Closing Hell's Gates

The death of a convict station

By: Hamish Maxwell-Stewart

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Paperback | 1 March 2008 | Edition Number 1

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324 Pages

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0

Dimensions(cm)
2.4 x 13.3 x 19.5

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Based on an elaborate reconstruction of day-to-day life at Macquarie Harbour, one of Australia's most notorious sites of convict punishment, this is the true story of how, in 1827, nine convicts opted for 'state-assisted' escape (the death sentence) rather than endure the hardships and privations of the penal settlement on Sarah Island.

WINNER, Margaret Scott Prize, Best Book by a Tasmanian Writer

In October 1827, nine convicts who had endured years of unimaginable cruelty at the hands of the system opted for 'state-assisted' escape. Five terrified witnesses - their hands and feet bound - were forced to watch as the chained convicts seized Constable George Rex and drowned him in the tannin-stained waters of the harbour. When the sentence of death was pronounced upon them, the condemned prisoners uttered just one word in reply: Amen.

For twelve long years between 1822 and 1834, Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour was the most feared place in Australia. Clinging to the shores of the wild west coast of Tasmania and hemmed in on all sides by rugged uncharted wilderness, the environment itself formed the prison walls that confined the unfortunate convict re-offenders who were sent there. But the conditions were so brutal that many went mad, or chose death or a very uncertain escape into the bush rather than spend their time in this notorious place.

Based on detailed accounts from the time, Closing Hell's Gates contains dozens of personal stories of the harsh and unforgiving life that people were forced to lead, both as convict and overseer, and in so doing reveals some startling insights about human nature when it is pushed to extremes.

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction History Regional & National History Australasian & Pacific History Social Services & Welfare Crime & Criminology Penology & Punishment Earliest Times to Present Day Modern History from 1700 to 1900 Biographies & True Stories True Stories True Stories of Heroism, Endurance & Survival

'Pluto's land'	p. 1
Voyage through the gates of hell	p. 9
The 'crimes' of the damned	p. 43
The law of the sea (as applied on land)	p. 61
The law of the lash	p. 77
Fifteen acres	p. 113
The mills of empire	p. 139
Mr Douglas's list	p. 165
'Come, O my guilty brethren, come'	p. 203
And in duty bound will ever pray	p. 221
Under the rose	p. 245
Acknowledgements	p. 273
Conversion table	p. 275
Notes	p. 276
Bibliography	p. 292
Index	p. 305
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Closing Hell's Gates

The death of a convict station

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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