Convict Women have usually been portrayed as Prostitutes and Criminals.
Convict women have usually been portrayed as prostitutes and criminals. Prostitution among female convicts was a common practice in the new colony where women convicts were considered sexual objects for men. Most female convicts were punished with transportation when found guilty of their offences for the purpose of serving the needs of other sailors. Female convicts were subjected to harsh conditions where besides receiving and giving sexual favors they were forced to work as servants as well as laborers for the few individuals who had influence within their context such as the prison officers. Only a few of the women convicts were able to establish families and mostly with their fellow convicts. For instance, when they are transported to a different location, they are exposed to sexual practices that made them prostitutes. Also, the officers who are supposed to protect them and ensure that they are not mistreated or exposed to any sexual interaction with their male counterparts are at the forefront in practicing sexual intercourse with the female convicts. With regards to people who were transported between 1788 and 1852 to the antipodes, the number or women on board were about 24,000 where part of these women were prostitutes and others resorted to prostitution as a means of survival through offering their sexual services for financial gains and other favors . In the new colony, women were defined as prostitutes to serve the needs of the colony in regards to women who then changed the way women were treated.
The reported events that occurred during the transportation of female convicts in June 1790 via the women convict ship the Lady Juliana indicate that some women convicts were willing to engage in sexual practices with the sailors and officers. On the other hand, those who were not willing were given no choice other than to go along. Whichever way the convict women were subjected to prostitution while being portrayed as immoral and depraved. Women convicts were treated harshly and considered sexual objects as well as criminals by the sailors and officers. They were categorized to belong to the criminal class and were not likened to the men in that they were not located there for the offenses they were found guilty of rather they were transported for the belief that they were commercial sex workers. The convict women who were being transferred to Australia were subjected to prostitution in that the officers who had been given the responsibility to ensure that both the convicts and other sailors were behaving morally were the ones who engaged in sexual activities with the women convicts. For a convict to be transported, he/she must have committed a serious crime as well as being a person who had decided to stand outside the economy of the capitalist in contempt of the practices of the capitalist with regards to their work and also is regarded as one who maintained himself or herself fully through crime. On the other hand, the record of female convicts shows that they had committed petty crimes which do not qualify them to be neither a professional criminal nor a transported convict. Thus, it shows the way women were portrayed as criminals with the sole purpose of making men comfortable and calm during the journey to New South Wales. For instance, Mary Starkie was a female convict who had been convicted at Central Criminal Court for theft and was transported for fourteen years along with other 161 convicts on the Elizabeth. During the journey, they encountered a lot of hardships and challenges where they had to work extra harder and offer sexual services to the officers. Also, the female convicts were asked to entertain sailors when they stopped at ports on the way to New South Wales.
It is reported that more than 80 percent of the female convicts had been convicted of minor thefts such that the crime among these women seemed quite low among them. For example, Sarah Jones 29/02/1836was indicted of stealing from Huge Samuel Hopley on 20th December 1836 and punished with transportation for seven years.It suggests that most of the women during this period were not wholly convicted of the offences but also for the purpose of whoring. Therefore, the fate of these convict women was imposed on them be the power structure of male domination and tyranny which believed in the fact that it was a mandatory that whores were supplied during the transportation to keep both the freemen as well as male convicts calm. Female convicts in Australia were ignored for the reason that they were considered worthless, immoral and could not be rectified or reformed to moral and better lives. Among the superior individuals who believed this were the doctors, military officers, judges, governors and Parsons. Also, the female spouses of these superior individuals were in agreement with their male spouses regarding their views on female convicts. Therefore, convict women were impregnated and left in the exterior darkness where they would receive contempt instead of pity from the officers and rape by the men rather than helping them. For example, Dorothy Handland who was among the female convicts who had been transported on the convict ship the Lady Penrhyn decided to hang herself to as an exit of the harsh conditions as well as the diminishing of her physical and mental abilities due to old age in the alien land. It is an indication of the merciless human and physical conditions that female convicts experienced in the new colony.
It is reported that about 20 percent of the women who were transported to the Van Diemen’s Land were prostitutes while the rest had insignificant records of crimes which were a clear indication of having a negative view of the purpose of women in the society via the tyrannical male power structure. During this period, women were viewed as male servants, and they were not allowed to make significant decisions and under any circumstance where an event that forces them to take any action, they were mandated to consult their male counterparts. Prostitution was viewed as a common occupation for women to an extent that it had become so intertwined with their criminality. Many historians have embraced the fact that prostitutions or the term prostitutes were a confirmation of the morally corrupt nature of women during this period. Also, it had become a common belief by which women convicts were being judged, and there were frequent incidences where other aspects that resulted in the conviction of were excluded. It shows how women were portrayed as criminals because of their practices of prostitution rather than the actual offences that make one a criminal.
