Objects Gallery
7
IconLeg irons, weighing 14 kilograms prior to 1849
Leg irons, weighing 14 kilograms prior to 1849
(cessation of transportation on the east coast)
maker unknown
iron
bequest of Sir William Dixson, 1952
SAFE/DR 167
Leg irons are one of the most recognisable symbols of the penal system in Australia, however not all convicts suffered this punishment. Those who went on to commit secondary crimes after arriving in the colony, or those who ran away from the settlements were forced to wear heavy leg irons for at least six months and up to three years.
A blacksmith was required to put on or take off leg irons.
These chains restricted movement and varied in weight according to the severity of the punishment. Prisoners in leg irons were assigned to hard labour, working 10 hours a day for months on end, which often ended in injury. Reports in the Prison’s Medical Journal refer to severe groin pain, bruising of the skin, lesions and skin ruptures.
Port Arthur was established as a penal settlement in 1830. In 1848 the Separate Prison began to be constructed, with its high walls and constant surveillance, bringing about a shift in ideas around punishment from physical to mental subjugation.
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