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The Last Convict
'It's a good story, Samuel. You're a piece of living history.'
Oxford 1863: Young Samuel Speed sets a barley stack alight in the hope it will earn him a bed in prison for the night. He wants nothing more than a morsel of food in his belly and a warm place to sleep off the streets. What he receives is a sentence of seven years' servitude, to be served half a world away in the penal colony of Fremantle, Western Australia.
When Samuel boards the transport ship Belgravia, he is stripped of his clothing and even his name, and given regulations of when to rise, eat, clean and sleep. On arrival at Fremantle Prison, hard labour is added to the mix and he wonders if life can get any worse. The only solace he finds is a love of reading, which allows the likes of Tom Sawyer and Oliver Twist to become his lifelong friends.
Samuel is granted a ticket of leave in 1867 and full freedom in 1871, but what sort of life can a man forge for himself in the colony, with no skills, no money and no family? Will it be the beginning of the life he has always dreamed of, or do some sentences truly never end?
A colourful recreation of the life and times of the last known convict to be sent to Australia, The Last Convict is a moving study of old age and loneliness, as one social outcast finds meaning in his impoverished life through the power of literature. Meticulously researched and brilliantly woven into an engaging fictional account, it is an unforgettable story by an award-winning writer and historian.
Oxford 1863: Young Samuel Speed sets a barley stack alight in the hope it will earn him a bed in prison for the night. He wants nothing more than a morsel of food in his belly and a warm place to sleep off the streets. What he receives is a sentence of seven years' servitude, to be served half a world away in the penal colony of Fremantle, Western Australia.
When Samuel boards the transport ship Belgravia, he is stripped of his clothing and even his name, and given regulations of when to rise, eat, clean and sleep. On arrival at Fremantle Prison, hard labour is added to the mix and he wonders if life can get any worse. The only solace he finds is a love of reading, which allows the likes of Tom Sawyer and Oliver Twist to become his lifelong friends.
Samuel is granted a ticket of leave in 1867 and full freedom in 1871, but what sort of life can a man forge for himself in the colony, with no skills, no money and no family? Will it be the beginning of the life he has always dreamed of, or do some sentences truly never end?
A colourful recreation of the life and times of the last known convict to be sent to Australia, The Last Convict is a moving study of old age and loneliness, as one social outcast finds meaning in his impoverished life through the power of literature. Meticulously researched and brilliantly woven into an engaging fictional account, it is an unforgettable story by an award-winning writer and historian.
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Published February 2, 2021
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About the author
Anthony Hill
65 books23 followersAnthony Hill was born in Melbourne on 24 May, 1942. In a varied career he has been a newspaper and television reporter, political journalist, antique dealer, speech-writer for Australia's Governor-General, and now full-time author.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 20, 2021
I received a copy of The Last Convict from Penguin Random House Australia to review.
Acclaimed Australian author Anthony Hill once again dives into the unique history of Australia’s colonial past with a fascinating examination of a truly remarkable individual in The Last Convict.
Perth, 1938. Samuel Speed in an old man living his last days in a dreary public-run home for destitute old men, with no family or friends to take him in. At 98 years old, Samuel knows that he does not have long to live and is content with his lot in life, but an unexpected opportunity to tell his tale has been given to him. A local newspaper has requested an interview with him after they discover that he is the last person left alive who was transported as a convict to Australia.
As Samuel begins his interview, he is transported back to his past to a fateful day in Oxford in 1863 when, as a young, starving teenager, he helped set a barley stack alight in the hopes of being arrested to receive food and a warm bed in prison. However, he is unprepared for the full consequences of his actions when a judge harshly sentences him to seven years hard labour on the other side of the world. Boarding the transportation ship, Belgravia, everything from his past is taken from him, including his name, and he begins the long, arduous journey to Fremantle Prison in Western Australia.
