Britain agrees to stop convict transportation to Van Diemen's Land

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Grace Moore (University of Otago)

Domains

Colonialism and colonisation
Penal institutions and policies

Dates

Date of occurrence 1852

Places

United Kingdom (Location)
Australia (Involved)

Ever since Van Diemen's Land was colonised by the British in 1803, the government had used it as a penal colony, a destination for convicts sentenced to transportation. This island off the south coast of Australia seemed like a perfect place to get unwanted members of the population out of the way, and supply them with work on the land. However, once transported convicts finished their period of enforced labour, they typically left the island, generally settling in the neighbouring colony of Victoria. It was partly through protests from the residents of this colony, particularly Melbourne, that transportation to Van Diemen's land was abolished in 1853. After this, the island was renamed after its discover, as Tasmania.

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115 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Britain agrees to stop convict transportation to Van Diemen's Land". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 August 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=10445, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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Britain agrees to stop convict transportation to Van Diemen's Land

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