Australian convict records go online

The records of thousands of British people transported to Australia have been made available online at Ancestry.co.uk, offering family historians new ways to track down their criminal ancestors.

Digitised from documents previously only available to view at the State Records Office in New South Wales, the two collections help tell the story of a criminal’s journey from arrest to deportation and possible release.

The first includes details of more than 21,000 conditional and absolute pardons granted between 1791 and 1846 to convicts held in New South Wales. A conditional pardon entitled a convict to freedom but did not allow them to return home, while an absolute pardon restored their full rights as a citizen.

The second new collection records 34,000 convicts held in New South Wales and granted freedom between 1827 to 1867. The majority of the records are fully searchable by name, ship and arrival date, and some also include details of the crime committed, the name of the colony to which the perpetrator was sent and a brief physical description.

The Certificate of Freedom of Henry Coney, to take one example from the collection, reveals the rich details that can help bring your less reputable ancestors to life. Deported for seven years for the crime of “stealing canvas”, his appearance is described with less than flattering precision: “Eyebrows meeting; pug nose; anchor inside lower right arm. Lack of middle and rear inside tip of third finger of left hand. Small blue scar on bridge of nose.”