Forced to endure years of backbreaking labour, isolation and enforced routine on his life, Samuel’s only relief is a newfound love of reading, as he enjoys escapism in several classic novels. Eventually obtaining his ticket of leave in 1867 and full freedom in 1871, Samuel seeks to forge a new life for himself. However, as he continues to work hard, he soon begins to understand that even though he is no longer in prison, he is still very much trapped by circumstances outside of his control. What kind of man will Samuel become, and how deep does a person’s life sentence truly run?
To see the full review, click the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2021/02/15/...
An abridged version of this review ran in the Canberra Weekly on 18 February 2021:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2021/04/20/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
Acclaimed Australian author Anthony Hill once again dives into the unique history of Australia’s colonial past with a fascinating examination of a truly remarkable individual in The Last Convict.
Perth, 1938. Samuel Speed in an old man living his last days in a dreary public-run home for destitute old men, with no family or friends to take him in. At 98 years old, Samuel knows that he does not have long to live and is content with his lot in life, but an unexpected opportunity to tell his tale has been given to him. A local newspaper has requested an interview with him after they discover that he is the last person left alive who was transported as a convict to Australia.
As Samuel begins his interview, he is transported back to his past to a fateful day in Oxford in 1863 when, as a young, starving teenager, he helped set a barley stack alight in the hopes of being arrested to receive food and a warm bed in prison. However, he is unprepared for the full consequences of his actions when a judge harshly sentences him to seven years hard labour on the other side of the world. Boarding the transportation ship, Belgravia, everything from his past is taken from him, including his name, and he begins the long, arduous journey to Fremantle Prison in Western Australia.
Forced to endure years of backbreaking labour, isolation and enforced routine on his life, Samuel’s only relief is a newfound love of reading, as he enjoys escapism in several classic novels. Eventually obtaining his ticket of leave in 1867 and full freedom in 1871, Samuel seeks to forge a new life for himself. However, as he continues to work hard, he soon begins to understand that even though he is no longer in prison, he is still very much trapped by circumstances outside of his control. What kind of man will Samuel become, and how deep does a person’s life sentence truly run?
To see the full review, click the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2021/02/15/...
An abridged version of this review ran in the Canberra Weekly on 18 February 2021:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2021/04/20/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
March 5, 2021
I loved this book, possibly because it was written about Fremantle in Western Australia where I lived, and also having a convict ancestor myself. The Last Convict gives a huge insight into the conditions of Transportation, conditions in Fremantle Prison, and to the awful life led by the convicts. I was so impressed with the research that has been done, and also for the empathy I felt for our main character
Samuel Speed. His story, which is based on fact, gives great insight into the mind of this man.
He triumphs over his treatment, finds delight in reading books, and although he did not find a wife
seemed reasonably content with his lot once he attained his Ticket of Leave. I feel this book would perhaps not be quite so interesting to those not familiar with Fremantle, but still well worth reading.
Samuel Speed. His story, which is based on fact, gives great insight into the mind of this man.
He triumphs over his treatment, finds delight in reading books, and although he did not find a wife
seemed reasonably content with his lot once he attained his Ticket of Leave. I feel this book would perhaps not be quite so interesting to those not familiar with Fremantle, but still well worth reading.
July 9, 2021
How do you write a story about a person where the details are sketchy, yet give them a character? Anthony Hill has managed this with this book. I particularly liked the detail on the English prison system and the thoughts behind it. Life was hard even after you had done your time, and then to have ill health. Well researched, yet very approachable and readable, this is book that should appeal to lovers of historical fiction.
November 20, 2023
The author had a lot of historical facts he wanted to put into a book. There was very little information about Sam himself. Disappointed
October 28, 2023
‘So few words. So much left unspoken behind them. Nothing much to tell – or would tell.’
Samuel Speed, who died on 10/11/1938, in the Old Men’s Home in Perth, was thought to be the last living convict when he was interviewed in August 1938 for an article in the Perth Mirror .
Initially I was surprised to read this: I had forgotten that transportation to Western Australia did not stop until 1868. And when Samuel Speed died, he was an old man aged in his nineties. Samuel’s exact birthdate and age are not known. It is possible that he revised his age up when convicted in 1863, when his age was given as eighteen years.
