Instructions to the Superintendent

Instructions to the Superintendent

Written as a guide for the Superintendent of Convicts and his staff at Hyde Park Barracks, this 1825 booklet was effectively the rule book, and outlined procedures for the daily administration of the institution. It emphasised ‘good order and regularity’, ‘prompt obedience’ and ‘ready compliance’ of the convicts. But personal accounts by visitors, superintendents and convicts now give us the impression that the instructions were not always rigidly followed.

This content was compiled for the Convict Sydney website from existing information such as SLM exhibition text and other researched material © Sydney Living Museums, 2017.

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