Love Tokens, which are also referred to as ‘leaden hearts’, were engraved by British convicts before they were transported to Australia. Christopher Pearson (2008) writes that ‘When convicts received a sentence of transportation to NSW, usually the alternative was being hanged. Some prisoners even expressed a preference for the gallows, because in the 1790s most people assumed that it was a one-way trip to Port Jackson and they’d never be seen again’. Therefore, love tokens were a small yet sentimental way in which convicts were able to provide their loved ones with something to remember them by. Pearson highlights that ‘quite a lot of the tokens were stippled or engraved by a professional, or at least a trained hand – there were plenty of penny forgers in the jails’.
Although many of the tokens included the names of both a convict and their significant other, I have chosen to look at the following token, which is associated with the Chartist, John Frost, who was married with eight children. From searching the Index to Tasmania Convicts, State Archives of Tasmania, I was able to identify Frost through the ship (the Mandarin) in which he travelled upon. Here I found a hand-written document recording the details of Frost’s physical features. In addition to this, a picture of Frost is inserted below.
The main reason that this particular love token captured my attention, is that unlike many other tokens, it would appear that the intention behind it was a political statement rather than romantic. We an see this from the alternate side of the token. John Frost was a respected figure within the Chartist movement and had led an attack on Newport. He was originally sentenced to be hung, yet after public outcry, his sentence was commuted to transportation for life. In a letter written by Frost in 1840, he states that ”I am acting as a clerk, and hitherto the labour has not been heavy. I am in excellent health – much better than I could possibly have anticipated.”
From viewing the back of the token, we can see that the main message John Frost wished to leave behind was in memory of his role within the Chartist movement. It seems as though one of his main ambitions in life was to achieve political reform in Britain for the working-class. W.J Linton’s article ‘Who were the Chartists?’ states that the Chartist movement was ‘a people’s protest against absolutism, monarchical or oligarchical—against privilege and class-legislation: a simple claim for some voice in the appointment of governors or public servants’. While researching Frost, it seemed he was often described as a person of good intentions, who aimed to help the ‘small man’ of society. This allows us to warm to the idea of him and therefore the story behind this token.
Another reason I was intrigued by Frost’s life is the successes which followed on from his transportation, he received a conditional discharge in 1854, allowing him to travel to New York and eventually lecture in England on the horrific experiences of life as a convict. Linton (1881) reassures us that when Frost reached old age he was a ‘hale, hearty-looking old man of ninety-three, unchanged in his opinions’.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Frost_(Chartist)
Index to Tasmania Convicts, State Archives of Tasmania http://linctas.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/names/search/results?qu=john+frost&qf=NI_SHIP_FACET%09Ship%09Mandarin%09Mandarin
Frost, J (1840) Monmouthshire Merlin
Millett, Timothy, Convict Love Tokens http://love-tokens.nma.gov.au/
Pearson, C ‘Every Token Tells A Story’, The Australian (2008)
Linton, W.J ‘THE CENTURY ILLUSTRATED MONTHLY MAGAZINE’ WHO WERE THE CHARTISTS?’ (1881)
Prison Voices: Crime and Punishment 