When my 4x great grandmother Mary Ann Goodson departed from her homeland on the convict ship Tasmania in September 1844, I wonder, did she have any idea about what lay ahead? Was she frightened? Nervous? She had every reason to be worried; aged 42 she was not like the young girls that she’d stood next to in the docks when they’d all been convicted of theft, and she’d been convicted of receiving their stolen goods. For their part in the ridiculous affair, they’d each been sentenced to 7 years transportation, while for hers it was 10 years – with an added reprimand from the judge for bringing her daughter up into crime.

With her son transported to Norfolk Island in 1843, her daughter sent to Chelmsford prison for the same crime as her own, and her son Henry … well goodness only knew where Henry was now, the Goodson family was scattered to the four winds. One possible shining light in this whole mess was that her own conviction was sending her across the globe to Van Diemen’s Land, where her husband had been transported in 1831. God willing, they might find each other.

This was Tasmania’s first voyage as a convict ship and it was carefully recorded by Thomas Seaton, the Royal Navy’s Surgeon Superintendent for the voyage.

I joined on the evening of 26th September about 5 o’clock and directly proceeded to muster the women down: I found on board “one hundred and ninety one” female convicts being the number originally embarked and “twenty four” children one of them having died a day or two beforehand viz “George Douglas”.
Of the women who died, Mary Ann Ryan applied to me on the morning of the 27th and was directly admitted to hospital: she complained of a sore throat: she had contracted her disease a considerable time before but had never had it properly attended to until she became a prisoner and for some time after that denied having a venereal taint. She suffered much and gradually got worse to her disposition. The frontal bone was much swollen and a few days before her death she became completely amaurotic. [partial or complete loss of sight]
Margaret Coates applied for aperient medicine only but for her whole appearance and her cast of countenance I judged her worse than she admitted herself to be and forthwith sent her into hospital. She had suffered much the whole voyage from seasickness and was greatly reduced in consequence. She had concealed her pregnancy as long as she possibly could and much dreaded her labour. It presented however no unusual features whatever except in being premature and in the death of the foetus but after its expulsion nature made its effort to rally and she gradually sunk in twenty four hours without apparently suffering any pain.
The case of attempted suicide is arranged under the head of “mania” but owes its position to nature of the act itself, rather than any maniacal tendency in the woman: I was satisfied in my own mind that it was coolly deliberately planned and executed without any consideration as to the consequences but surely because she thought it would be a constant source of anxiety and uneasiness to me. And here I would venture to suggest the propriety for substituting the round holes which are cut along the top of the sides of the punishment box an iron grating in the door through which the Dr, Master and officer on duty could more easily see than at present, and it would also prevent the possibility of anything being passed within. A straight waistcoat or two would also be an acquisition.
No other case occurred of a severe nature, except that of “Marth Hill” in whom through prolonged constipation the obstruction was obliged to be removed mechanically.
While in the tropics the younger children suffered a little from prickly heat but it soon left them and on the whole both they and the women were generally healthy.
Three women were very troublesome and the cause of many a disturbance on board viz:
Matilda Phillips – evidently deficient in intellect.
Sarah Smith – at times very noisy, turbulent and abusive: she was too subject to a species of fit nearly allied to epilepsy which had impaired her memory but she presumed upon her malady and affected a degree greater than was warrantable and lastly
Ellen Adams who was the most troublesome and dangerous of the three she was shrewd and malicious with strong natural abilities but her imagination was affected owing to which she used to fabricate the most unaccountable tales yet narrate them with such an air of plausibility and seeming truth and carelessness as would impose upon anyone not aware of her state.
All on board had been vaccinated except four adults viz C Watson, J Pollard, M Medlicott and S Clarke. I tried them with some matter I had procured at Madiera but without effect. That which Dr Bland gave me I delivered into the hospital at Hobart Town as he had strictly charged me to do.
But one birth received on board in which case both mother and child did extremely well: Bridget Blenkinsop.
Thomas Seaton
Surgeon Superintendent
“Tasmania”

Twelve months after her first voyage, Tasmania made a second journey across the seas with another cargo of female prisoners. On the basis of a letter from Surgeon Superintendent Lardner to Somerset House, it’s difficult to say whether Mary Ann would have been better off on either of Tasmania’s journies.

To Sir W Burnett M.D.
Somerset House London

Female Convict Ship
“Tasmania”
Off Hobart Town
V.D.L
December 12th 1845

Sir,
One hundred and thirty eight female convicts and thirty seven children were embarked in the ship on the 28th of August and one on the 30th of August, the latter was re-landed on the 1st of September on the score of insanity.
One female convict died and one child was born during the voyage. The young children were vaccinated four days previous to embarkation. At the proper time [?] was taken on points and glasses and a receipt obtained for it from the medical officer at Hobart Town.
The fresh potatoes sent on board for the use of the convicts were issued daily in lieu of flour and undoubtedly were of service by enabling the diet to be gradually changed.
There were ten convicts above fifty years of age, most of these were unable to gain a livelihood by work. One convict was idiotic and another betrayed symptoms of insanity but appeared to have quite recovered before I left the Colony.
The health of the convicts and children generally was much improved during the voyage and some who were weighed at the beginning of the passage and again at its termination were found to have averaged an increase of weight of 7 ½ lbs each.
The cases of diarrhoea were caused by damp and sudden changes. These were readily cured by common remedies, and their prevention attempted by the occasional use of the lighted stoves below and the issuing of additional clothing.
The fatal case of dysentery occurred in a young woman who had been suckling and who had been in a loud desponding state since her embarkation. At first she refused her food, seldom spoke to anyone, and expressed a wish to die. She appeared daily to become weaker, when after getting wet dysenteric symptoms appeared she rapidly sunk.
Two cases of chronic rheumatism, one case of dyspepsia, accompanied with mental affection and one case of verruca were sent to the colonial hospital.
The behaviour of the convicts was on the whole very good. They were very ignorant and made but slight improvement in their education during the voyage and were found capable of teaching but few inclined to learn. Their principal offences were against discipline.
A strict attention was enforced to the established daily routine, which not only induced regularity but was also conducive to their health.
In conclusion I cannot but give my testimony to the very liberal manner in which everything was furnished for the use of these unfortunate females.
I have the honour to be
Sir
Your obedient servant
Jason Lardner
Surgeon Superintendent
F.C.S. “Tasmania”

No matter how bad the voyage on the Tasmania may have been, Mary Ann arrived safely in Hobart and then served her 10 year sentence without a single blemish being entered on her conduct record.

By the late 1840s, the entire Goodson family – James senior and junior, Mary Ann senior and junior, and youngest son Henry, had somehow all made their way to the tiny hamlet of Windermere on the Tamar River near Launceston. At Windermere life was better, healthier, richer and freer than any life that any of them could have lived in England. But for their awful convict ordeals, I wouldn’t be here.