Transforming the Colony Transforming the Colony: The Archaeology of Convictism in Western Australia By Sean Winter Transforming the Colony: The Archaeology of Convictism in Western Australia By Sean Winter This book first published 2017 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2017 by Sean Winter All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-4438-7967-3 ISBN (13): 978-1-4438-7967-5 For Janet, who supported me throughout. CONTENTS List of Figures........................................................................................... viii List of Tables ............................................................................................. xii Acknowledgments .................................................................................... xiv Chapter One ................................................................................................. 1 Convictism and its Place in Western Australian History Chapter Two .............................................................................................. 13 Modelling the Global Penal Network and the Eventual Form of the Local System Chapter Three ............................................................................................ 54 Archaeology and Convictism Chapter Four .............................................................................................. 82 Western Australia Chapter Five ............................................................................................ 124 Convicts within the Documentary Record Chapter Six .............................................................................................. 185 Archaeological Fieldwork at Eastern District Convict Depots Chapter Seven .......................................................................................... 251 Physical and Spatial Characteristics of Regional Convict Depots Chapter Eight ........................................................................................... 287 Convicts and the Transformation of the Swan River Colony Glossary ................................................................................................... 313 Bibliography ............................................................................................ 315 Index ........................................................................................................ 349 LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 1-1. The Barracks Arch and Fremantle Prison Gatehouse Fig. 1-2. A bus stop in Mundaring, Western Australia, depicting convicts working on the York Road Fig. 1-3. Plaque on the exterior of the Albany Museum Fig. 1-4. Map of the southwest of Western Australia, c. 1855, showing locations mentioned in the text Fig. 2-1. Chronological development of British penal colonies Fig. 2-2. World map showing the location of British penal colonies Fig. 2-3. Model of the movement of people, information and goods within the phase-three global penal system Fig. 3-1. Roofing timbers and fixings at Fremantle Prison stamped with the broad arrow Fig. 3-2. Continuum of institutional control Fig. 4-1. Map of the southwest of Western Australia showing convict districts Fig. 4-2. Perth region showing location of known convict sites Fig. 4-3. Avon region showing location of known convict sites Fig. 4-4. Northern region showing location of known convict sites Fig. 4-5. Vasse region showing location of known convict sites Fig. 4-6. King George Sound region showing location of known convict sites Fig. 4-7. Modelling the spatial arrangement of the Western Australian convict system Fig. 4-8. Command structure for the Western Australian convict system Fig. 4-9. Layout of planned Fremantle Cantonment, c.1851 Fig. 4-10. Manning’s (1856d) plan of the Guildford Convict Depot Fig. 4-11. Manning’s (1856b) plan of the York Convict Depot Fig. 4-12. Manning’s (1856c) plan of the Toodyay Convict Depot Fig. 4-13. Remnant rammed-earth walls at the Toodyay Redhill Road Station Fig. 5-1. Four ticket-of-leave men working in the gardens at Government House, Perth, in September 1868. Governor Hampton is in the background (Stone 1868) Fig. 6-1. Aerial photograph of the York Depot at the time of investigation, showing extant structures and lot boundaries Transforming the Colony ix Fig. 6-2. Subsurface targets identified during GPR survey at York Fig. 6-3. York Depot site plan showing location of former buildings and excavation trenches Fig. 6-4. Floorplan of the York Superintendent’s quarters showing 1860s and 1890s additions Fig. 6-5. Brick bond evidence for structural additions