Definitions
TICKET OF LEAVE ( TL ) – Ticket of Leave was granted , being adjusted for their level of behaviour, before the sentence expired. This freed the Convicts to seek employment under a Master, or to seek their own work. Convicts were obliged to report Monthly to the local Resident Magistrate and had to notify him of any change of Employer. Convicts were not permitted to leave their allocated District without permission and allocation of a Pass. A Ticket of Leave man could be self-employed and engage other Ticketers. He could also own land and property and could marry.
CONDITIONAL PARDON ( CP )– A Conditional Pardon freed a man of Ticket of Leave restrictions, however, he was not allowed to return directly to England. ( Note: Many CP men left W.A. for the Eastern Colonies or South Africa, and then left for England as Free Men ). Conditional Pardon’s were not granted after 1864, causing Ticketers to stay in W.A until their full sentence had been served.
CONDITIONAL RELEASE ( CR )– A Conditional Release was granted after 1864 ( in lieu of a CP ), to prevent a Convict from leaving W.A. before full expiration of the sentence term. A minimum term was to be served ( half the unexpired remaining sentence from issue of the original Ticket of Leave ), with uniformly good conduct, to be eligible for issue of a CR.
CERTIFICATE OF FREEDOM ( CF ) – A Certificate of Freedom was granted on the expiry of a full term of sentence.
CERTIFICATE OF REMISSION ( Cert. of Rem ) – A Certificate of Remission was granted for the unexpired portion of the original sentence. Many Remissions were granted in England before the Convict arrived in W.A.
FREE PARDON ( FP ) – A Free Pardon ( sometimes called a Full Pardon ) was rarely issued. The main reasons for issue of an FP were :- Convict proven to be wrongfully imprisoned, or where a Convict has committed an act of extreme bravery.
EXPIREE – A Convict has served their full length of sentence.