Lynton Convict Depot
Encyclopedia
Lynton Convict Depot Western Australia, was established in 1853 to supply labour to the Geraldine Lead Mine, 40 miles north of the site in the Murchison River
bed. The depot was barely finished when it was closed in December 1856 due the harsh living conditions and transport problems of the time.
Convict
s were held until local businessmen came to hire them for labouring tasks on the nearby farms. There are stories where the local farmers treated the convicts like slaves frequently flogging them for the slightest misdemeanours and summarily executing them for minor offenses. It is difficult to substantiate these claims and they may well be little more than local folklore.
By 1856 a store, bakery, depot, lockup, hospital, lime kiln and administration block had all been built but a lack of fresh vegetables had seen the convict population ravaged by scurvy. It was decided to close the settlement and by January 1857 (less than 4 years after they had arrived) the convicts were either being shipped back to Fremantle or settled in nearby Greenough.
Five women from the "Bride Ships" were known to have arrived in Lynton.
Lynton
remains the most intact example of a regional convict depot in Western Australia. Entered on the Register of the national estate and vested in the Northampton Shire
Council, conservation works are in progress via the Northampton Historical Society.
Murchison River
Murchison River may refer to the following:* Murchison River * Murchison River * Murchison River * Murchison River...
bed. The depot was barely finished when it was closed in December 1856 due the harsh living conditions and transport problems of the time.
Convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
s were held until local businessmen came to hire them for labouring tasks on the nearby farms. There are stories where the local farmers treated the convicts like slaves frequently flogging them for the slightest misdemeanours and summarily executing them for minor offenses. It is difficult to substantiate these claims and they may well be little more than local folklore.
By 1856 a store, bakery, depot, lockup, hospital, lime kiln and administration block had all been built but a lack of fresh vegetables had seen the convict population ravaged by scurvy. It was decided to close the settlement and by January 1857 (less than 4 years after they had arrived) the convicts were either being shipped back to Fremantle or settled in nearby Greenough.
Five women from the "Bride Ships" were known to have arrived in Lynton.
Lynton
Lynton, Western Australia
Lynton is a small town located in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It is situated between the towns of Northampton and Kalbarri and near the mouth of the Hutt River....
remains the most intact example of a regional convict depot in Western Australia. Entered on the Register of the national estate and vested in the Northampton Shire
Shire of Northampton
The Shire of Northampton is a Local Government Area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, about north of Geraldton and about north of the state capital, Perth...
Council, conservation works are in progress via the Northampton Historical Society.