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Tasmania - Organisation

Female Factory, Cascades (1827 - 1853)

  • Female Factory Cascades from the east

    Female Factory Cascades from the east, 1880 - 1920, courtesy of Tasmanian Images: Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office.
    Details

From
1827
To
1853
Categories
Babies' Home, Government-run, Home, Lying-in Home and Maternity Home
Website
http://www.femalefactory.org.au

The Female Factory at Cascades opened in 1827. It was run by the Convict Department. As a place of secondary punishment for convict women, it housed the babies that they gave birth to there. The Factory closed in 1853.

Details

The Female Factory opened in Lowes Distillery, which had been converted for that purpose.

Many of the convict women were at the Factory for being single and pregnant, in part because they could not work but also to punish their sexual behaviour. Once their babies were weaned, the women were sent to the crime class for six months. Early weaning, overcrowding, and poor hygiene led to a high infant mortality rate.

The Factory closed in 1853 following the end of transportation to Tasmania. After that the government re-used the buildings in a number of ways. These included a Boys' Reformatory, the Contagious Diseases Hospital, a Lying-in Hospital, the Home of Mercy, and a children's refuge.

In 2010, the Female Factory became a World Heritage site.

Location

1827 - 1853
Location - The Female Factory was at Degraves Street, Cascades, South Hobart. Location: South Hobart

Related Glossary Terms

Related Organisations

Publications

Books

  • Female Convicts Research Centre, Convict lives : women at Cascades Female Factory, Convict Women's Press, Hobart, 2012, 189 pp. Details
  • Frost. Lucy, Footsteps and voices : a historical look into the Cascades Female Factory, Female Factory Historic Site,, Hobart, 2004, 49 pp. Details

Online Resources

Photos

Yard Two at the Female Factory, Cascades
Title
Yard Two at the Female Factory, Cascades
Type
Image
Source
Female Convicts Research Centre Inc.

Details

Yard One at the Female Factory, Cascades
Title
Yard One at the Female Factory, Cascades
Type
Image
Source
Female Convicts Research Centre Inc.

Details

Yard Four at the Female Factory, Cascades
Title
Yard Four at the Female Factory, Cascades
Type
Image
Source
Female Convicts Research Centre Inc.

Details

Female Factory, Cascades
Title
Female Factory, Cascades
Type
Image
Date
1880 - 1920
Source
Tasmanian Images: Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office

Details

Female Factory, Cascades from north west
Title
Female Factory, Cascades from north west
Type
Image
Date
1880 - 1920
Source
Tasmanian Images: Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office

Details

Female Factory Cascades from the east
Title
Female Factory Cascades from the east
Type
Image
Date
1880 - 1920
Source
Tasmanian Images: Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office

Details

Sources used to compile this entry: 'Cascades Female Factory Ruins', in Australian Heritage Places Inventory, Australian Government, https://web.archive.org/web/20190308091043/https://dmzapp17p.ris.environment.gov.au/ahpi/action/search/heritage-search/record/RNE11027.

Prepared by: Caroline Evans