Mr Hill’s novel was based on the interview conducted for the Perth Mirror and published a few months before his death. The interview was accompanied by a photograph of Samuel Speed, reproduced at the end of the book. While incorporating the known facts about Samuel Hill’s conviction and transportation, Mr Hill imagines the man behind the interview. He takes us into the mind of a young man, a teenager, seeking somewhere warm to sleep and some food. He and Thomas Jones were convicted of setting fire to a stack of barley at Bladon, Oxfordshire and were sentenced to seven years penal servitude on 28 November 1863. On 4 July 1866, Samuel arrived at Fremantle aboard the Belgravia.
According to his convict indent, Samuel was twenty years old when he was transported for setting fire to a hayrick in 1863. He was 5 foot 3 tall, with dark grey hair, hazel eyes, and had a cataract on his left eye. He was able to read and write.
Samuel’s story unfolds as a series of reminiscences (most of which he does not share with the reporter interviewing him). The journalist may be hoping for a scoop, but Samuel is both wary and weary. While Samuel filters what he shares publicly the reader journeys with him through the past. We learn about his love of reading, about the reality of life as a convict, about the difficulties in finding a place in society even after he receives his Certificate of Freedom in 1871.
In an Appendix to the novel, Mr Hill sets out Samuel Speed’s timeline as obtained from public records. Around these facts, he weaves a story which takes a hungry young man through the seventy-two years of his life lived in Western Australia.
It seems that Samuel Speed lost contact with his remaining family in the UK, and never married after his arrival in Western Australia. He may have been alone, but I would like to think that given his refuge in reading, he was never lonely. I enjoyed this novel. It reminded me that the impacts of transportation lasted long after the practice ceased.
‘It’s a good story, Samuel. You’re a piece of living history.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Samuel Speed, who died on 10/11/1938, in the Old Men’s Home in Perth, was thought to be the last living convict when he was interviewed in August 1938 for an article in the Perth Mirror .
Initially I was surprised to read this: I had forgotten that transportation to Western Australia did not stop until 1868. And when Samuel Speed died, he was an old man aged in his nineties. Samuel’s exact birthdate and age are not known. It is possible that he revised his age up when convicted in 1863, when his age was given as eighteen years.
Mr Hill’s novel was based on the interview conducted for the Perth Mirror and published a few months before his death. The interview was accompanied by a photograph of Samuel Speed, reproduced at the end of the book. While incorporating the known facts about Samuel Hill’s conviction and transportation, Mr Hill imagines the man behind the interview. He takes us into the mind of a young man, a teenager, seeking somewhere warm to sleep and some food. He and Thomas Jones were convicted of setting fire to a stack of barley at Bladon, Oxfordshire and were sentenced to seven years penal servitude on 28 November 1863. On 4 July 1866, Samuel arrived at Fremantle aboard the Belgravia.
According to his convict indent, Samuel was twenty years old when he was transported for setting fire to a hayrick in 1863. He was 5 foot 3 tall, with dark grey hair, hazel eyes, and had a cataract on his left eye. He was able to read and write.
Samuel’s story unfolds as a series of reminiscences (most of which he does not share with the reporter interviewing him). The journalist may be hoping for a scoop, but Samuel is both wary and weary. While Samuel filters what he shares publicly the reader journeys with him through the past. We learn about his love of reading, about the reality of life as a convict, about the difficulties in finding a place in society even after he receives his Certificate of Freedom in 1871.
In an Appendix to the novel, Mr Hill sets out Samuel Speed’s timeline as obtained from public records. Around these facts, he weaves a story which takes a hungry young man through the seventy-two years of his life lived in Western Australia.
It seems that Samuel Speed lost contact with his remaining family in the UK, and never married after his arrival in Western Australia. He may have been alone, but I would like to think that given his refuge in reading, he was never lonely. I enjoyed this novel. It reminded me that the impacts of transportation lasted long after the practice ceased.