The members of other classes and the male gender had developed a habit of labeling female convicts as “damned whores” as well as other people from another time. It presents an image of the nature of life in which women convicts were exposed to during this period. It is reported that most of the prison authorities had frequently used the term prostitute to a point where it had become a job description rather than an insult. Female convicts had been branded prostitutes to the point where there the main purpose of being on board was to entertain the men who had traveled with them be it free or convicts. During judgements, officers could refer female convicts as prostitutes just to signify the intensity of their offenses. The portrayal of women in such context is one that is demeaning and a clear indication of ignorance from the people who are supposed to protect them from the cruel world. Among the women who are being transported were prostitutes before the transportation which indicates that their presence on board was for the sole purpose of entertaining their male counterparts during the journey that would take more than five months.
The supposed common practice of prostitution among female convicts was not viewed as an indication of working class poverty rather it was perceived to be sufficient prerequisites of outcast criminal classes. The needs of women convicts were ignored which forced them to engage in prostitution as a way of surviving the harsh human and physical conditions they were exposed to during transportation to New South Wales. In the nineteenth and eighteenth centuries, female prostitution was of a certain significance given the discriminating use of the dual. However, the roles of women during that time were either damned whores or God’s police which in other words regarded as a ‘bad’ woman or a ‘good’ woman, as sexual or virginal.
Prostitution was believed to be an occupation and women resorted to with the intention of alleviating their poverty. To further show that women were ignored, it is evident that women who had engaged in prostitution before the transportation were after making a living out of themselves rather than getting assistance from the male counterparts in the society. Also, instead of the male refuting prostitution and encouraging women to involve themselves in more important and moral practices, they were at the forefront of embracing the female prostitutes and their services. Women, on the other hand, argued that they engaged in prostitution in order to provide food for their families despite the fact that the nature of the job that is prostitution was unpalatable. Also, prostitution and crime were so intertwined that they were regarded as a source of the other. As low pay could lead to crime, even prostitution could sometimes result in criminal activities where women were raped, sexually abused and harassed by their male counterparts without any significant intervention by from the authorities.
Most of the women who had travelled on the convict ship the Janus were found to be pregnant which clearly indication the ignorance by the officers who were supposed to prevent the prevailed prostitution during the journey. Also, before boarding the ship that was to transport them, they would wait for around three to five months where during this period their bodies and souls were attended to by men. It is evident that women were viewed as sexual objects where their main purpose was to satisfy male sexual needs. For instance, these women who were brought from country and city gaols were medically examined to ascertain the fact that they were fit to meet the demands of the sailors in the ship. During the journey, female convicts were exposed to hard labor and sexual harassment and abuse. Male sailors would visit the prison rooms and take any woman of their choice for sexual pleasures without any interference by the security officers. The authorities who were responsible for the security and confinement of the prison rooms and hatches were ignorant. They were quite reluctant in imposing order within the ship which resulted in a lot of disorder and crime that could have been curtailed if the officers were firm with their orders.
Historians regard female convicts as a distinct group and that they are the most degenerate elements of the early white Australian communities. Female convicts were regards to being an unmarriageable good-for-nothing as well as a corruptive force. The ‘Damned whore’ stereotype that was a common reference to women convicts resulted in the perception of women as objects for offering services that served the sexual needs of men in Australia. The prostitution practices on board the ship were as a result of the fact that women who were transported were viewed to be remote compared to the British working-class women on both aspects of cultural sense as well as physical sense. Within the broader working-class culture context, female convict behavior in Australia seemed less peculiar and did not reflect what they were expected or supposed to behave and conduct themselves.
In Australia, there was a tyrannical male power structure where women had no place in influential position or decent occupations. Women were badly served in the workplace as well as in national politics. Australian womanhood is portrayed to be of lesser humans compared to men. Women were considered sexual objects and commodities where men could pay them for sexual services. In the 1970s, women were languishing in poverty and harsh physical and human conditions that forced them to engage in practices that assured them of survival as well as their families. For example, most of the women among the 161 who were transported on board the ship Elizabeth indicted for theft which indicated that they had to engage in theft practices to feed their families.Also, they could be separated from their families and transported to a different location without the hop of seeing them again. It was a clear indication of ignorance of women from the men who were supposed to offer them protection as well as provide for them.
Hence, it is evident that convict women have usually been portrayed as prostitutes and criminals. Prostitution among female convicts was a common practice in the new colony where women convicts were considered sexual objects and responsible for satisfying the sexual need of men. Women convicts were treated harshly and considered sexual objects as well as criminals by the sailors and officers. They were categorized to belong to the criminal class and were not likened to the men in that they were not located there for the offenses they were found guilty of rather they were transported for the belief that they were prostitutes. Prostitution was believed to be an occupation and women resorted to with the intention of alleviating their poverty as a result of ignorance and lack of support from their male counterparts. Also, female convicts had been branded prostitutes to the point where there the main purpose of being on board was to entertain the men who had to travel with them be it free or convicts. During judgements, officers could refer female convicts as prostitutes just to signify the intensity of their offenses. It is a clear indication of the manner in which women were portrayed as criminals and prostitutes.
