We Pray To Die: A Convict’s True Story - Revised Edition

James Rigby was born in Ireland 1809. Eventually settling in Lancashire, convicted of attempting to steal one silk handkerchief which was later found to be untrue and the handkerchief was of little valued but sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment. His sentence was typical and with an overabundance of those meeting the same fate, authorities began housing the convicted in the cramped bowels of moored sailing ships converted to floating prisons known as ’Hulks’. Conditions were harsh and eventually the decision was to transport James to the newly founded colony of Port Arthur in Australia. Over 160,000 plus men and women became human cargo, unsure where they were going or what awaited them. The horrors told in the pages of this book are true. The description of those vile horrors are more vile and brutal than any words can ever describe. Author Dale McGregor looks at the prison system of Britain at the time and the political situation that led to Australia becoming a penal colony. He candidly describes the conditions of the journey, the duties of those employed to manage the system and that of the convict’s fate on arrival. Interwoven is the story of James Rigby and his subsequent ’Queen’s Pardon’ to become one of the faces of Australia as it is known today.