‘It’s a good story, Samuel. You’re a piece of living history.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
April 6, 2021
Ho capito che non riesco ad apprezzare le storie che hanno come protagonisti dei personaggi assolutamente comuni che non fanno nulla di particolare nelle loro vite. Non ho sopportato la lettura di "Stoner" di John Williams e, allo stesso modo, mi sono annoiata leggendo "l'ultimo detenuto".
Mentre leggevo mi sono sentita come il giornalista che intervista Samuel Speed e che aspetta continuamente che lui gli riveli uno scoop, qualcosa di interessante da riportare nel suo articolo e invece nulla di che. Ecco anch'io ho atteso invano un momento di svolta che non è mai arrivato e mi sono sentita un po' presa in giro dal fatto che l'autore abbia allungato il brodo riportando le trame dei libri che Samuel presumibilmente ha letto nella sua vita. Se non hai nulla da dire lascia stare! Non è necessario raggiungere un tot numero di pagine!
Mentre leggevo mi sono sentita come il giornalista che intervista Samuel Speed e che aspetta continuamente che lui gli riveli uno scoop, qualcosa di interessante da riportare nel suo articolo e invece nulla di che. Ecco anch'io ho atteso invano un momento di svolta che non è mai arrivato e mi sono sentita un po' presa in giro dal fatto che l'autore abbia allungato il brodo riportando le trame dei libri che Samuel presumibilmente ha letto nella sua vita. Se non hai nulla da dire lascia stare! Non è necessario raggiungere un tot numero di pagine!
March 5, 2021
In 1863, Samuel Speed and an accomplice set fire to a barley-rick ; hunger and cold had steered his moral compass to desperate stupidity. Speed wanted to be put in prison so that he would be fed and have shelter but as Mr Justice Crompton put it at Speed's trial " Well, I hope these people will not find penal servitude as pleasant as they seem to expect ." That turned out to be an understatement. The story follows Speed's confinement at several prisons in England before he is transported to Western Australia 's Fremantle Convict Establishment and he is subjected to all the harsh punishments the English were so good at. By allowing Speed to tell the story in his own words via an interview with a journalist, I felt an intimacy with his character. An excellent read .
October 2, 2021
This is another long listed historical novel for the ARA Historical Literary Prize for 2021. It is a really interesting fictionalised account of the last convict alive in Western Australia in 1938. Sam Speed was convicted of arson in England in 1863. He and his mate lit a barley stock on fire wanting to get arrested in order to get a good meal. Little did they appreciate that their crime would result in transportation to the penal colony of Western Australia. Sam's story is that of an era. I found the whole story of Sam's life and the era really interesting.
September 13, 2025
Wanted to love this! But at page 116 I am not wishing to continue. It’s a lot of telling, not showing, more like a historical account than a novel. I kept hoping that the more modern timeline with the reporter would be dropped so that I could focus on what happened in the 1800s and feel like I was along for the ride, but that feeling did not come. The prison scenes were repetitive. For a much more exciting read in this genre I would recommend the Convict Girls series by Deborah Challinor or The Tin Ticket by Deborah J. Swiss.
April 12, 2021
3.5 stars
A fairly easy read about the life of Samuel Speed, the last convict to come out to Western Australia from England.
This story is told through reminiscence from old Samuel, and although fiction, is based on an actual interview.
The interview is included in the back as well as some court trial details.
I found the book reasonably slow going, but I stuck with it. For me, it wasn’t a page turner, but a nice read.
A fairly easy read about the life of Samuel Speed, the last convict to come out to Western Australia from England.
This story is told through reminiscence from old Samuel, and although fiction, is based on an actual interview.
The interview is included in the back as well as some court trial details.
I found the book reasonably slow going, but I stuck with it. For me, it wasn’t a page turner, but a nice read.
March 4, 2021
Conjured from the author's imagination and using scant historical details, this is a skillful recreation of the the life and times of Samuel Speed. Due to the interweaving of historical fact and realistic dialogue, a believable portrait has been created. Samuel's one-liner thoughts throughout the story add variety to the writing style. It's an engaging story.
April 21, 2021
A good read about Samuel Speed the last convict alive from the Belgravia. Based on facts from history and an interview the old man Sam gave for the papers in his nursing home, with a bit of fictional parts added to keep story going.
