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Irish convicts and Orphans in Australia

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Irish convicts and Orphans in Australia

PostSat Jul 19, 2014 8:41 am

Dispelling the myths!

Of the convicts who were transported to Australia from 1788 to 1852, 24,000 were female. Sadly many Australians think their foremothers were prostitutes or whores, what they do not know is that very few, if in fact any of the women transported for alleged crimes, none were whores. In fact prostitution was not a transportable offence in those times. The fact that on the convict ships women were treated as whores and sailors took them as their sailor wives is rape and abuse, in fact it is more than fair to say that they were our first sex slaves.

The sailors took the female convicts as their sailor wives, often raping them. After a long journey of half starvation the women became almost grateful if a sailor gave them extra food, a bit of bread or a tepid cup of tea and for more would willingly give up their virtue. Was this prostitution, was it whoring? perhaps yes, but what would we do if we were starving and headed for who knows where. Most often it was just a will to survive and a form of sexual slavery. 2 to 3 months on the high seas in an old refurbished war ship stuck in the hull with only cold, damp and rats. Every now and then permitted to go up to the quarterdeck to bathe in cold sea water.

These women and girls mostly young and unmarried were charged with the most trivial of crimes and many never even committed any offence at all were tried unfairly and sentenced to transportation to the colonies. This was the British way of colonising, providing women for the free settlers and the soldiers to ensure that the colony prospered and grew.

The foremothers of Australians belief the myth spun due to a lack of any education otherwise that women transported here, majority of which were Irish were whores or prostitutes, leading to a shame. This was far from the actual truth where good Irish catholic girls were accused of crimes and sent aboard these floating brothels to be abused, landing in Australia, some already pregnant due to rapes by scum sailors and soldiers who took them against their will.
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Tricia

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Re: Irish convicts and Orphans in Australia

PostSun Aug 10, 2014 5:16 pm

http://www.familytreecircles.com/famine ... 37811.html

So so sad many orphans perished on the boats of through slavery
My ipad controls my spellings not me so apologies from it in advance :) lol
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Tricia

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Re: Irish convicts and Orphans in Australia

PostTue Sep 23, 2014 1:16 pm

My ipad controls my spellings not me so apologies from it in advance :) lol

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