at the York Superintendent’s quarters Fig. 6-6. Original shingled roof inside the roof-space of the York Superintendent’s quarters Fig. 6-7. Brick bond inconsistencies at the York Superintendent’s quarters Fig. 6-8. Elevations of fireplaces in the York Superintendent’s quarters Fig. 6-9. Plan of archaeological features associated with the York commissariat Fig. 6-10. Convict period brick spoon drain associated with the York commissariat Fig. 6-11. Section of York stables convict period brick drain Fig. 6-12. Brick path and step at the York privy entrance Fig. 6-13. Plan of archaeological features associated with the York privy Fig. 6-14. Anonymous painting of the Toodyay Depot, c. 1855 Fig. 6-15. Aerial photograph of the Toodyay Depot at the time of investigation, showing extant structures and investigation areas Fig. 6-16. Subsurface targets identified during GPR survey at the Toodyay Central Depot Area Fig. 6-17. GPR image interpreted as possibly representing subsurface remains of the commissariat at the Sappers’ Area Fig. 6-18. Plan of the Toodyay Superintendent’s Area at the time of investigation showing location of excavation trenches Fig. 6-19. Convict period structural features recorded in T2 Fig. 6-20. Site plan of the Central Depot showing the location of excavation trenches Fig. 6-21. View north-east across the Central Depot showing the Toodyay Shire Offices Fig. 6-22. Photograph of the Toodyay Warders’ quarters from the west (Gore 1934) Fig. 6-23. Structural features recorded in T4, showing a truncated stone lined drain in the foreground, with wall foundations at rear Fig. 6-24. Plan of structural features recorded within T5 Fig. 6-25. Convict period stone foundations recorded within T7 Fig. 6-26. Plan of structural features recorded within T8 Fig. 6-27. Convict barracks brick floor recorded within T8 x List of Figures Fig. 6-28. Sappers’ Area view northwest with the 1891 stables and shire museum storage buildings at the rear Fig. 6-29. Plan of the Sappers’ Area showing location of excavation trenches Fig. 6-30. Plan of structural features recorded within T9 Fig. 6-31. Aerial photograph of the former Guildford Convict Depot Fig. 6-32. Floor plan of the Guildford commissariat as recorded during survey Fig. 6-33. Door GCD2023 at the Guildford commissariat showing Flemish bond brickwork Fig. 6-34. Guildford commissariat quarters from north-west showing attached veranda Fig. 6-35. Variation in convict made brick from York and Toodyay Fig. 6-36. Coprolites recovered from the York convict privy Fig. 6-37. Embossed pipe stems Fig. 6-38. Embossed pipe bowls from the York Depot Fig. 6-39. Example of decoration and maker’s marks from ceramic sherds recovered at York Fig. 6-40. “Barry’s Tricopherous for the Skin and hair” bottle recovered during excavation of the Toodyay Superintendent’s quarters Fig. 7-1. Depot hierarchy as defined by the Regulations Fig. 7-2. Conjectural plan for the design of Western Australian convict barracks Fig. 7-3. Detail of commissariat buildings at Guildford, Toodyay, and York as shown on Manning’s (1856b, 1856c, 1856d) plans Fig. 7-4. Floorplan of the Mt. Eliza Depot Superintendent’s quarters (after Manning 1856e) Fig. 7-5. Conjectural plan for design of Western Australian depot standard quarters Fig. 7-6. Floor plan of DuCane’s House (after Allia 2005: 53) Fig. 7-7. Plan and elevation of privy at Fremantle Prison by Manning (1856a) Fig. 7-8. Comparison of the construction schedule at three Eastern District depots between 1852-1856 (based on DuCane’s reports) Fig. 7-9. Pictorial representation of allocated living space within depot buildings Fig. 7-10. Site layout of the Guildford Depot c.1856 (after Manning 1856d) Fig. 7-11. Site layout of the Toodyay Depot c.1856 (after Manning 1856c) Fig. 7-12. Site layout of the York Depot c.1856 (after Manning 1856b) Transforming the Colony xi Fig. 7-13. Anonymous photograph of the York Depot taken from the east, with the Superintendent’s quarters in the foreground, c1880. Fig. 8-1. The geographic expansion of York between 1849 and 1855. Plans by Chauncy (1849) and Gregory (1855) LIST OF TABLES Table 2-1. Total number of convicts transported worldwide between 1500- 1900 CE (after Pearson 1999: 7) Table 2-2. List of goods imported to and exported from Western Australia in 1852 (after Fitzgerald 1852: 231-232) Table 4-1. Characteristics of the three phases of the Western Australian convict period Table 4-2. People holding important positions during the convict period Table 4-3. Convict depots established during the expansion phase Table 5-1. Gender ratios in three Australian