Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot (1852–1872) facts for kids

The Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot was a special place built in Western Australia for convicts who had earned their "ticket-of-leave." This meant they could work for wages, but they were still under government control. The depot helped them find jobs and a place to live.

Construction of this important site began in February 1852 and was finished by 1856. It was located on a large piece of government land, about 45 acres in size. This was about 3 miles upstream from an older, temporary depot. The new site was carefully mapped out in 1852.

All convict hiring depots followed a similar basic design. However, each one had small differences based on the land and local needs. The Toodyay depot site, which is now under and around the Shire of Toodyay offices, was officially recognized as a heritage site in 2014.

What Buildings Were at the Depot?

The Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot had several important buildings. These structures helped house and manage the convicts and staff. Here's a look at what was built:

Getting Ready for Construction

In February 1852, a young officer named Second Lieutenant Edmund Frederick Du Cane was put in charge. He oversaw all the work done by convicts in the eastern part of the Swan River Colony. This included building new convict depots in Guildford, York, and Toodyay. He also managed road and bridge improvements.

Du Cane had to travel often between the depot sites, especially when they were first being built. He lived in Guildford and had to send detailed reports every six months. In September 1852, Du Cane also became a Visiting Magistrate. This meant he could make sure punishments for rule-breaking were given out quickly.

The Royal Engineers Arrive

The 20th Regiment of Sappers and Miners, who were skilled engineers, started arriving in late 1852. Their job was to help build the new convict system's important structures. These engineers also trained the warders (guards) at the depots and escorted convicts to work sites. Many sappers were skilled blacksmiths, carpenters, and stonemasons, which was very helpful for building the depots.

Pensioner Guards and Staff

Enrolled Pensioner Guards were also assigned to each depot. Many of these guards became regular warders. A senior assistant superintendent was also appointed to each depot. For the Toodyay depot, Lionel Lukin, who lived nearby, was one of these important staff members.

Building the Depot

Work on the new Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot started right after Du Cane was appointed. In 1852, Corporal Joseph Nelson and six other sappers helped Du Cane in Toodyay. They also worked as instructing warders. The new Toodyay Lock-up in the old Toodyay town was finished by the end of 1852. After that, fewer sappers were needed at the depot.

The depot site was on a gentle slope next to the Avon River. Workers immediately began clearing the land and digging a well for water. A nearby natural spring provided extra water, especially when the well nearly dried up in summer. This stream was named Pelham Brook.

Early Living Conditions

At first, the "ticket-of-leave" convicts lived in a large waterproof tent. This tent had tables and beds and was part of the equipment the sappers brought. For a short time, the sappers lived in straw huts. These were better for them because many had families. Later, these straw huts were replaced with stronger temporary homes made of jarrah wood.

The first buildings constructed were the infirmary (a place for the sick), a store, and one of the sappers' quarters. These were built of stone using clay as mortar. The infirmary was later found to be in the wrong spot. Since it wasn't used much, it was turned into a quarter for the commissariat (the supply department). In the first few months, all cooking was done over an open stone fireplace.

Governor's Visit and Improvements

Governor Charles Fitzgerald visited the depot in April 1852. He was not happy with what he saw. He thought it was wrong to build sappers' quarters before making proper homes for the ticket-of-leave convicts, especially with winter rains coming. He demanded better cooking arrangements and ordered a bakery oven to be built. He also insisted that a proper infirmary was needed. All these issues were quickly addressed. A cook-house and bakery, made of mud, were built right away.

Over the next few months, about 40 ticket-of-leave convicts lived at the depot. Many found work with farmers during autumn seeding. If they lost their jobs, they had to return to the depot. There, they helped with the depot's construction. Some even got paid jobs within the depot as cooks, bakers, cleaners, or police constables. Building the depot was sometimes slow because there weren't enough ticket-of-leave convicts staying there. The number of men at the depot depended on how many convict ships arrived and how many men needed work.

Materials and Skilled Workers

Timber was brought from saw pits in Jimperding. Doors, window frames, floorboards, and other wooden parts were made on site. Shingles for roofs were split from she-oak trees in the bush. Wood scraps were burned to make charcoal for the blacksmith. The road from Jimperding was badly damaged by the heavy carts carrying timber.

