Horrors of Transportation Briefly Unfolded

work by Ullathorne

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June 29, 2026

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William Bernard Ullathorne's 1836 publication, Horrors of Transportation Briefly Unfolded, detailed the grim realities of the British penal transportation system. Ullathorne, a Catholic missionary, worked with convicts in Australia from 1832 to 1842. His work, along with his testimony to a Parliamentary Commission, was instrumental in the eventual abolition of transporting convicts to Australia in 1857. This system, established by the Transportation Act of 1717, saw tens of thousands of British convicts sent to colonies in America and later Australia, serving as an alternative to harsher punishments like hanging.12

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William Bernard Ullathorne
In 1836 his Horrors of Transportation Briefly Unfolded was published, and in 1838 he gave evidence before the Parliamentary Commission on Transportation, which influenced the abolition of the transportation system.
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In 1836 his Horrors of Transportation Briefly Unfolded was published, and in 1838 he gave evidence before the Parliamentary Commission on Transportation, which influenced the abolition of the transportation system.
Read More