- Of the 24,960 female convicts transported to Australia; countless thousands of women went through the Factory system at Parramatta.
- It is estimated that 1 in 7 Australians are descended from these convict women.
- Most women came from England and Ireland – from rural as well as urban areas.
- 91.2% of crime women were transported for was related to theft – 1.8% was violent crime.
- The first factory/barracks housing convict women was above Parramatta Gaol built in 1804 – sited where Prince Alfred Square, Parramatta is today.
- An increase in the number of women arriving in the Colony, led to Governor Lachlan Macquarie commissioning convict architect Francis Greenway to design a new Female Factory & Barracks at Parramatta – the foundation stone was laid on July 9th 1818 providing much needed accommodation and work for convict women. It opened on 1st February 1821.
- The Parramatta Female Factory was the model for, and predates other factories built at George Town, Launceston, Ross, Hobart Town and Cascades in Tasmania, Bathurst, Newcastle and Port Macquarie (2) in NSW and Moreton Bay (2) in Queensland. (The Cascades has World Heritage status).
- The Parramatta Female Factory was multi-purpose – the women were employed in spinning and weaving linen and “Parramatta” cloth; they also worked at straw plaiting, sewing and provided a laundry service; on site there was a Hospital providing the first dedicated women’s health service in the Colony for both convict and free women; a place from where women were assigned as servants or waited to be re-assigned; it was a “marriage bureau”; it was a place of secondary punishment and a refuge.
- Women with children were separated once a child reached the tender age of 3 years – children were sent to the Female Orphan School (1813-1850 at Rydalmere) or to Bonnyrigg (boys). Later, some were sent to the Roman Catholic Orphanage (1844) built close by.
- The Factory was supervised by a Superintendent or Matron – Matron Ann Gordon 1827 – 1836 was the longest serving matron & reputed to be the highest paid civil servant of the day. Matron Gordon’s tenure began with the first Riot at the Factory in 1827 – a reduction in rations and conditions at the factory were among the catalysts for the women’s action.
- Punishment at the Factory included ‘hard labour’ – rock breaking, picking oakum, solitary confinement, wearing a ‘heavy iron’ or a cap of disgrace and the dreaded hair cutting.
- The Factory classed women as either 1st class awaiting assignment; 2nd class minor offence, pregnancy or having child with them or 3rd – penitentiary class for serious crime and repeated bad behaviour e.g., insolence.Women could be promoted or demoted depending on their conduct.
- The Factory closed in 1848 – transitioning to the Parramatta Lunatic Asylum.
- The Factory site with the C1823-1826 3rd class Sleeping Quarters & Penitentiary, two Greenway buildings c1818, substantial stone walls & yards, is located at the Cumberland Hospital. Currently it is within a “Heritage Core” – heritage buildings are to be preserved but their future custodianship is still to be decided and, future adaptive re-use.
About Us
The Parramatta Female Factory Friends is a non – profit making organisation formed as a community response to the uncertain future of the Parramatta Female Factory site. PFFF action is to ensure this nationally and internationally significant site is World Heritage listed and accessed and enjoyed by all Australians into the future.
The Significance of the Site
The site is the earliest and most intact purpose-built female convict site still in existence in Australia and was a Governor Macquarie initiative, designed by convict architect Francis Greenway. Today, three of the c1818-1826 Factory period buildings, the yards and sandstone walls remain (1818-1848). The Parramatta Female Factory predates all other female convict sites in Australia including the Cascades in Tasmania.
Current Status
In November 2017, the Parramatta Female Factory & Institutions Precinct was placed on the National Heritage Register
A Petition to Federal Parliament for UNESCO World Heritage (WH) listing of the Factory site was presented to Federal Parliament in 2020.
World Heritage listing of this highly significant female convict site is now a priority and endorsed by State & Federal Governments.
UNESCO World Heritage, Tentative listing of the site was announced in September 2023.
Become a Friend
THE FRIENDS meet bi-monthly on the 3rd Friday, at 5 Fleet Street North Parramatta – Building 103 with guest speaker at 1:00pm. General meeting 2:15pm.
We welcome new members – contact parramattafemalefactoryfriends@gmail.com – members receive a bi-monthly Newsletter – tours of the Factory site are free to members.
Volunteers
We are a friendly, welcoming volunteer group and welcome new members – you can help out with events, research, hosting visitors at our Rooms, catering or becoming a tour guide.
The PFFF Research Centre & Babette Smith Collection
The PFFF Research Centre & Babette Smith Collection is open on Fridays and by appointment.
Publications
Publications specific to the convict women and the Factories history, are on sale in the PFFF’s Rooms.
Commemorations
The Parramatta Female Factory Bicentenary was celebrated on 7th July 2018 and the unveiling of The Commemorative Wall on which the Factory women’s first names are inscribed.
The 1821-2021 Bicentenary, marking the women and children’s move to the new ‘Macquarie’ Factory and Barracks, was commemorated in February 2021.
History – Herstory – Ourstory must be commemorated and celebrated into the future.
