The Transports

Chapter 6 of Bateson's book, The Convict Ships, is devoted to the transports that carried the convicts to Australia.

The convict ships were ordinary British merchantmen that might appear at any port throughout the known world. No ship was specifically designed as a convict ship. Sometimes a ship may make several trips as a convict vessel and then be used as a store ship or passenger ship and then may once again be used to carry convicts. Whenever possible contractors of convict ships organised to collect cargo from China or India on the voyage back home.

Vessels chartered for carrying convicts were square rigged, were normally ships or barques and sometimes brigs and normally smaller vessels between 200 and 400 tons. Chartered vessels were hired at the lowest rate per ton provided that they were seaworthy. The number of convicts to be carried was normally based on an allowance of two tons for each convict. If there was surplus tonnage civilian or military personnel could also be carried as well as additional provisions and stores for the colony.

Ship owners usually only tendered their smaller vessels as it was more profitable to use the larger vessels for other purposes and on shorter routes. The voyage to Australia involved navigational challenges, many months at sea going to and returning from Australia and it could not always be guaranteed that there would be a return cargo to make the voyage worth while.

The chartering of convict ships was always by tender. Shipowners determined the hiring rates and they varied with each trip. No vessel was accepted until it had passed an inspection by naval authorities.

The best ships were the East Indiamen which were strong ships and the largest class of merchantmen. Only the finest materials were used in building them. The West Indiamen was a smaller version of the East Indiamen with a slightly different deck design. These ships tended to be well cared for unlike many other ships that could have rotten timbers and rigging and were unseaworthy. The crew of the East Indiamen were as strictly disciplined and well turned out as the crews of the Royal Navy. The crew on other ships was often made up 'from the very dregs of society' (p86) often recruited from waterside taverns, often illiterate, heavy drinkers and unskilled in navigation and seamanship. Musters of crews often showed that ships arrived minus crew members who had abandoned the ship at a port.

The majority of convict ships had three officers as well as the master and some had a fourth mate. The carpenter was an important crew member and sometimes he had an assistant. Some ships had a boatswain and some had a sail maker. Most ships had a cook to prepare food for the officers and crew.

Naval authorities thoroughly examined ships to ensure that seaworthy ships carried convicts. Although some of the convict ships were suspect they all safely made the voyage to Australia.

• Bateson, Charles: The convict ships 1797-1868. Sydney, Library of Australian history, 2004 (originally published 1950)

Nile - 1801 Duke of Portland - 1807 Speke - 1808

Jane Williams was born in 1776. She had been tried in Gloucester on 12 January 1801.

Nile - ship - 322 ton - built 1799

96 female convicts - 0 deaths

The Nile sailed from Spithead on 26 June 1801

Sailed via Rio de Janeiro

Arrived at Port Jackson on 14 December 1801

Trip took 176 days

___________________________________________

Richard Holland was born in England on 8 May 1783. According to the crime registers on the 24 May 1806 Richard had stolen a parcel out of a cart. He was tried at the Old Bailey on 2 July 1806 and was sentenced to seven years transportation.

Duke of Portland - ship - 523 ton - built 1790

189 male convicts - 0 deaths

Arrived at Port Jackson on 27 July 1807

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Susannah Alderson (in some records Hannah) was tried at York (East Riding) on the 7th April 1807 for perjury and received a sentence of seven years transportation. Susannah was born in Yorkshire in 1788 - her place of origin was recorded as Gilmanby NR during the trail hearing.

Speke - ship - 473 ton - built 1790

99 female convicts - 1 death

The Speke sailed from Falmouth on 8 May 1808

Sailed via Rio de Janeiro and Cape of Good Hope

Arrived at Port Jackson on 16 November 1808

Trip took 182 days

• Bateson, Charles: The convict ships 1797-1868. Sydney, Library of Australian history, 2004 (originally published 1950)

Minerva - 1800

Minerva - ship - 558 ton

165 male & 26 female convicts - deaths 3 male convicts

The Minerva left London for Cork on 6 August 1798 but due to the Irish rebellion there was a six month delay before the first convicts embarked on 12  February 1799. The final convicts embarked on 19 August 1799. The Minerva finally left Cork with the Friendship plus other ships on 24 August 1799. Among the convicts were a number of Irish rebels who agreed to leave the country instead of facing the death penalty in Ireland.

