Patchwork prisoners : the Rajah Quilt and the women who made it

The Launceston Female Factory opened in 1834 as the first purpose-built institution for convict women in Van Diemen's Land... The lives of women are retold in poignant narratives in this, the third volume in the series 'Convict Lives'. The authors provide rich historical details about how the women who entered through the grim gates of the Launceston Female Factory negotiated their lives as convicts during the assignment and probation systems in Van Diemen's Land. This is a study of the 180 female convicts who were transported on the convict ship Rajah from England to Hobart in 1841. It is also a study of the Rajah Quilt and the convicts who may have been involved in making it during their voyage to Van Diemen's Land. The role of Miss Kezia Hayter, the ship's Matron, in making the Quilt is also explored. The Rajah Quilt is the only known surviving quilt made by female convicts on their voyage from the United Kingdom to Australia. It was found in a Scottish attic in 1987 and gifted to the National Gallery of Australia in 1989. The study is a valuable reference and resource for historians, genealogists and family historians.… (more)