Journal of Australian Colonial History, Vol 24, July 2022.

This article analyses memorials, also known as personal petitions, written in response to the evacuation of Norfolk Island’s first settlement.  The colonists’ forced removal, between 1803 and 1814, resulted in the forfeiture of homes, possessions, community and security. The personal narrative contained within the evacuees’ memorials provides fresh insight into the impact of the island’s closure on the inhabitants and extends our understanding of their preparedness to protest the injustices they experienced. From an imperial perspective, the Norfolk Island memorials challenge the assumed understanding of colonisation as a story of advancement and enlargement. We gain an appreciation of the challenges associated with withdrawal from, and abandonment of, colonial outposts like Norfolk Island and the broader implications this had on both colonists and the administration.