John Pendergast (also recorded as Pendergass, Pendergrafs or Prendergast) was tried at Dublin in March 1799 and was sentenced to transportation to New South Wales. John was born in Ireland in 1769. At his trial his occupation was listed as a labourer.

The Minerva was a fast ship but had to wait for the other ships in the convoy to keep up. On 14 September it was decided that the Minerva would go on ahead and was alone on the 1st of October when two ships flying Portuguese colours fired upon her. Being the faster ship she was able to out run them. The Minerva arrived at Rio de Janeiro on 20 October and stayed there until 8 November. The trip from Rio de Janeiro to Port Jackson took only 64 days with the ship arriving at Port Jackson on 11 January 1800. The Friendship arrived on 16 February.

• Bateson, Charles: The convict ships 1797-1868. Sydney, Library of Australian history, 2004 (originally published 1950)

Irish convicts to New South Wales database - http://members.pcug.org.au/~ppmay/cgi-bin/irish/irish.cgi

Pendegast, John, 31, Rebel (generically involved), Arrived Minerva (1800), Tried 1798 Dublin, 7 years, Date of Birth 1769, native place Dublin, Trade Labourer, Died 1833 Windsor.

1798 Irish Rebellion (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/irish_reb_01.shtml

Links to family history websites with information about John Pendergast

John Pendergast
http://www.myheritage.com/person-1002720_176119841_176119841/john-pendergast

John Pendergast
http://www.boddylines.com.au/02%20Family%20History/GAFFEY%20section/Individual%20web%20pages/Pendergast-John.htm

John Pendergast
http://www.geni.com/people/John-Pendergast/6000000008704726345

John Pendergast
https://australianroyalty.net.au/individual.php?pid=I64451&ged=purnellmccord.ged

Britannia - 1798

Britannia - ship - 301 - built 1783

96 female convicts - 2 deaths

This was the second ship named Britannia to be used as a transport. The ship was a whaler, carried a small number of prisoners and had an uneventful voyage arriving at Port Jackson on 18 July 1798.

Mary Hyde (Hide) - also known as Sarah Blunn and Mary Black - was baptised on 19 February 1779 at Halesowen, Worcestershire. Her parents were Edward Hyde and Sarah Blunn. In November 1795 Mary was accused of stealing items of clothing from Francis Deakin, her employer, including 1 black silk cloak, 1 muslin shawl, 1 cotton gown, 1 dimity petticoat, 2 pair of cotton stockings and 1 pair of scissors. She was tried at the Warwickshire Assizes on 21 March 1796 and the 17 year old was sentenced to seven years transportation to New South Wales. She arrived at Port Jackson aboard the Britannia.

• Bateson, Charles: The convict ships 1797-1868. Sydney, Library of Australian history, 2004 (originally published 1950)

Royal Admiral - 1800

Royal Admiral - ship - 914 tons - built 1777

300 male convicts - 43 deaths

Uriah Moses was born in 1780, possibly at Exeter or maybe, according to some sources, Pontypool, Wales.  In 1798 he was accused of breaking into the shop of William Holmes - a linen draper and mercer in Whitechapel - (by cutting the glass, possibly with a diamond) on 8 December 1797 and removing four or five cards of black lace, two pieces of silk handkerchiefs and two pieces of calimanco calculated as being worth a total of seven or eight pounds. The 18 year old Uriah was described in the records as being four foot eleven inches tall, dark complexion, brown hair and grey eyes. At the trial at The Old Bailey it was stated that Uriah had worked with Mr Jacobs in Petticoat Lane as a glasscutter for three years but had left three years ago. Uriah Moses was sentenced to death, later commuted to transportation for life to New South Wales.

This was the second voyage of the Royal Admiral to Port Jackson - first voyage to Port Jackson was in 1792) . The ship measured 120 feet 2 inches in length and had a beam of 37 feet 10 inches.

The Royal Admiral left England on 23 May 1800. As well as 300 male convicts there were 11 missionaries on their way to islands in the South Seas. The trip to Rio de Janeiro proved to be an eventful one. On 23 June it was reported that there was a plot to seize the ship but nothing happened. However the missionaries stood guard in the steerage each night as a precaution. On 4 August French ships were sighted and the decks were cleared. There were four other British ships in the area and the convicts below deck could hear the boom of gunfire until two French ships surrendered. Fifty-nine prisoners from the French ship, La Concorde, were taken aboard the Royal Admiral. The French prisoners complained that the convicts robbed them. After 81 days from England the Royal Admiral arrived at Rio de Janeiro on 12 August.

