May 18th, 2012 
Linda Elliott Ancestry has just put online Middlesex Convict Transportation Contracts, 1682-1787. Transportation was a punishment for convicted criminals in England and other parts of the British Empire, came about in the seventeenth century. At first transportation was primarily to America and the Caribbean. However, transportation to America stopped with the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in 1776 and a new penal colony in Australia was developed. Transportation was formally abolished in 1868, but had not been practiced for nearly a decade before that.
What’s Included?
This is a collection of Middlesex Quarter Sessions Court orders for convicts to be transferred to British Colonies. Specifically the convicts were transferred to America, the Caribbean, or, in later years, Australia. Information available in these contracts includes:
- Convict Name
- Ship Name
- Captain Name
- Destination
- Transfer Dates
These records can be used to help find court records relating to the original conviction. Search the records for the Middlesex Quarter Sessions Court for more information.
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