The Intolerable Hulks: British Shipboard Confinement 1776-1857

by Charles F. Campbell, Esther Heffernan (Foreword)

From the time of Queen Anne’s reign until the American Revolution, Great Britain followed the practice of transporting as many as a thousand convicts each year to Maryland and Virginia. “Out of sight, out of mind” was an apt adage for this policy. It was a policy that worked well enough until 1776, when the rebellious North American colonies declared their independence and closed their ports to reception of British prison ships. A crisis for the British criminal justice system ensued, leading to a policy of converting old merchantmen and, later, deactivated naval vessels, into floating prisons. Thus began the era of the Hulks, a “temporary expedient” that lasted for eighty years. Hardly less feared by the British criminal class than were the gallows, assignment to these deplorable dungeons at anchor became a dreaded purgatory, to be endured for months—sometimes even years—by prisoners destined for eventual transportation to Australia.

260 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful, detailed and well researched book that covers the 80 plus years of the history of prison hulks in Britain (and British colonies). This book provided a great deal of insight into life on the Justitia, the floating prison on which my own convict ancestor was confined at Woolwich before his banishment to Van Diemen's Land. Thank you Charles Campbell for enlightening me further into these 18/19th century stalwarts of the British penal system.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great details on early incarceration in western society. Fantastic points leading towards early migration. Good foundational knowledge before one can understand the CJS and incarceration today.