Van Diemen History Prize 2021

My 2020 lockdown project of transcribing the 1825 manuscript ‘Voyage to Van Diemen’s Land’ by Henry Hellyer led me down some unexpected paths. I found myself drawn into historical detective work. I rediscovered lost letters and paintings in a museum at Yale university and pieced together a hitherto untold tale of sex, violence and mutiny on the high seas…

My prize-winning essay ‘Insubordination and Improper Intimacy‘ is available online at FortySouth

Funchal Harbour, Madeira Portugal, by Henry Hellyer from ‘Voyage to Van Diemen’s Land’ 1825