Launceston Female Factory Chapel

Prior to the opening of the Launceston Female Factory in November 1834, female prisoners were held in a small hut and guarded by a single constable. Commissioner Bigge found this arrangement unsatisfactory; it highlighted the need for a better system to manage female prisoners in the colony.

In January 1833 tenders were called for the erection of the Launceston Female Factory. The site selected was bounded by Paterson, Bathurst and Margaret Street. The advertisement stated that thirty-four labourers will be lent by the Government for 12 months, they were made up of the following:

3 stone masons, 4 bricklayer s, 6 brickmakers, 4 sawyers, 4 carpenters. 1 plasterer and 12 labourers.

In November 1834, the Launceston Female Factory commenced operations, coinciding with the closure of the George Town Female Factory. It functioned as a facility for female convicts until 1855, after which it was transferred to the control of local authorities. From then on, it served as a prison until its demolition in 1914 to allow for the construction of Launceston High School, which is now known as Launceston College.

A proposed plan for a chapel by J. Lee Archer was dated November 1832. Solitary confinement cells were added in 1846.

Overall, religious instructions played an important role in the lives of Tasmanian convicts, providing them with guidance, discipline, and a sense of community, while also helping to rehabilitate them and prepare them for life outside of the convict system.