Parramatta Female Factory
| Location | Cumberland Hospital, North Parramatta, New South Wales |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°48′03″S 151°00′00″E / 33.8009°S 151.0°ECoordinates: 33°48′03″S 151°00′00″E / 33.8009°S 151.0°E |
| Status | Register of the National Estate |
| Security class | Former female factory |
| Capacity | 1,230 |
| Opened | 1821 |
| Closed | 1848 |
| Managed by | NSW Health |
| Website | www |
The Parramatta Female Factory, in the former penal colony of New South Wales, is located in the grounds of Cumberland Hospital, North Parramatta, New South Wales. It was one of 13 female factories in the colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land. In New South Wales, female factories were also established in Bathurst, Newcastle, Port Macquarie and Moreton Bay (2 factories). The factory idea was a combination of the functions of the British bridewells, prisons and workhouses.
The first female factory was above the Parramatta Gaol, in what is now Prince Alfred Square (formerly known as Gaol Green and Hanging Green). This two story building was commissioned by Governor King and the convict women moved in in 1804. Within a decade there was considerable pressure on the authorities to deal with increasing numbers of female convicts who could not be adequately accommodated at the factory. There were over 200 women and children in a place that could only house 30 at night.
The factory was the destination for many of the convict women sent as prisoners to the colony of NSW. Over 9,000 names have been recorded as passing through the factories, of which an estimated 5,000 went through Parramatta.
With the arrival of Governor Lachlan Macquarie a solution was acted on. Macquarie selected a 4-acre (16,000 m2) portion of William Bligh's 105 acre grant further upstream on the Parramatta River to build a new factory and issued instructions to convict architect Francis Greenway to design a building that would accommodate 250 women. This was the first purpose built female factory in the Colony and a model for the others.
The first stone was laid by Governor Macquarie in 1818 and the women were transferred from the old factory in 1821. The factory was built using convict labour from locally quarried sandstone and was completed in 1821 at the cost of £4,778. The walls of the main building ranged from 2 feet 6 inches (0.76 m) at the foundation to 20 inches (510 mm) at the apex of its three storeys. It had an oak shingled roof, floors of 6 inches (150 mm) paving or stringbark with barred leadlight windows in the basement and lead glazed windows on the upper floors. The first floor was used for meals with the top two floors for sleeping and other activities. The porter, deputy superintendent, superintendent and matron were provided with separate accommodation on the site.
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