No. 1592 - Hobart - The Chapel at the Cascades Female Factory (1828)
The Cascades Female Factory operated in South Hobart from 1828 to 1856. Female factories were called factories as they were conceived of as manufactories to produce goods to assist the colonies. In total five female factories operated in Van Diemen’s Land: The ‘Hobart Town Gaol’ (which was replaced by the Cascades Female Factory); and factories at George Town, Launceston and Ross.
The female factory was part of the probation system. The intention was to facilitate the transformation of women from convicts to reputable citizens. In the factories the lives of women were regulated by strict rules, work and religion. Prisoners were classified into ‘classes’. After serving six months in the ‘crime class’, approved prisoners, the so-called 'hiring class', became pass holders and could work for wages outside the factory as hired servants.
In Tasmania’s penal institutions religious practice was, at least in theory, considered a critical part of reforming convicts. A 2008 a report for UNESCO notes that this was achieved through:
“…The construction of churches and chapels for use by convicts; employment of chaplains at penal stations responsible for the moral improvement of convicts; compulsory attendance at church services; reading of prayers by authorities and ‘private masters’ and distribution of Bibles. Separate churches or rooms were often provided for convicts from different religious denominations. Religious observances were often an essential part of the daily lives of most convicts including those under going secondary punishment. Attendance was rigidly enforced and non-attendance was a punishable offence. Under the probation system, convicts were required to commence and end each day with prayers and attend two divine services on Sundays. Clergymen were critical cogs in the penal machinery, expected to be knowledgeable about the character of each convict. They were required to sign all key documents that could lead to the rehabilitation and freedom of individual convicts including applications for family members to be sent from Britain, tickets-of-leave, special privileges and pardons”.
When the Cascades Female Factory was built in 1828 a chapel featured prominently in the original compound. This was the first of five compounds or yards built over a period of 25 years.
In 1827 Governor George Arthur purchased the Cascade site which had previously housed a distillery located adjacent to the Hobart Rivulet on the outskirts of town. The first intake of prisoners occurred in December 1828 with the transferral of female prisoners from the Hobart Town Gaol. The Cascades Factory was design to accommodate 700 female convicts and their children, although at its peak it held about 1200 women and children.
Over a period of a 25 years five “yards” were constructed. Following the opening of the first yard in 1828 a second was added in in 1832. This was followed by Yard 3 (1845), Yard 4 (1850) and the final Yard 5 opened in 1853, coinciding with the last year of transportation.
After the transportation of convicts to Tasmania ended in 1853 the Cascades Factory ceased operation by 1856. It continued to be used as a prison and was later used as a reformatory for boys, accomodation for paupers, an asylum for the insane and a contagious diseases hospital. The site was auctioned in 1905 and successive owners demolished most of the buildings.
There is little historical detail about the Cascades Chapel. Initial plans for the Factory were drawn up in 1827 by newly-arrived Colonial Architect John Lee Archer. These reveal that the chapel was to be located in the centre of Yard 1. This was however was problematic and the building was relocated against the northern wall of the yard. In January 1828 a visitor to the site criticised the chapel’s location:
“As we strolled up to Cascade, the other day, we were much pleased to observe the rapidity with which the work of the new Female Factory is going on. We, however, with all due deference to the better judgment of the Architect, would suggest one little alteration, which might be an improvement viz : - that the Chapel should be placed where it is at present proposed to erect the solitary Cells, which Cells, we conceive, would be better where it is at present intended to put the Chapel. The reasons for this suggestion are two-fold; in the first place, the Chapel, as it is now planned, appears too small; and in the next, that the site of the cells, being against the outer wall, is calculated to render them insecure; both of which objections might be avoided by changing their situations….”.
Archer’s revised plan reveals that the dimensions of the chapel were approximately 30ft by 50ft with a central partition separating the “Crime Class” prisoners from the 1st and 2nd Class prisoners. The Crime Class entered the chapel through a door on the West side of the building while the other two classes entered from a doorway on the East side. The pulpit and as well as a reading desk and clerk’s desk were situated at the northern end of the chapel.
This plan was amended at some stage for photographs of the building in the 1880s show only a single entry at the southern end of the chapel accessed by two sets of stairs with no sign of side entrances.
Women were mustered daily for prayers and Bible reading in the hope that this would assist in their moral reform. The colony’s senior chaplain, the Reverend William Bedford, had a uncharitable view of the character of convict women. Known as “Holy Willie Bedford” he was despised by the “Crime Class” and was at the receiving end of protests by the prison’s notorious ‘Flash Mob’. Bedford was a forceful and somewhat eccentric character. Historian E. B. Johns writes:
“Col. Arthur arrived to take over administration of Government when the worthy parson's zeal was at its height. He was also a reformer, and entered into his chaplain's schemes with zeal. An order was issued commanding all officials to amend their lives “and to unite in matrimony with those with whom they had been publicly living in shame.” The result, of course, was great unpopularity for the reformer, but Bedford weathered the storm… Bedford later provoked another storm by the part he took in a commission to inquire into the better management of the women prisoners. For some reason or other, it is difficult to understand why at this distance, the chaplain recommended that the women in the house of correction should "have their tresses shorn." The women reacted badly to the loss of their hair, and when, finally, Bedford visited the prison, they revolted and attacked the little man, and were, with great difficulty, prevented from doing him serious harm….”.
