Goodnight

Convict bed at Oatlands. Note how it folds

Never were the words more unlikely to be realised than when one said “Goodnight” to a convict. Many probably spent nights on straw mattresses on the floor, but it cannot have been much less comfortable than the convict bed. This one was at Oatlands and I can remember seeing them on verandahs or in outbuildings on some of the large old properties in the area. These were places where convicts had been assigned in the 1800s.

The iron bed would have been so cold and the lack of warmth must have conveyed itself to the sleeper. When I was small, mattresses were made from ticking, a stripey material and filled with kapok. There were also shreds of fibre which looked like recycled cotton fabric. They had most likely been that way for a very long time. Unlike the convicts, I graduated to foam rubber when I was about four and I had coloured woollen blankets. Information about blankets can be gleaned from reports of robberies from the police gazettes later in the century. Along with clothing and cooking utensils, they were a prized item for thieves.

Rugs were either woollen or cotton and sometimes had stitched or bound edges.  The colour was rarely mentioned, which leaves one thinking that they were probably naturals, creams or greys. They often had square patches, or even large chunks missing, and mended edges, as did the sheets. Some sheets were reported stolen even though they had seams down the middle, a common way to get extra wear, by splitting them and turning the outer edges to the centre before restitching. An occasional quilt was mentioned, which is to be expected as convict women were given fabrics (by Caroline Chisholm) and encouraged  to sew quilts on board the convict ships.



Kapok plant at Kimberley



Would a convict have been lucky enough to have a possum skin rug? These were made from multiple skins, each cut into a rectangle. It would have taken maybe 20 or thirty to make a rug, but possums are very common in Tasmania and it would not take long for a person with snares to catch the required number. Wattle bark was being harvested in the North West to assist with the tanning process. I found quite a few reports of these having been added to a thief’s booty. Our Auntie and Uncle had one on their bed and it must have been cosy. He had spent many years trapping when young.



Kapok fibre inside fruit (2011). How many would be needed for a mattress?