What happened to the convicts on Norfolk Island?
(16) The Supreme Court was adjourned on Norfolk Island and 29 convicts were convicted of mutiny. Of the 29 convicted, 22 were executed and the remainder received additional sentences to remain on the Island. (17) Morrisset returned to Sydney soon after this, and was replaced by Major Joseph Anderson in March 1834.
Why did convicts get sent to Norfolk Island?
On 12 February 1788 Phillip appointed Philip Gidley King Superintendent and Commandant of the Island and on 5 March 1788 King landed there with a group of soldiers and convicts and supplies. Others were sent there to relieve the strain on the mainland where food was scarce.
What was life like on Norfolk Island for convicts?
Convict life on Norfolk Island was severe and often brutal. Below is a snapshot of one convict, John Walsh, who spent ten years on Norfolk Island from 1834 to 1844. John Walsh was born in County Dublin in 1793 and convicted of cattle stealing in 1823.
How many convicts went to Norfolk Island?
The 66 prisoners going to the island on the brig Wellington had succeeded in overwhelming their guards, capturing the brig, and sailing her to New Zealand.
Did the bounty go to Norfolk Island?
It is celebrated on 23 January on Pitcairn, and on 8 June on Norfolk Island, the day that the descendants of the mutineers arrived on the island. It is named for the Bounty, although the ship never saw Norfolk Island.
How many convicts died on Norfolk Island?
There are over 260 deaths during the first settlement of Norfolk Island. This CDrom history resource features complete details on each person and their family.
Who were the first settlers on Norfolk Island?
Norfolk Island was first settled by East Polynesian seafarers either from the Kermadec Islands north of New Zealand or from the North Island of New Zealand. They arrived in the fourteenth or fifteenth century, and survived for several generations before disappearing.
Did aboriginal people live on Norfolk Island?
“There are no indigenous peoples of Norfolk Island or indigenous population on Norfolk Island,” Australia has written in response to an appeal to the UN by islander Albert Buffett, 79.
Who are the descendants of Norfolk Island?
The descendants of the Bounty mutineers include the modern-day Pitcairn Islanders as well as a little less than half of the population of Norfolk Island. Their common ancestors were the nine surviving mutineers from the mutiny on HMS Bounty which occurred in the south Pacific Ocean in 1789.
Who was the first convict on Norfolk Island?
Below is a snapshot of one convict, John Walsh, who spent ten years on Norfolk Island from 1834 to 1844. John Walsh was born in County Dublin in 1793 and convicted of cattle stealing in 1823. He received a seven year sentence and was transported to New South Wales on the Ann and Amelia.
When did Norfolk Island become a penal colony?
Norfolk Island twice served as a penal colony, from March 1788 to February 1814, and from 1825 to 1853. During both periods the Government in New South Wales transferred convicts that had been brought to Australia on to the island.
Where can I find records of the Norfolk convict system?
The National Archives holds records relating to Norfolk Island, some dating from the resettlement of the Pitcairn Islanders in 1856. Correspondence and reports re the Convict system at Norfolk Island under the superintendence of Capt. Maconochie, 1846 – Printed.
What happened to Norfolk Island?
From 1788 to 1814 Norfolk Island existed as an extension of the penal settlement in New South Wales but by the early 1800s the Island was no longer needed as a penal colony had been set up in Van Diemen’s Land. Although the settlers were reluctant to move from Norfolk Island, the settlement was steadily reduced over the years.