Jeremy Bentham and the escaped convicts
The most well-known escape of prisoners transported from England to Australia in the 18th Century has been brought to life, thanks to handwritten accounts by the convicts unearthed in the collections of the philosopher Jeremy Bentham at UCL and now published online for the first time. The Memorandoms of the convict James Martin are the only first-hand account of the famous escape, which has been the subject of a number of books and a television drama. The document is written in three different hands, potentially of three of the convicts involved, and recounts their fascinating - and, ultimately, tragic - tale in full. On the night of 28 March 1791, James Martin and eight fellow prisoners including William Bryant and his wife Mary Bryant - accompanied by their two young children - stole the governor's six-oared boat and escaped from Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia. The group travelled along the eastern and northern coasts of the Australian continent, where they encountered Aboriginal peoples, and survived several ferocious storms. It was an incredible feat of endurance and seamanship, as they all survived the two-month journey of over five thousand kilometres in an open boat - partly in totally uncharted territories. I think this document should have a wider audience than it otherwise has had because it is the only first-hand account written by First Fleet convicts and it's such a well known story - probably the most famous escape story from colonial Australia.
