Recovering convict lives through history and archaeology is an incredibly difficult task. We get glimpses of them, predominantly when the lens of officialdom fell upon them. Mostly, this was when their lives were at a low ebb, hauled before a magistrate’s bench, or petitioning for a favour. Rarely do we get a story from their own mouths. The story of William Thompson, convict, is one of these rare occasions.

Thompson was a convict for 11 years, between 1841 and 1852. Fifty years later, the head of large family, he sat down with John Watt Beattie, a Tasmanian photographer and collector of convict paraphernalia, and recounted his story. What makes it such an impressive account is that people, places and events can be verified from Thompson’s own convict record and associated histories.

The StoryMap below recounts his narrative, following him as he makes his way through the workings of the convict system.