From Cork to the Colony: The Lives of John Creedan and Mary Coughlan 1790 - 1840

From Cork to the Colony uncovers the intertwined lives of John Creedan and Mary Coughlan, two Irish convicts whose stories illuminate the workings of Britain’s penal system. Beginning with their arrests in Cork in 1820, the narrative follows their forced separation, years of confinement, and eventual transportation to New South Wales. Through petitions, court transcripts, musters, and official correspondence, a clear, evidence‑based picture emerges of two lives shaped by poverty, punishment, and the authority of empire.

John’s path leads from the Cork Assizes to the hulks and into the harsh routines of government labour in the colony. Mary’s journey is marked by repeated imprisonments in the North Gate Bridge Gaol and the Parramatta Female Factory, revealing the precarious position of convict women. Their stories intersect and diverge across decades, and for the first time this work establishes Creedan as Mary’s first husband — a connection not previously identified in the historical record.

This discovery has particular significance for descendants and researchers of the Cody family of the Carcoar region, whose history has long begun with Mary’s later marriage to John Cody. By documenting her earlier marriage to Creedan, From Cork to the Colony provides essential new context for understanding the origins of that family line.

Built entirely from surviving records and preserving the language of the archive, this book offers a grounded insight into the lived realities behind the convict system. It is an indispensable resource for family historians, local researchers, and anyone tracing the early networks that shaped the Carcoar district.