| /- | symbol of division between shillings and pence - Eg., 10/- - ten shillings and no pence |
| £ | symbol for 'pound' - 1 pound - 20 shillings = $2.00 - Eg., £1/12/6d - 1 pound, 12 shillings and 6 pence |
| appreh | apprehended |
| arr | arrived |
| AW | *Assistant Warder |
| b. | born |
| b.c | born about |
| bap | baptised |
| BC | bad character - tattoo on left breast |
| bur | buried |
| c | circa - about - Eg., c1800 |
| C/E | Church of England |
| CB | Champion Bay - often used as an alternative location name for Geraldton |
| CCC | Central Criminal Court - The Old Bailey |
| CE | Convict Establishment - Fremantle Prison |
| CF | *Certificate of Freedom |
| chn | children |
| Congreg | Congregational Church |
| CP | *Conditional Pardon |
| CR | *Conditional Release |
| CRem | *Certificate of Remission |
| Crt Martial | Court Martial |
| cwt | unit of measure - a hundred weight = approx 50kg |
| D | deserter from the army - tattoo on left side |
| d | day, days - Eg., 7d - 7 days |
| d | pence or penny - Eg., 3/6d - 3 shillings and 6 pence = 35 cents |
| d. | died |
| d/o | daughter of |
| Exp | *expiree |
| ft | foot/feet - unit of measure - 1 foot = 30.48 centimetres |
| gen servant | general servant |
| Ho. Co. | House of Correction |
| hrs | hours |
| illit | Illiterate - could NEITHER read NOR write |
| in ins | Inch or inches, a unit of measure - Eg., 1 inch = 2.25cm; 2ft 6ins - 2 feet 6 inches = 76.2 centimetres |
| lab | labourer |
| lb lbs | unit of measure - pound, pounds - 1lb - one pound = 450 grams |
| lit | literate - could read AND write |
| m | month/months |
| marr | married |
| NOK | next of kin |
| Own Acc | Own Account or TL Own Account |
| p | page |
| P.P. | * Probationer Prisoner |
| PC | Police Constable |
| Presb | Presbyterian |
| Prev Convs | previous conviction/convictions |
| Prot | Protestant |
| RC | Roman Catholic |
| RM | *Resident Magistrate |
| s/o | son of |
| semi lit | semi-literate - COULD read but NOT write |
| SROWA | State Records Office of Western Australia |
| SS | presumed by many to mean steam ship or steamer, a steam powered vessel used for ocean travel |
| TL | *Ticket of Leave |
| TL Own Acc | *Ticket of Leave on Own Account - A Ticket of Leave man entitled to establish own business and employ other TL Men |
| TL Regs | Ticket of Leave Regulations |
| unmarr | unmarried |
| w | weeks |
| wid | widower |
| yr | year/years/yearly |