Summary of Women Convicts.
Mary Starkie 21/09/1835, age: 19
She was indicted for theft on 19th June 1835 where she stole from her master William Holt. Also, Martha Starkie was indicted as well for receiving the stolen items with the right knowledge that they had been stolen from someone. They were both found guilty and transported for fourteen years as their punishment. Martha Starkie was 49 years of age and the mother of Mary (Proceedings of the Central Criminal Court, 21st September 1835, page 59). On arrival, she kept a low-profile and did not re-offend thus there is little information about her after that.
Louisa Collier 01/02/1836, age: 35
She was indicted for stealing goods of Seth Worrall on 7th January 1836. She was declared guilty and punished with transportation after the lost bundle of knife, spoon and folk that belonged to Mr. Seth Worrall was found in her possession. The information in the Old Bailey online clear reflects that actual information in the prints where convict womenwere criminalized for petty crimes such as stealing kitchen accessories. (Proceedings of the Central Criminal Court, 1st February 1836, page 147). There is no criminal records associated with her after arrival to NWS since she kept a low-profile and did not re-offend.
Charlotte Downes 04/04/1836
She was indicted, found guilty and transported for seven years where her conviction occurred at central criminal court (Australian Joint Copying Project 297). She was among the 161 female convicts who were transported to New South Wales on the convict ship Elizabeth. Her median life span based on contribution was 61years. On arrival, she kept a low-profile and did not re-offend thus there is little information about her after that and avoided practices that would result in criminal offenses.
Ann Thompson 29/02/1836, age: 28
She was indicted for housebreaking and theft on 8th February 1836 and later found guilty and punished with transportation. According to the information from the Old Bailey, there is no instance of prostitution and the offences are quit petty which contradicts the portrayal of women as prostitutes and criminals in the prints. (Proceedings of the Central Criminal Court, 29th February 1836, page 116). There is no records indicating misbehavior after arrival, that is, she kept a low profile and did not engage in activities that would result if criminal offenses.Elizabeth Sullivan 29/02/1836, age: 19
She was indicted along with Thomas Charles Dixon of age 23, for stealing from Benjamin Whitcombe on 11th February 1836. They were found guilty and punished with transportation for seven years (Proceedings of the Central Criminal Court, 29th February 1836, page 169). According to the Old Bailey, Elizabeth Sullivan was not a prostitute which is contrary to the way female convicts are portrayed. On arrival, she kept a low-profile and did not re-offend.
Sarah Jones 29/02/1836
She was indicted of stealing from Huge Samuel Hopley on 20th December 1836 and punished with transportation for seven years. She was also indicted with four other offenses. However, it is clear that she knew what she was doing but she was not a prostitute. She was living with her mother before she was indicted (Proceedings of the Central Criminal Court, 29th February 1836, page 195). There is no records indicating misbehavior after arrival, that is, she kept a low profile and did not engage in activities that would result if criminal offenses.
Margaret Prout 09/05/1836, age: 13
Margaret Prout was indicted along with Mary Ann Mingay (13 years old) for stealing from Mary Hutt on 1st April 1836. However, they were found not guilty and left free. Later on 6th April 1836, they were indicted again for stealing from James Butcher where Prout was found guilty and punished with transportation for seven years and Mingay was confined for four days (Proceedings of the Central Criminal Court, 9th May 1836, page 89). On arrival, she kept a low-profile and did not re-offend thus there is little information about her after that. Ann Johnson 09/05/1836, age: 28
She was indicted along with Bridget Barber for stealing from Charles Gilbert who is a servant on 26th April 1836. Ann Johnson was found guilty and punished with transportation for seven years. On the other hand, Barber was declared not guilty and left free (Proceedings of the Central Criminal Court, 9th May 1836, page 99). There is no criminal records of her after arrival since she kept a low-profile and did not re-offend.
Jane Carter 09/05/1836
She was indicted for stealing from her master Barney William Wood on 2nd March 1836 along with Ann Butterfield (aged 41) who received the goods consciously with the knowledge that they had been stolen from Mr. Wood. Jane Cater pleaded guilty and Butterfield was also found guilty and both transported for seven years (Proceedings of the Central Criminal Court, 9th May 1836, page 115). On arrival, she kept a low-profile and did not re-offend.
Ann Coleman 15/06/1835
She was convicted for seven years of transportation on 15th June 1835. She was below 40 years of age and before she was indicted she had one child(www.jenwilletts.com, 1836). She was among the 118 convict women who were transported in the convict ship Henry Wellesley that departed Portsmouth on 9th October 1835. On arrival, she kept a low-profile and did not re-offend thus there is little information about her after that.
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