The Royal Admiral left Rio de Janeiro on 15 September and arrived at Port Jackson on 20 November. The complete journey took 181 days. Forty-three convicts and the ship's surgeon died during the voyage. On embarkation most of the convicts were suffering from gaol fever - typhoid fever - and the deaths were due to this illness. Almost all the convicts required medical treatment on arrival at Port Jackson. On 10 March 1801 Governor King reported that the convicts were still very weak. On 30 October 1802 Governor King reported that many of the convicts were still ill and would never fully recover.

• Bateson, Charles: The convict ships 1797-1868. Sydney, Library of Australian history, 2004 (originally published 1950)

Boddingtons - 1793

Boddingtons - ship - 331 ton - launched 1781

125 male & 20 female convicts - 1 death

Charles Daley (also spelt Daly, Dayley or Daily) was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1775.  Charles was tried in Dublin in December 1791 for stealing saddles and was sentenced to seven years transportation. He was listed as being a landholder.

The Boddingtons' arrival was delayed in reaching Cork. The prisoners awaiting her arrival were therefore cooped up in another vessel for 7 weeks resulting in many sick convicts when embarked. Fortunately the ship's surgeon, Richard Kent, had restored most of them back to health before the ship sailed on 15 February 1793. There was no overcrowding on the ship and each convict had a bed.

The trip to Rio de Janeiro  took 54 days arriving on 10 April. The total journey took 173 days with the ship arriving at Port Jackson on 7 August 1793. The one convict who died during the voyage had been ill on embarkation. Only one convict was on the sicklist on arrival.

• Bateson, Charles: The convict ships 1797-1868. Sydney, Library of Australian history, 2004 (originally published 1950)

Third Fleet Notes

The Third Fleet ships left in England in 1791. The ships were -

Matilda - ship - 460 tons - built 1779

Atlantic - ship - 422 tons - built 1784

Salamander - ship - 320 tons - built 1776

William and Anne - ship - 370 tons - built 1759

Active - brig - 350 tons - built 1764

Queen - ship - 400 tons - built 1773

Albemarle - ship - 530 tons 

Britannia - ship - 520 tons

Admiral Barrington - ship - 527 tons - built 1781

Two other convict ships that sailed in 1791 were -

Mary Ann - ship - 298 tons - built 1772

HMS Gorgon - frigate

Most of the vessels obtained for the journey were old and in some cases in need of repair and not suitable for the trip. However these were the only ships available at the time as there was was threat of war in Europe and ship owners were reluctant to release their ships for such a venture.

Simeon Lord was born in Todmorden, Yorkshire on 28 January 1771. His parents were Simeon Lord (1744-1787) and Ann Fielden (1746 - 1786).  On 22 April 1790 at Manchester Quarter Sessions he was found guilty of theft of a quantity of cloth and sentenced to seven years transportation to New South Wales. His journey to Port Jackson was on the Atlantic leaving Plymouth on 27 March 1791 and arriving at Sydney Cove on 20 August 1791 - a journey of 146 days. Before leaving England he had embarked on the Atlantic at Woolwich before the ship sailed to Plymouth where convicts from the Dunkirk hulk were brought aboard. A number of convicts from this hulk were unwell when they arrived on the ship. Six of these convicts died before the ship sailed and another 18 died during the voyage. The ship's surgeon had tried to replace the sick men with others in better health without success.

The Third Fleet was divided into divisions. The Atlantic, the Salamander and the William and Ann sailed from Plymouth while five of the other ships sailed from Portsmouth. The Queen sailed from Cork with a contingent of Irish convicts in April.

Generally the ships that sailed from Plymouth had an uneventful trip though in late April during a storm the Salamander was separated from the other ships but rejoined them when they arrived at Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro was the only stop during the voyage and therefore the only place where fresh stores were available. The ships encountered heavy weather in the second leg of the voyage but arrived at Port Jackson a few days apart, the Atlantic being the first ship in the group to arrive. 

