Flogging was the most common form of convict discipline, and it could be ordered by a single magistrate. Convicts had their own expressions for a flogging, which included 'getting a red shirt' or 'meeting the three sisters' (referring to the triangle to which they were tied while being flogged).

Up to half of Tocal's convicts were flogged at some stage during their sentence. The following table shows the floggings they received according to the surviving records:

In 1833 the degree of suffering caused by flogging was recorded for a colonial inquiry. It included 50 lashes received by William Truelove for neglect of duty while assigned to Tocal. The report says Truelove 'bled greatly, and appeared faint and exhausted'.

Source: frontispiece of The Fell Tyrant or the Suffering Convict, London 1836.

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