The Brand on His Coat by Rica Erickson

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges.

The Brand on his Coat relates the histories of a few of the nine and a half thousand convicts transported to Western Australia from 1850 to 1868. This book was initially published in 1986.

Some remained incorrigible, others achieved respect as worthy citizens, but the stigma of the convict brand was to remain with them for the rest of their lives. Their descendants were naturally reticent on the subject of their origins. However, in recent years, with changes in social attitudes, the topic has ceased to be a source of embarrassment, and the way is open to study this critical period in Western Australian history.

Introducing so many convicts into the sparsely populated colony brought social problems and material gain. The essays in this work suggest that a rich field awaits those historians who extend their research into the second and third generation of expiree families. The oft-repeated claim that the convict population died without leaving their mark except in buildings and roads is palpably incorrect, as many thousands of expiree descendants would attest.

The history of Western Australia from the time of the convict era to the gold rushes of the 1890s may well be rewritten as a result of an awakening recognition of this neglected strata of society, and the changes the convicts brought about. (back cover)