The Closure of Norfolk Island 1814

The analysis of the primary records which were an integral part of the research for The Closure of Norfolk Island 1814 written by colonial historian Cathy Dunn are located across a vast range of repositories, including the National Library Australia, State Archives and Records Authority New South Wales, Mitchell Library Sydney NSW, State Library NSW, Tasmania Archives Heritage Collection, and the National Archives (UK). In addition to this, I consulted the University of New England (UNE) Convict History Research Collective datasets of the ‘New South Wales Convict History Data Project’ and the ‘Directory of the Norfolk Island First Settlement 1788-1814’. The result is a comprehensive profile on the individuals who were the last to leave Norfolk Island on its closure of the Island’s colonial settlement of 1788 – 1814.

This includes convicts, free people, children and a New Zealander, some had been living on Norfolk Island since 1790. There was will be a book launch on Norfolk Island on 6 Mar 2024 at the Norfolk Island 1st Settlement Showcase and Research afternoon..