Convicts from the hulk Justitia at work in Woolwich.

Convicts labouring at Woolwich. © National Maritime Museum, London

Repro ID: PZ9265

Description: Convicts perform hard labour at the Woolwich Warren. The hulk on the river is the 'Justitia'. Prisoners were kept on board such ships for months awaiting deportation to Australia. The 'Justitia' was a 260-ton prison hulk that had been originally moored in the Thames when the American War of Independence put a stop to the transportation of criminals to the former colonies. The 'Justitia' formerly belonged to Duncan Campbell who was appointed to supervise the work of the convicts.

Creator: Unknown

Date: c. 1777