The blacksmith was vital for building the depot. He repaired tools, made hinges, nails, bolts, and chains. He also shoed horses and fixed carts. The blacksmith had his own forge and a good well nearby.

In late 1852, a local brick-maker started supplying bricks. Soon, a kiln was built on site, and a source of lime was found. By 1853, the Toodyay depot was making its own bricks. However, the warders’ quarters, finished in June 1853, were built of stone with clay mortar and had a shingled roof.

The Commissariat building was extended in 1853 using bricks on stone foundations. It had a shingled roof and wooden floors. A wooden stable and a fenced garden were added later. The main depot barracks were made of brick with a shingled roof and brick floors. It was about 60 by 25 feet and first housed 60 men. In 1854, this number increased to 120 by adding two levels of hammocks. The infirmary, new kitchen/cookhouse, blacksmith's forge, and superintendent's quarters were all made with bricks. Most buildings were painted white after they were finished. By 1855, construction was almost complete, and temporary sheds were being removed.

In 1855, Reverend Charles Harper began building a chaplain's quarters next to the depot. Ticket-of-leave workers helped build this handsome house, which was named "Braybrook."

Enrolled Pensioner Guards and Their Homes

Enrolled Pensioner Guards were soldiers who volunteered to guard convicts on ships coming to Western Australia. After a period of military service in the colony, they were released from full-time duty. However, they still had to attend twelve days of exercise each year without extra pay. Every Sunday morning, they had to attend a muster and church parade. They could also be called upon for extra peace-keeping duties, which provided more army presence at a lower cost. Many Pensioner Guards chose to become warders.

In Toodyay, Pensioner Guards were given 13 land plots close to the new depot. These plots were surveyed in 1852. The government gave them ten pounds to help build a small cottage. This helped because they had to pay ten pounds for their land, as free land grants were no longer allowed. The allowance increased to fifteen pounds in January 1853. They received full ownership of their land after living there for seven years.

Building the pensioner cottages didn't start until 1854. Until then, the pensioners lived at the old Toodyay townsite in straw huts and a cottage. This area became known as "The Barracks." The government agreed to maintain these barracks as long as the pensioners needed them. By late winter 1853, large straw huts were built on four of the new plots. This allowed some men to live on and farm their land while their cottages were being built. Of the first six cottages, three were made of mud, one of brick, and two of stone. Each had a thatched roof and a brick floor. All thirteen cottages were finished by 1856, and most were painted white.

In 1853 and 1854, the old depot site was also used as an Immigrants’ Depot. The straw huts were used even more. On average, five men, fifteen women, and fourteen children lived there. In 1857, both the York and Toodyay Convict Hiring Depots changed. This meant the Pensioner Guards no longer needed the Pensioner Barracks at the old Toodyay townsite. So, in 1857, the land was sold off.

Building Roads

As work at the depots progressed, Du Cane focused more on building roads. Good roads were vital for moving goods to and from Toodyay. They also helped transport wool and grain to Perth and Fremantle. For a time, the Avon Valley was a major food producer for the colony. Early efforts to improve Toodyay Road were not very successful due to poor supervision of the convict workers.

However, as the depots neared completion, Du Cane set up "out-stations" near the Guildford, York, and Toodyay depots. The two largest out-stations were on Greenmount Hill. The men at these out-stations worked on the roads constantly. Other roads, like the Toodyay Valley and York-Toodyay Roads, were also built. However, heavy winter rains often damaged the progress from the previous year, so constant maintenance was needed.

The Depot Closes (First Time)

On November 30, 1856, Governor Arthur Kennedy ordered the closure of both the York and Toodyay Convict Hiring Depots. Kennedy wanted to save money and make things more efficient because the government was in debt. The York and Toodyay depots would only be "receiving depots" from then on. Staff numbers were reduced to just a senior assistant superintendent, a sapper, and a convict acting as a hospital helper. Enrolled Pensioner Guards were no longer needed at the depot.

Ticket-of-leave men returning to the Toodyay depot would now be sent to the Guildford Convict Hiring Depot. The Guildford and York Convict Hiring Depots had been built at a similar pace to Toodyay. By the end of 1855, most of the building projects were finished. To handle more ticket-of-leave convicts, new barracks were built at the Guildford depot to house 200 men.

