John Warren (convict)
Encyclopedia
John Vernon Warren was a convict transported
to Western Australia
. He was one of only 39 such convicts from the 9721 convicts transported to the colony to overcome the social stigma
of convictism to become schoolteachers.
Born in 1826, Warren worked as a clerk in his youth, but in 1850 he was convicted of forging
a bill of exchange, and sentenced to a lifetime of penal servitude
. He was transported to Western Australia on board the William Jardine, arriving in August 1852. After receiving his ticket of leave, he taught at the Catholic school at York
from 1860, and then at Newleyine from 1866 to 1868. He then moved to the Wicklow Hills school, prompting the closure of the Newleyine school. In 1870 he was dismissed for gross misconduct, but this did not stop him being appointed teacher at Dumbarton in 1872. In September 1874, Warren married Mary Ann Elizabeth Gould, a wealthy widow who owned a hotel and a farm. No longer needing to earn an income, he resigned as a teacher the following year. He sailed for Singapore
in 1881.
The position of ex-convicts in the Australian penal colonies led to significant political conflict during the nineteenth century (cf. emancipist
). Most freed convicts became part of an underclass and the social characteristics of the convicts has been a point of Australian historiographic argument throughout the period of European settlement in Australia.
Warren was one of a very small number of convicts in Western Australia to overcome the social stigma of his conviction and obtain a respectable position in society. Although most respectable occupations were closed to ex-convicts, the colony was desperately short of teachers, yet unable to pay a sufficient wage to attract them. Whereas educated people of the "free" class were not attracted to teaching positions, the positions were attractive to educated ex-convicts, for whom the salary was no lower than other vocations open to them, and the job offered a degree of respectability. In total, 39 ex-convicts became school teachers in Western Australia. Erickson (1983) has suggested that the use of ex-convict school teachers
played an important role in the gradual breaking down of the social stigma of convictism.
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. He was one of only 39 such convicts from the 9721 convicts transported to the colony to overcome the social stigma
Social stigma
Social stigma is the severe disapproval of or discontent with a person on the grounds of characteristics that distinguish them from other members of a society.Almost all stigma is based on a person differing from social or cultural norms...
of convictism to become schoolteachers.
Born in 1826, Warren worked as a clerk in his youth, but in 1850 he was convicted of forging
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
a bill of exchange, and sentenced to a lifetime of penal servitude
Penal labour
Penal labour is a form of unfree labour in which prisoners perform work, typically manual labour. The work may be light or hard, depending on the context. Forms of sentence which involve penal labour include penal servitude and imprisonment with hard labour...
. He was transported to Western Australia on board the William Jardine, arriving in August 1852. After receiving his ticket of leave, he taught at the Catholic school at York
York, Western Australia
York is the oldest inland town in Western Australia, situated 97 km east of Perth in the Avon Valley near Northam, and is the seat of the Shire of York...
from 1860, and then at Newleyine from 1866 to 1868. He then moved to the Wicklow Hills school, prompting the closure of the Newleyine school. In 1870 he was dismissed for gross misconduct, but this did not stop him being appointed teacher at Dumbarton in 1872. In September 1874, Warren married Mary Ann Elizabeth Gould, a wealthy widow who owned a hotel and a farm. No longer needing to earn an income, he resigned as a teacher the following year. He sailed for Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in 1881.
The position of ex-convicts in the Australian penal colonies led to significant political conflict during the nineteenth century (cf. emancipist
Emancipist
An emancipist was any of the convicts sentenced and transported under the convict system to Australia, who had been given conditional or absolute pardons...
). Most freed convicts became part of an underclass and the social characteristics of the convicts has been a point of Australian historiographic argument throughout the period of European settlement in Australia.
Warren was one of a very small number of convicts in Western Australia to overcome the social stigma of his conviction and obtain a respectable position in society. Although most respectable occupations were closed to ex-convicts, the colony was desperately short of teachers, yet unable to pay a sufficient wage to attract them. Whereas educated people of the "free" class were not attracted to teaching positions, the positions were attractive to educated ex-convicts, for whom the salary was no lower than other vocations open to them, and the job offered a degree of respectability. In total, 39 ex-convicts became school teachers in Western Australia. Erickson (1983) has suggested that the use of ex-convict school teachers
Ex-convict school teachers in Western Australia
Following Western Australia's convict era, 37 ex-convicts were appointed school teachers in the colony. The appointment of such a large number of ex-convicts to what was considered a respectable government position was highly unusual for a penal colony, as the social stigma of conviction usually...
played an important role in the gradual breaking down of the social stigma of convictism.