After the closure of the factory in 1856 the chapel continued to be used until the 1870s. In Chapel is described in 1872 by a visitor to the Cascades, which at the time was mostly used as an invalid depot for aging and destitute former convicts:
“Passing by what is called a "day room" in which the prisoners go during the day occasionally, and a large store above it, we come to a neat little stone chapel, in which all the prisoners assemble daily for prayers and on Sunday for divine service, the men sitting in one part of the building, and the women and children in others. The services are held at different hours, and the Rev. Dr Parsons officiates for the Protestant portion of the inmates, and generally the Rev. Father Woods for the Roman Catholics….”
The chapel was demolished in the early 1890s. At the time of sale of the Cascades site in 1905, most of the remaining buildings in Yard 1 were mostly intact but these were demolished in 1924.
Sources:
Colonial Times,Tuesday 10 March 1840, page 4
Colonial Times, Tuesday 12 May 1840, page 4
Mercury, Monday 30 December 1872, page 2
Mercury, Tuesday 5 February 1884, page 3
News, Saturday 17 October 1925, page 7
Mercury, Saturday 30 March 1940, page 3
The female factory was part of the probation system. The intention was to facilitate the transformation of women from convicts to reputable citizens. In the factories the lives of women were regulated by strict rules, work and religion. Prisoners were classified into ‘classes’. After serving six months in the ‘crime class’, approved prisoners, the so-called 'hiring class', became pass holders and could work for wages outside the factory as hired servants.
In Tasmania’s penal institutions religious practice was, at least in theory, considered a critical part of reforming convicts. A 2008 a report for UNESCO notes that this was achieved through:
“…The construction of churches and chapels for use by convicts; employment of chaplains at penal stations responsible for the moral improvement of convicts; compulsory attendance at church services; reading of prayers by authorities and ‘private masters’ and distribution of Bibles. Separate churches or rooms were often provided for convicts from different religious denominations. Religious observances were often an essential part of the daily lives of most convicts including those under going secondary punishment. Attendance was rigidly enforced and non-attendance was a punishable offence. Under the probation system, convicts were required to commence and end each day with prayers and attend two divine services on Sundays. Clergymen were critical cogs in the penal machinery, expected to be knowledgeable about the character of each convict. They were required to sign all key documents that could lead to the rehabilitation and freedom of individual convicts including applications for family members to be sent from Britain, tickets-of-leave, special privileges and pardons”.
When the Cascades Female Factory was built in 1828 a chapel featured prominently in the original compound. This was the first of five compounds or yards built over a period of 25 years.
In 1827 Governor George Arthur purchased the Cascade site which had previously housed a distillery located adjacent to the Hobart Rivulet on the outskirts of town. The first intake of prisoners occurred in December 1828 with the transferral of female prisoners from the Hobart Town Gaol. The Cascades Factory was design to accommodate 700 female convicts and their children, although at its peak it held about 1200 women and children.
Over a period of a 25 years five “yards” were constructed. Following the opening of the first yard in 1828 a second was added in in 1832. This was followed by Yard 3 (1845), Yard 4 (1850) and the final Yard 5 opened in 1853, coinciding with the last year of transportation.
After the transportation of convicts to Tasmania ended in 1853 the Cascades Factory ceased operation by 1856. It continued to be used as a prison and was later used as a reformatory for boys, accomodation for paupers, an asylum for the insane and a contagious diseases hospital. The site was auctioned in 1905 and successive owners demolished most of the buildings.
There is little historical detail about the Cascades Chapel. Initial plans for the Factory were drawn up in 1827 by newly-arrived Colonial Architect John Lee Archer. These reveal that the chapel was to be located in the centre of Yard 1. This was however was problematic and the building was relocated against the northern wall of the yard. In January 1828 a visitor to the site criticised the chapel’s location:
“As we strolled up to Cascade, the other day, we were much pleased to observe the rapidity with which the work of the new Female Factory is going on. We, however, with all due deference to the better judgment of the Architect, would suggest one little alteration, which might be an improvement viz : - that the Chapel should be placed where it is at present proposed to erect the solitary Cells, which Cells, we conceive, would be better where it is at present intended to put the Chapel. The reasons for this suggestion are two-fold; in the first place, the Chapel, as it is now planned, appears too small; and in the next, that the site of the cells, being against the outer wall, is calculated to render them insecure; both of which objections might be avoided by changing their situations….”.
