Bathurst’s Female Factory operated from 1833-44 and was once home to these women – all convicts – who were sent to the settlement for a specific purpose.

At an upcoming talk during the Autumn Colours program, Mrs Barnes will shine a spotlight on these women who contributed so much to Bathurst.

She said there were common misconceptions that female convicts were uneducated, but the talk would prove this was far from the case.

“The biggest thing people don’t understand is they weren’t the downtrodden and prostitutes,” she said.

“Around 60 per cent could read and write and they brought 180 trades with them.”

In the days of convict transportation from England, around 11,000 female convicts ended up in one of 10 female factories dotted across the country.

The factories were open to women aged 17 to 45 years and, once there, convicts were graded – first grade meant you were not a trouble maker and you had usable skills. A second grade meant a convict who had been accused of a misdemeanour, while a third grade convict was a trouble maker – she drank too much, was abusive or had escaped from custody.

Third grade women were not allowed to leave the factory and were forced to wear a red coat with a ‘C’ on their left arm and back so they could be easily recognised.

While manufacturing was undertaken at some female factories, the purpose of the Bathurst factory was to provide skilled labour to farmers. Those vital skills included being a milk, cheese, nurse or house maid, or experts in needlework.

Mrs Barnes said many of these women went on to marry men in the region, and some direct descendants still live in the area.

“What the government wanted them to do was to marry because then they became the responsibility of the husband, not the government,” she said.

The ‘Lives of the Women of the Bathurst Female Factory’ talk will be held once a month during the Autumn Colours program – on March 13, April 10 and May 8.

The two-hour talk starts at 2pm and will be held at the Stanley Street Sport Complex. Cost is $10. 

Bookings, which are essential, can be made by calling 0467 461 420.