Pack of Thieves? 52 Female Factory Lives

AUSTRALIANA TASMANIA

Recognised as one of the eleven sites in the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage listing, the Cascades Female Factory in Hobart is a pre-eminent example of Australia’s rich convict history.

The factory has many stories to tell. It is thought that over 6000 female convicts passed through the walls of this place of incarceration, one of five such institutions that operated across Van Dieman’s Land during the 19th century.

For 28 years the Cascades Female Factory regulated the lives of many women, and they were recorded through many colonial documents still available today. Through information gathered from Tasmanian convict records and other associated sources, 52 women and staff who were incarcerated or worked at the Cascades Female Factory are given a voice.

The journeys of these women are often filled with sadness and hardship, but there is also resistance and hope.

143 pages : illustrations, 1 map, 1 plan ; 21 cm #080823

• Cascades Female Factory (Tas.) — History
• Women convicts — Tasmania — History — 19th century
• Women prisoners — Tasmania — History — 19th century
• Convict labor — Tasmania — History — 19th century
• Port Arthur (Tas.) — History — 19th century
• Australian