From then on, all hiring of convict labor was managed from the Guildford depot. Lists of available men were sent to the York and Toodyay depots, as well as to local magistrates and police stations. Ticket-of-leave convicts who returned to Guildford were put to work on the roads. Road parties were formed, each led by an overseer or warder, often a Pensioner Guard. More complex bridge and road work was supervised by a sapper. The number of out-stations on the York and Toodyay Roads increased. The out-stations on Greenmount Hill were made larger, and a sapper was placed there. Special "flying road parties" dealt with urgent repairs.

Some Toodyay depot buildings, like the barracks, part of the warders’ quarters, the kitchen, infirmary, and stores, were kept for future use. The police moved from the old Toodyay town to the depot site and used the remaining buildings. The lock-up at old Toodyay was closed, and a temporary one was set up in the depot barracks. The superintendent's quarters were taken over by the new resident magistrate, Alfred Durlacher.

By 1860, there were plans to divide the unused land at the depot and nearby government land into smaller plots. In August 1859, Assistant Surveyor William Phelps marked out 16 more suburban plots. Some of these were bought by Pensioner Guards. The town's boundaries were confirmed. Town lots were surveyed in 1860 and 1861, and many were quickly sold.

On October 1, 1860, Governor Kennedy announced a new town in the Avon District. It would be named Newcastle to honor the Duke of Newcastle. The 20th Company of Royal Engineers left the colony in 1862. After they left, the colony had to manage its own public works projects.

The Depot Reopens

John Stephen Hampton became Governor on February 28, 1862. Comptroller General Henderson, who was known for his kind management of convicts, resigned in 1863. Governor Hampton had previously managed convicts in Tasmania, where the system was much stricter. Because of this, Hampton's time as governor saw a return to harsher punishments and discipline.

In 1862, a total of 893 convicts arrived in the colony. The York and Toodyay Convict Hiring Depots were reopened, and their buildings were used again. A senior warder was put in charge, with two assistant warders helping him. Both ticket-of-leave men and probationary convicts (those still serving their sentence) now lived in the barracks. Their sleeping areas were separated by something called the ‘Division’. Both groups of convicts worked on roadmaking and other public projects in the area. All work was done under the supervision of a warder.

Work soon began on building a much-needed new lock-up (jail). It was designed by Richard Roach Jewell and built by convict labor. Named the Newcastle Lock-up, it was finished on September 12, 1865. It was officially called a gaol (jail) on July 7, 1879.

In 1864, Hampton was told that convict transportation would stop. Hampton made sure that the last few years of convict labor were used well. Most of the 1669 convicts who arrived between August 10, 1865, and January 9, 1868, worked on the roads. The road from Newcastle to Guildford and Perth became one of the best in the colony. Many small camps in the bush showed where the men had been working. The district's road system improved greatly. The era of convict transportation ended on January 9, 1868, when the Hougoumont, the last ship to carry convicts to Australia, arrived in Fremantle.

Final Closure

On February 16, 1872, Henry Wakeford issued an order for the Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot to be closed. Despite protests, it was closed, and its men were moved elsewhere. The York Convict Hiring Depot stayed open until 1874.

After the Toodyay depot closed, the remaining buildings were given to the government. A larger police force used most of them. A women's jail was built at the eastern end of the original warders’ quarters.

The front part of the main barracks was turned into a courtroom. The back part served as a very crowded schoolroom. Eventually, a new school opened in May 1887, replacing the small schoolroom. The original barracks were torn down in 1897 to make way for a new courthouse. That same year, a new police station was ready. The courthouse still stands today and houses the offices of the Toodyay Shire Council.

Over time, the warders’ quarters, sappers' quarters, and commissariat fell into ruin. The old wooden stables burned down in 1890. They were replaced in 1891 by the brick building seen today. The superintendent's quarters were demolished in 1963 to make way for a new railway line.

The Newcastle Gaol was restored in 1962 and is now the Newcastle Gaol Museum.

On May 6, 1910, it was declared that Newcastle and the old townsite of Toodyay would now be known as Toodyay and West Toodyay. The modern town of Toodyay was founded on the site of the old Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot.