Transportation to Parts Beyond The Seas - the women's story (The Floating Brothel - Sian Rees)

Member Name: andyk910

Product:	The Floating Brothel - Sian Rees
Date:	03/11/09 (53 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fascinating and informative easy-to-read history book

Disadvantages: Some parts are speculative and parts of the story are incomplete

The Floating Brothel

What is this book about?

This is a factual account of the shipment of a boat load of women prisoners from Britain to the then newly established penal colony in Australia (where Sydney is now located). Some of the prisoners are also destined for a second penal settlement, established on Norfolk Island, about 1000 miles from the first.

The book draws on several sources to construct the story, including court and prison records and much is taken from an account of the trip made by one of the ships crew, although that account was not given until many years later and is likely not to be fully accurate.

The story is told in a matter-of-fact way, presenting the information with little opinion offered, an approach I found entirely appropriate. These events are historic and can not be reasonably judged by our current standards.

The First Fleet to Botany Bay has sailed from England (1787), consisting of male prisoners, marines, guards, officials some wives plus and the seamen and officers of the ships. They are provisioned for a period and expected to begin growing their own food, but they will need additional supplies.

This ship, the Lady Julian, is intended to be part of a Second Fleet, carrying more supplies, carrying animals and also carrying women.

To set the book in its historical period, America has recently won its independence and the American plantation owners no longer want British prisoners as labour (and are instead increasing the number of mainly black African slaves they take instead). This has removed the option the British authorities had of getting rid of (very expensive to maintain) prisoners overseas. British prisons are overflowing. Male and female prisoners are still being sentenced to serve time in penal colonies abroad but with no-where to send them. Men and women can also both still be sentenced to death for many crimes, where the men are hanged and the women burnt at the stake, but there is growing disquiet about this method of execution and sometimes the women are having their death penalty commuted to penal servitude overseas for life (for minor crimes, the sentence is only for 7 years!).

The book tells the story of many of the women who are on board, explaining where possible what their circumstances were, what crime they were convicted of and how they came to be assigned to this ship.

The story then continues, following the ship and its passengers and crew on its very long and eventful voyage leaving London in 1789 for Portsmouth, Plymouth, the Canaries, Brazil, South Africa and finally on to Australia and Norfolk Island.

It is not spoiling the story to tell you that they do make it, but it is not an easy passage. The narrative continues with information where known about what happened to the women when they got to Australia and on which of them returned to the UK. Many of these women are in some ways mothers of the nation of Australia.


Does it work as a book?

I found this to be a fascinating book. I knew bits of the story from schoolboy history lessons, I had gathered bits from a visit to Sydney and particularly a walking tour of the area called The Rocks where this first settlement was built and I knew some of it from other general reading but this book was well focused on its subject matter and described extremely well the background, circumstances, the law and so many other things: As one example, this book gave the best description I have ever had of the Doldrums and the Atlantic ocean currents and so explained really clearly aspects of the voyage.

Overall, a good read?

Very good and very interesting: As I said before you can't judge the events in the light of current moral standards and the treatment of prisoners and their sentences and so forth look ridiculously excessive to our modern eyes, but the book is good at setting context. I think there would be few readers who did not learn something they had not known before and the book did make me want to learn more.

My copy was published by price £7.99 although I bought my copy used for 1p from Amazon (plus £2.29 postage).

ISBN 978-0-552-77498-7

(This book was one of the recommended reading items at the end of a biography of Robert Fitzroy, admiral, captain of the Beagle when Charles Darwin was aboard and founder of the Meteorological Office - but that is a whole other story).

Summary: Well worth a look - really interesting