Their expulsion from Britain was a form of punishment for their crimes, even if it was just stealing a loaf of bread while At the same time, the women would keep the male convicts company who were already here…
A ship full of women—“prostitutes, thieves, and swindlers”—” It set sail on July 29, 1789, from the port of Plymouth, England. Its destination was the distant New South Wales. Approximately 230 female convicts boarded the “Lady Juliana,” which was described as “floating brothel”. Expulsion from the country was a form of punishment for their crimes, even if the crime was as minor as stealing a loaf of bread. At the same time, the women would keep the male convicts who had already been sent to the region company.
The Industrial Revolution in Britain began in the mid-18th century. It boosted various sectors of the economy, but it took a toll on rural areas, as many people left to seek better economic opportunities in the major urban centers. However, England’s industrial centers did not yet have enough jobs to accommodate all the available labor. Between 1750 and 1770, England's population had doubled, and there were thousands of unskilled unemployed people. This led to a rise in crime. The prisons were overflowing. In 18th-century England, the “The Blood-Stained Code” under which the death penalty was imposed even for crimes considered minor, such as the theft of goods worth 5 selins, an animal, or the cutting down of a tree. The surge in crime forced the authorities to find new ways to deal with convicts. Transporting convicts to another country was estimated to be less costly and was considered a more humane punishment than execution. For several years, convicts were transported to America. After the American War of Independence (1775–1783), which ended in a triumphant victory for the Americans, the British had to find another place to send the offenders.
The Australian continent was considered an ideal location for establishing a British colony, as this would also boost overseas trade.
In 1788, eleven ships carrying 759 convicts—mostly men—along with 13 children of the convicts, captains, sailors, and merchants arrived at Botany Bay on the Australian peninsula. The journey lasted eight months. They were exhausted, dressed in rags, and starving. However, the area was deemed unsuitable for habitation due to the high soil moisture and lack of arable land. So, they were moved and settled in Port Jackson, now known as Sydney. Although they were no longer behind bars, The prisoners lived under grueling conditions. Food supplies were running out. The new settlers were inexperienced farmers, so their crops failed to yield a harvest. They suffered from diseases such as dysentery, scurvy, and typhus. Their survival was considered doubtful. The settlers took out their anger on the few women who had been brought along with them and on the indigenous peoples. In the summer of 1789, a man was accused of raping an 8-year-old girl. The situation had spiraled out of control. The colonists’ atrocities prompted the intervention of British Under-Secretary Evan Nipien. Nipien stated that for the new colony to prosper, supplies—as well as women—would have to be sent. He believed that in this way, the settlers would start families and stability would prevail in society without violence.
The solution came in the form of the ship “Lady Juliana,” which transported 226 female convicts to Australia. Most had been convicted of prostitution, theft, and fraud. Among them were Deborah Davis, who had been sentenced to death by hanging for stealing $19 from a man, as well as Elizabeth Riley, Mary Barnes, and Catherine Clark, who had been sentenced to seven years in prison for stealing a roll of fabric. The ship set sail from the coast of England in July 1789. It made stops in the Canary Islands, Cape Verde in Africa, Rio de Janeiro, and Cape Town before reaching the British colony on the Australian continent. At the beginning of the journey, the women slept on deck, near dirty water and human waste, and in the ship’s hold. However, they preferred to be on the ship rather than in prison.
The long voyage on the ship gave them the opportunity to improve their living conditions. They befriended members of the crew and were thus able to sleep in beds, receive better treatment, eat from the provisions, and save money for their new life in the colony. The ship was turned into a “floating brothel.” The ship’s supervisor, John Nicol, stated in the book *The Floating Brothel* by author Sian Rees: “When we were out at sea, there wasn’t a man on board who hadn’t found a woman.‘ Sailors and prostitutes drank, danced, and partied, while senior crew members did nothing to prevent sexual encounters between them. ”They were rowdy and undisciplined; they loved liquor and fought among themselves,“ Nicol reported. In the areas where they stopped to restock, the women would get off the ship and prostitute themselves to earn more money. During the voyage, five women fell ill and died. The death toll was considered very low compared to other ships sailing at that time. This was attributed to the ship’s good condition and the relatively good conditions for the passengers. They arrived in Australia after a 309-day voyage. Among them were seven newborns, the result of the women’s increased sexual activity with the crew. However, the settlers were not pleased with their arrival. What they needed from England was food, seeds, animals, and medicine, but instead they received a ship full of women. The male colonists claimed they had received a “ship full of useless mouths,” since there would now be more people to feed. However, the “Lady Juliana,” along with the women, also carried some supplies that saved them from disaster at the last moment.
They also brought news from Britain, since until then they had no way of knowing what was happening in the world. They learned that George III of the United Kingdom suffered from porphyria, that George Washington became the first president of the United States, and that the ship “Guardian,” which was carrying supplies and sailing alongside the “Lady Juliana,” had struck an iceberg and been destroyed. The colonists“ anger subsided about three weeks later, when the ships ”Justin,“ ”Surprise,“ ”Poseidon,“ and ”Scarborough,” carrying supplies, arrived on the Australian peninsula. The women gained their freedom in the colony, and this was an opportunity for them to make a fresh start. They started families with the settlers. Many of them established their own businesses and attained prominent positions in society. Between 1788 and 1868, approximately 162,000 convicts were transported by the British government to various Australian colonies. Scientists estimate that 20% of Australia’s current population are descendants of the convicts who arrived from Britain.
