Convicts at Ipswich - 1827 to 1842 Penal Colony Era

Very little is known of the convicts stationed at Limestone (Ipswich) during the period of time that the Moreton Bay Penal Colony was operated by the New South Wales Government.

The history that we have all read, is that five convicts and a convict overseer were sent to Limestone in 1827, where the men were tasked with quarrying limestone at a site now know as 'Limestone Hill'.

"The kiln was located on the edge of the railway embankment, just inside what is today the grounds of the historic house “Claremont”. There is no information about what the convict lime kiln looked like, but most kilns of that era were built on the same basic principal. In England, many temporary kilns were even constructed on building sites.

A typical English lime kiln was dug into the ground or into the side of a hill. It was shaped like an inverted cone and was lined with bricks or rock. At the bottom was a grating of loose iron bars. The kiln was loaded with layers of limestone pieces and fuel - wood or coal. The limestone was burned and as the quicklime was formed, it dropped through the grating and was removed through a side tunnel. More limestone and fuel could then be added at the top.

The convict limekiln is marked in early maps. It was still serviceable in 1849 when a bricklayer named Edhouse used it to produce lime, initially to build two cottages in East St and later to sell in Brisbane. The kiln no longer exists and, along with the soldiers’ cottage, was probably destroyed by the earthworks required when the railway was extended to Brisbane in 1875" [1].

A small brick cottage was built to house the soldiers on an area of land near the current day 'Thorn Street' overlooking the Bremer River. The cottage contained two rooms with a fireplace in each, a door, window and a verandah wrapped around two sides of the building. A slab building with two rooms located near the cottage housed the overseer and and the convicts.

In 1840 a group of convicts from Mauritius were transported from Tasmania to Sydney and then on to Moreton Bay. It is possible that ten of these Mauritian convicts were then sent to Limestone to work under the supervision of George Thorn. Click on the link below to learn more.

Mauritian Convicts at Limestone

In the lead up to the 200th anniversary of convicts at Limestone, research is being undertaken on the convicts and hopefully the stories of these people will emerge.

If you are a descendant of a convict who was stationed in Ipswich please contact us to share your family history.