Bound with an Iron Chain: The Untold Story of How the British Transported 50,000 Convicts to Colonial America

by Anthony Vaver

In 1723, James Bell grabbed a book from a London bookstall and started to run, but he was chased by several witnesses and was discovered hiding in a dog kennel. As punishment for his crime, Bell was loaded on a ship and sent to colonial America, where he was sold at auction as an indentured servant for a seven-year term.

Most people know that England shipped thousands of convicts to Australia, but few are aware that colonial America was the original destination for Britain's unwanted criminals. In the 18th century, thousands of British convicts like Bell were separated from their families, chained together in the hold of a ship, and carried off to America. What happened to these convicts once they arrived? Did they eventually prosper in an environment of unlimited opportunity, or were they ostracized by other colonists and doomed to live in poverty?

Anthony Vaver tells the stories of the petty thieves and professional criminals who were subjected to this unique punishment, and in bringing to life this forgotten chapter in American history, he challenges the way we think about immigration to early America. The book also includes an appendix with tips on researching individual convicts who were transported to America.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

358 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2011

About the author

I am the author of "Early American Criminals" and the Amazon bestseller "Bound with an Iron Chain," a book about convict transportation from Great Britain to colonial America. I am also the author and publisher of EarlyAmericanCrime.com, a website that explores crime, criminals, and punishments from America’s past. I have a Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and an M.L.S. from Rutgers University. I have never spent a night in jail, but I was once falsely accused of shoplifting.

My profile picture is of me in London at Blackfriars, where convicts in the 18th century left for America.

Reviews

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vaver does an excellent job drawing the criminal justice system as it existed in England before transportation was instituted. It provides the context for the main subject. The penalties generally were corporal punishment, branding or death--even for small crimes. The criminal justice system was becoming overwhelmed. There was no system of long-term imprisonment. The beginning of the transportation system was a relief to England. It was not a penal-colony system as was later set up in Australia. In this instance, the criminals were auctioned off to employers upon landing (if they survived the trip). The numbers are astounding, especially considering how little one hears of the subject. George Washington was taught to read and write by a convict purchased by his father.

"Between 1700 and 1775, a total of 585,800 immigrants arrived in the 13 colonies from all over the world. About 52,200 of these immigrants were convicts and prisoners (9%). Slaves by far constituted the largest group (278,400; 47%), followed by people arriving with their freedom (151,600; 26%) and indentured servants (96,600; 18%). Note that almost three-quarters of all the people arriving in the American colonies during this time period did so without their freedom."

"Between 1718 and 1744, 7,010 convicts were transported from London to America, and of those, 6,815 (97.2 percent) were sent to Maryland or Virginia. In all, 80 percent of the total number of convicts transported to America from Great Britain, or about 40,000, ended up in Maryland or Virginia."

"In Maryland specifically, more than one-quarter of all immigrants who arrived between 1746 and 1776 were convicts."

"From the time when the first European settlers put foot on America and up until the American Revolution, close to three-quarters of all immigrants to the 13 American colonies arrived as a slave, a convict, or an indentured servant. Even during the 17th century, when Europeans were just beginning to populate America, only a third of all immigrants arrived in a state of freedom."

[Anthony Vaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my book, so I have to give it a five star rating!

[Graham Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I suspected that British transportation was a major part of USA colonial host.

The often asked question is “where did Britain banish their convicts before they started sending them to Botany Bay Australia in 1788 ? - Well, now we know. Not a conclusion particularly welcome in the states I guess !

[BRNTerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written. Some descriptive accounts of documented criminals sent to America. The book is 260 pages with an additional 76 pages of references and index.

[Sasha Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as research for a piece of fiction. Probably as much of the book deals with conditions in England as with the use of convict labour in the colonies themselves, but there are some interesting connections made between transportation, the American Revolution, the development of penitentiaries and the institution of penal colonies in Australia. Could perhaps be a little more critical of contemporaneous claims that convicts were treated worse than enslaved people.

[Tom Elder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly a quick read (264 pages); focuses primarally on indentured servants sent to America under the Transport Act of 1718. Explains the how the Act came into being, its execution, as well as the fallout from the results of shipping off felons from England to the new colonies.

Told through a combination of first-hand accounts by bound servants as well as their owners; would of appreciated more time spent on their contribution to the American Revolution as the author hints heavily that the conflict may never of occured if not for the Transport Act.

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was kind of nervous when first starting this book cause I thought it would be accounts of convicts who were brought to Colonial America. I've discovered that alot of authors of use the same accounts for their book for convicts being used as indentured servants. I was delighted to find that that was not the case, but Vaver actually discussed alot about the subject. Some of it was repeat, but he also went quite in depth in other parts. His work really complimented all that I have read insofar.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers a part of American history that has been ignored in history classes I've taken. I knew about the transport of convicts to Australia, but did not realize how British convicts had been sent to the American colonies before the revolution. Having lived in Maryland for many years, I was surprised that many of the convicts ended up there to work, as almost slave labor, on the tobacco plantations, making many of the early settlers very rich.

[Vince · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of prisoners being transported to the American colonies before this book. Even living in Maryland this part of our history has been completely forgotten. This is a great read for anyone who wants a more complete picture of the people who came to the colonies from Europe in chains. The end of the book also has some recommendations for how to research prisoners for genealogy purposes.

[Darrell Legg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good depiction of the process of transportation. Well written, with accounts of actual transportees. I found it to be a great historical insight into this truly early American phenomenon. We often only think of black slaves, but this brings up the issue of Anglo slaves. I do wish there was more accounts available of what happened to these victims once they arrived in the colonies.