Synopses & Reviews
Convict Maids looks at female convicts transported from Britain and Ireland to New South Wales between 1826 and 1840. Deborah Oxley refutes the notion that these women were prostitutes and criminals, arguing that in fact they helped put the colony on its feet. Analyzing their backgrounds, Oxley finds that they were skilled, literate, young and healthy--qualities exploited by the new colony. Convict Maids draws on historical, economic and feminist theory, and is impressive for its extensive and original research.
Review
"The strength of Convict Maids is the sytematic quantification of the indents in chapters 2 through 6. Valuable information is provided on subgroups: English versus, Irish...valuable comparisons are made with the overall populations of England and Ireland." Ralph Shlomowitz, Journal of Economic History
Review
"...this is an excellent chapter in that long book toward unbiased recognition of the women of Australia." JPC
Synopsis
Convict Maids analyses the backgrounds of female convicts transported from Britain and Ireland to New South Wales between 1826 and 1840. Drawing on extensive research, the author argues that these women were skilled, literate, young and healthy - qualities that helped put the new colony on its feet.
Synopsis
Looking at female convicts transported from Britain and Ireland to New South Wales between 1826 and 1840, this text refutes the notion that these women were unskilled prostitutes and criminals, arguing that in fact, they were skilled, literate, young and healthy.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 314-329) and index.
Table of Contents
1. Elizabeth: a note on data and method; 2. Mercury's charges: the crimes of convict women; 3. Piso's justice: Irish and English offenders; 4. Economic accoutrements: the skills of convict women; 5. Ireland's distant shores: working life in Ireland; 6. England's castaways: working life in England; 7. Colonial requirements: coerced and free immigrants; 8. Misconceptions; 9. Britain's loss/Australia's gain?; Concluding remarks.