Archer’s revised plan reveals that the dimensions of the chapel were approximately 30ft by 50ft with a central partition separating the “Crime Class” prisoners from the 1st and 2nd Class prisoners. The Crime Class entered the chapel through a door on the West side of the building while the other two classes entered from a doorway on the East side. The pulpit and as well as a reading desk and clerk’s desk were situated at the northern end of the chapel.
This plan was amended at some stage for photographs of the building in the 1880s show only a single entry at the southern end of the chapel accessed by two sets of stairs with no sign of side entrances.
Women were mustered daily for prayers and Bible reading in the hope that this would assist in their moral reform. The colony’s senior chaplain, the Reverend William Bedford, had a uncharitable view of the character of convict women. Known as “Holy Willie Bedford” he was despised by the “Crime Class” and was at the receiving end of protests by the prison’s notorious ‘Flash Mob’. Bedford was a forceful and somewhat eccentric character. Historian E. B. Johns writes:
“Col. Arthur arrived to take over administration of Government when the worthy parson's zeal was at its height. He was also a reformer, and entered into his chaplain's schemes with zeal. An order was issued commanding all officials to amend their lives “and to unite in matrimony with those with whom they had been publicly living in shame.” The result, of course, was great unpopularity for the reformer, but Bedford weathered the storm… Bedford later provoked another storm by the part he took in a commission to inquire into the better management of the women prisoners. For some reason or other, it is difficult to understand why at this distance, the chaplain recommended that the women in the house of correction should "have their tresses shorn." The women reacted badly to the loss of their hair, and when, finally, Bedford visited the prison, they revolted and attacked the little man, and were, with great difficulty, prevented from doing him serious harm….”.
After the closure of the factory in 1856 the chapel continued to be used until the 1870s. In Chapel is described in 1872 by a visitor to the Cascades, which at the time was mostly used as an invalid depot for aging and destitute former convicts:
“Passing by what is called a "day room" in which the prisoners go during the day occasionally, and a large store above it, we come to a neat little stone chapel, in which all the prisoners assemble daily for prayers and on Sunday for divine service, the men sitting in one part of the building, and the women and children in others. The services are held at different hours, and the Rev. Dr Parsons officiates for the Protestant portion of the inmates, and generally the Rev. Father Woods for the Roman Catholics….”
The chapel was demolished in the early 1890s. At the time of sale of the Cascades site in 1905, most of the remaining buildings in Yard 1 were mostly intact but these were demolished in 1924.
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| The Female Factory Chapel at the Cascades, Libraries Tasmania, E R Pretyman Collection Item Number: NS1013-1-1757 The photograph was likely taken when the site was used as accommodation for paupers and an asylum for the insane |
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| Photograph - Glass slide - Cascades factory / J W Beattie Tasmanian Series 295b ['The Cascades Establishment, Hobart' / Female Factory] The original photograph can be viewed HERE |
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| Photograph - Female Factory, Cascades, Libraries Tasmania, E R Pretyman Collection Item Number NS1013 |
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| Photograph - Female Factory, Cascades, Libraries Tasmania, E R Pretyman Collection Item Number NS1013/1/1453 The photograph is dated August 1892 and the chapel is no longer visible. The original photograph can be viewed HERE |
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| A wax portrait of Reverend William Bedford c.1850 by Theresa Walker (1807-1876) |
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| Plan-Cascades Factory, Hobart. Architect, J.Lee Archer (1827) The plan shows the original layout of the yard with chapel in the centre. Source: Libraries Tasmania, Item Number: PWD266/1/390 |
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| A detail of the original plan of the Cascades Factory. Architect, J.Lee Archer, Engineer's Office. Libraries Tasmania. Item Number PWD266/1/392. The original plan can be viewed HERE |
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| A detail from a 1877 Plan-Cascade Factory, Hobart-Invalid which shows the revised location of the chapel. Libraries Tasmania, Item Number: PWD266-1-410. The original plan can be viewed HERE |
Sources:
Tasmanian, Friday 18 January 1828, page 2
Tasmanian, Friday 29 June 1832, page 4Colonial Times,Tuesday 10 March 1840, page 4
Colonial Times, Tuesday 12 May 1840, page 4
Mercury, Monday 30 December 1872, page 2
Mercury, Tuesday 5 February 1884, page 3
News, Saturday 17 October 1925, page 7
Mercury, Saturday 30 March 1940, page 3
Lovell Chen, Cascades Female Factory South Hobart, Conservation Management Plan, Tasmanian Department of Tourism Arts & Environment, June 2007
Tasmanian Heritage Data Sheet THR ID Number: 10851 (Accessed April 20, 2025)
Rayner, T, Historical Survey of the Female Factory Historic Site, Hobart, unpublished report for the National Parks and Wildlife Service, 1981.
Links to articles with further information about the Cascades Female Factory:
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