Media: BOOK - paperback, 328 pages
Author: B. Smith
Year: 2008
ISBN: 9781741755510
Other: 2nd ed., b&w photos, bibliog, appendix, index
Publisher: Allen & Unwin

New edition of the bestselling history that traces the chequered story of 100 women transported together in 1829 to Sydney. Includes new information on the women and treatment of convicts, and new illustrations.

Intrigued to discover a convict ancestor in her family tree, Babette Smith decided to investigate her life and the lives of the 99 women who were transported with her on the ship 'Princess Royal' in 1829.

Piece by piece she reveals the story of her ancestor the indomitable Susannah Watson who, trapped in the crowded filthy slums of Nottingham, stole because she could not bear to see her children starving'. Separated forever from her husband and four children, she was transported to Australia for 14 years. She endured the convict system at its worst, yet emerged triumphant to die in her bed aged 83 singing Rock of Ages'.

Babette Smith reconstructs the lives of the women from the Princess Royal from fragments of information in shipping lists, official records, newspapers and court transcripts. Her research overturns stereotypes of women convicts as drunken whores and criminals. Caught in an England convulsed by change, they become the unwitting and unwilling pioneers of a new land. Many proved to be resourceful and resilient, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by a new society.

First published two decades ago, A Cargo of Women became a bestseller and remains one of the most valuable accounts of convict life in Australia. This new edition includes further information about the women from the 'Princess Royal' and new illustrations.

Contents:
Introduction
1. Into the Maelstrom
2. Pity Our Distress
3. The Full Penalty of the Law
4. Transported Beyond the Seas
5. A Very Pleasant Town
6. On Assignment
7. The Female Factory: They Must be Kept Under
8. With His Excellency's Consent
9. 'Female Married'
10. Beating the System
11. A Dubious Refuge
12. Different Journeys
13. Some Evidence of Affection
14. Caught in the System
15. Survivors and Victims
16. An Affectionate Mother
17. A Second Chance
Appendix: The Convicts of the 'Princess Royal'
Picture Credits
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Reviews:

'Smith comes as close as any historian has come to reconstructing the complex experience of a convict woman an absorbing story.' - Kay Daniels, Australian Historical Studies