I had not picked up an historical novel in a while and glad I did pick this one.
I had not picked up an historical novel in a while and glad I did pick this one.
June 22, 2021
Conjured from the author's imagination and using scant historical details, this is a skillful recreation of the the life and times of Samuel Speed. Due to the interweaving of historical fact and realistic dialogue, a believable portrait has been created. Samuel's one-liner thoughts throughout the story add variety to the writing style. It's an engaging story.
December 31, 2022
Although this doesn’t appear to be rated highly by the reviewers, I found it interesting because it is based on facts about our early history and provided a glimpse of life spanning 2 centuries in Australia. It was a fairly easy to read and described how tough it was especially for this single, unskilled , ex convicts to make anything but a pittance throughout his life.
August 31, 2021
“ The same day lived 365 times…”
The level of research is very evident when reading this book.
Samuel Speed is the last convict sent to Fremantle WA and this is his story...always good to read about one's own country.
The level of research is very evident when reading this book.
Samuel Speed is the last convict sent to Fremantle WA and this is his story...always good to read about one's own country.
May 30, 2024
A very enjoyable read . Well written and excellent research into the life of ‘convict’ sent to Fremantle. Minor crimes punished by leaving one’s country and family. A harsh life for Sam. Good insights into prison life in the colony and tales of infamous prisoners too
March 24, 2021
What a treat! Loved all the references to West Australian history ( The Catalpa, Moondyne Joe). Engaging book.
June 24, 2021
I gave up after about p100. Just a bit too formulaic and very predictable.
June 2, 2024
Not for me.
February 6, 2023
The Last Convict is an Australian book, written by an Australian author. I saw it in my local library and the premise jumped out and immediately took my attention. I live near a pioneer cemetary and while the book is not based on anyone in that resting place, I have discovered an interest of that time.
As the title suggests, the book relates to the story of the last surviving convict in Australia. It is based on a real person. However, little is known about Samuel Speed, but the author used what is known (I actually found and read the newspaper report referred to in the book) and filled in the rest to create this story and I think he’s done an excellent job.
The book isn’t fast paced, but it is captivating in other ways. The main character is relatable and I wanted to know what would happen to him. My heart broke for him in so many ways. Poor Sam and his mate were desperate. Homeless, going from poorhouse to poorhouse looking for a dry bed and a meagre meal. And their desperation made them make a decision that changed their lives. They ended up as convicts for seven years and heading for Australia. Sam spent most of his life in an institution of some kind. His life was lonely and isolated. Yet, in the story, he came across as a lovely man who only wanted peace of mind.
I found myself wondering what his life would have been like if they didn't make that first decision. And for the life of me, I cannot imagine it would have been any better.
In those days, life as a pauper and a convict would have been most difficult. It's something I'm glad I have not and will never experience. Living in Australia, I find the history fascinating and thoroughly enjoyed this book as a result.
Recommended.
As the title suggests, the book relates to the story of the last surviving convict in Australia. It is based on a real person. However, little is known about Samuel Speed, but the author used what is known (I actually found and read the newspaper report referred to in the book) and filled in the rest to create this story and I think he’s done an excellent job.
The book isn’t fast paced, but it is captivating in other ways. The main character is relatable and I wanted to know what would happen to him. My heart broke for him in so many ways. Poor Sam and his mate were desperate. Homeless, going from poorhouse to poorhouse looking for a dry bed and a meagre meal. And their desperation made them make a decision that changed their lives. They ended up as convicts for seven years and heading for Australia. Sam spent most of his life in an institution of some kind. His life was lonely and isolated. Yet, in the story, he came across as a lovely man who only wanted peace of mind.
I found myself wondering what his life would have been like if they didn't make that first decision. And for the life of me, I cannot imagine it would have been any better.
In those days, life as a pauper and a convict would have been most difficult. It's something I'm glad I have not and will never experience. Living in Australia, I find the history fascinating and thoroughly enjoyed this book as a result.
Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews