation of the new gaol at Parramatta, 5 Sep 1837 [Sketch book 3 folio 76]. NRS-13886-1-[X754]-Volume 3 part 2-102](/sites/default/files/Collection/Maps%20and%20Plans/plan%20showing%20location%20of%20new%20Parramatta%20gaol.jpg)
See Plan of Parramatta Gaol, 1837 in NRS 1286, Blue Book 1837, [4/269], *Fiche 474, Reel 5 *ARK.
Colonial Secretary
| Series | Title | Dates |
|---|---|---|
|
Special bundles Extracts from Entrance and description books, 8 Feb-14 Aug 1833
|
1833 |
Corrective Services
| Series | Title | Dates |
|---|---|---|
|
[4/6529-4/6547], Reels 802-810, 1260
|
Entrance books The volumes show for each prisoner admitted: gaol annual number, name, ship and year of arrival, free or bond-on arrival and on entering gaol, native place, religion, trade or calling, when and from whence admitted, purpose and how and when disposed of.
|
1830-1848, 1854-1898 |
|
[4/6553-4/6570], Reels 1260, 810-817 |
Description books The volumes record for each prisoner on arrival: number, name, ship and year of arrival, where born, religion, trade, age, physical description and education.
|
c.1831-1898 |
|
[4/6550], Reel 817 |
Calendar of persons tried on criminal charges before Parramatta courts The volume records for each prisoner tried at the Quarter Sessions at Parramatta: name, ship, condition (free or bond), whence received, date admitted, crime, sentence and date of conviction. |
1843-1917 |
Sydney and Darlinghurst Gaol
The prisoners were removed from the Old Sydney Gaol in George Street to the Darlinghurst Gaol in June 1841.
See Plan of Old Sydney Gaol, 1837 in NRS 1286, Blue Book 1837, [4/269], *Fiche 474, Reel 5 *ARK.
See digitised entries about Sydney Gaol in the Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825 »
Colonial Secretary
| Series | Title | Dates |
|---|---|---|
|
[4/1790 p.74], Reel 890 |
Letters received
|
1826 |
| NRS-906 |
Special bundles
|
1828-1838 |
Corrective Services
| Series | Title | Dates |
|---|---|---|
|
[4/6360] [4/6428-4/6441], [X843], Reels 850-854, 1864 |
Entrance books The volumes contain varying degrees of information, usually date of entry, name, ship, when tried, crime, sentence and details of discharge.
See Sydney and Darlinghurst Gaols: Index to inmates, Dec 1819-49. Compiled by Ann Smith. |
1819-1849 |
|
[4/6445 part], Reel 820
|
Transportation book This volume records details of prisoners prior to their transportation for colonial offences. It provides details of name, ship, original and colonial conviction (when, where, offence, sentence), Governor's decision and when forwarded. There is an index at the back of the volume. |
Aug 1837-Sep 1848 |
|
[4/4536 part-4538], Reel 821 |
Copies of weekly transcripts of transportation books These are copies of weekly returns sent to the Colonial Secretary of prisoners transported elsewhere from the Gaol showing: annual number, standing number, name, ship and year of arrival, original conviction (where, when, offence, sentence), colonial conviction (by whom, where, when, offence, sentence), decision of the Governor, where sent to or pardoned, and when forwarded. |
Aug 1837-Feb 1846 |
|
[2/2121] |
Weekly returns of the daily state of the gaol | 1829-1831 |
|
[4/6296, 4/6298-301], Reels 855-856 |
Description books The volumes record gaol number, prisoner's name, ship and year of arrival, year of birth and physical description. |
1831-1839 |
|
[4/6297], Reel 855 |
Description book (colonial transportees) The volume records gaol number, prisoners' name, ship and year of arrival, year of birth and physical description. |
30 Dec 1840-1848 |
|
[4/6302-59], Reels 857-889 |
Description books The volumes record gaol number, prisoner's name, ship (and year of arrival not always given), age or year of birth, physical description, education and remarks. |
Apr 1841-1898 |
|
[4/6442 part-6444], Reel 855 |
Entrance books for prisoners transported from New South Wales, or sentenced to death The volumes record gaol number, prisoner's name, ship and year of arrival, native place, religion, education, trade or calling, physical description, when admitted, sentence, when and how disposed of. |
22 Aug 1837-7 Jun 1847 |
|
[4/6419-21], Reels 2729-2730 |
Copies of letters sent The letters are addressed chiefly to public officers: the Sheriff, Police, Magistrates, Superintendent of the Hulk, Superintendent of Woolloomooloo Stockade, Principal Superintendent of Convicts, etc. There are indexes in front of the volumes.
|
1831-1881 |
Sheriff
| Series | Title | Dates |
|---|---|---|
|
[5/1199] |
Rules for Sydney Gaol and Phoenix Hulk | c.1830 |
|
[4/6271 part], Reel 687, 708 |
Miscellaneous returns
|
1836-1841 |
|
[4/6272] |
Salary abstracts Abstracts of the salaries of the iron'd gangs, 2nd class convicts and detached parties stationed at Carters' Barracks, Woolloomooloo, Goat Island and Grose Farm, 1 Sep 1836-30 Sep 1837; Woolloomooloo and Carters Barracks, Oct 1837-Jan 1844; and Woolloomooloo, Feb 1844-Jan 1848. They provide details of station, situation, name, condition, period covered and amount. |
Sep 1836-Jan 1848 |
|
Printed sources
|
Windsor Gaol
See Plan of Windsor Gaol 1837 in NRS 1286, Blue Book 1837, [4/269], *Fiche 474, Reel 5 *ARK
See digitised entries about Windsor Gaol in the Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825 »
![Windsor Gaol c.1900. NRS-4481-3-[7/16220]-Sh1656](/sites/default/files/Collection/Photos/d1_06261%20windsor%20gaol.jpg)
Colonial Secretary
| Series | Title | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| NRS-906 |
Special bundles
|
1838 |