The ships in the Portsmouth division had a more eventful voyage and separated shortly after sailing arriving at Port Jackson on a variety of dates between 1 August and 16 October. Ships such as the Matilda were leaking and were lucky to arrive safely. Conditions aboard the ship were wet, not just damp, and 25 convicts died during the voyage with another 20 sick on arrival at Sydney Cove. Convicts on some of the ships had been deliberately starved. On the Queen the weights used to measure food had been scraped so the 4 lb weight, for example, was actually 3 lb 10 ounces. Frequently the 4 lb weight was substituted for the 5 lb weight or the 3 lb weight was substituted for the 4 lb weight. These practices drastically reduced the amount of food provided to the convicts. Once again those responsible for these actions were not punished. Two of the ships, Admiral Barrington and Albemarle carried too many convicts and the overcrowding would have contributed to the high death rate on these ships.

One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine male convicts and 172 female convicts embarked on  Third Fleet ships. There were 173 deaths of male convicts and 9 deaths of female convicts.

Mary Ann - 150 female convicts - 9 deaths

HMS Gorgan - 31 male convicts - 1 death

Matilda - 230 male convicts - 25 deaths

Atlantic - 220 male convicts - 18 deaths

Salamander - 160 male convicts - 5 deaths

William and Ann - 188 male convicts - 7 deaths

Active - 175 male convicts - 21 deaths

Queen - 133 male & 22 female convicts - 7 deaths

Albemarle - 282 male convicts - 32 deaths

Britannia - 150 male convicts - 21 deaths

Admiral Barrington - 300 male convicts - 36 deaths

• Bateson, Charles: The convict ships 1797-1868. Sydney, Library of Australian history, 2004 (originally published 1950)

Sydney Traders (Notes)

Sydney Traders: Simeon Lord and his contemporaries 1788 - 1821 (Hainsworth, David Roger). Cassell Australia 1972 [2nd ed Melbourne University Press 1981]

[p136] In 1820 the Hobart entrepreneur T W Birch told Commissioner Bigge that he still employed his 120 ton brig Sophia in Bass Strait, and that seals were still numerous on a few islands, although at others they had totally disappeared.

(p239)
1813 - Henriretta Packet - schooner owned by W Birch sailed VDL 1813-1818
(p237)
1808 - Trial - brig owned by Simeon Lord sailed NZ, Fisheries, Pacific Islands, Newcastle, Shoalhaven River - 80 ton - wrecked 1816
1803 - Marcia - Schooner owned by Simeon Lord - Hawkesbury, Newcastle, Fisheries, Pacific Islands - 26 ton - (1803-1809)
1817 - Endeavour (3) - Schooner owned by Simeon Lord & John Black (Simeon's adopted son) - Newcastle - wrecked 1817

Simeon Lord residence

The Macquarie Book: the life and times of Governor Macquarie (Abbott, J H M and Wilson, Hardy).  Sydney: Art in Australia, 1921 (Art in Australia 10)
[p38] On what is now Macquarie Place were some stores belonging to Mr. Simeon Lord, and near the corner of Macquarie Place and Pitt Street the residence of that gentleman, described as the finest residence in the Colony. (description of Sydney c1810).

Clyde Company Papers - Notes

In 1836 the Clyde Company started with ten partners to develop sheep stations in the Port Phillip district. The Clyde Company Papers are predominately a collection of papers preserved by George Russell, upon whom devolved almost entirely the active management of the company. Volume 2 of the papers covers the years 1836-1840 and includes a number of references to George Mackillop.

[p160] In a letter from Phillip Russell to George Russell dated 9 August 1838 -
... I have written to Mr McKillop to day, who has a quantity of strong Indian bagging which he is selling cheap. ....

[p246] Part of correspondence from William Russell to relatives in Scotland dated 28 August 1839 -
There is another station at this place belonging to Mr McKillop, of whom you have heard before, but he does not reside here himself. It is rich and beautiful and has all the appearance of some Nobleman's extensive domain.

Excerpt from correspondence from Dr Robert Officer to Philip Russell in 1839
[p266] I have got a house nearly built here for P.P. and hope when I come over to be able to secure some land to place it on, to be ready for my family. I intended to have been over for good about Novr or Decr next, but for the present postponed our removal. Your brother authorised me to get one of the casks of Sidney Tobacco which he sent over to you some time ago, and I requested Gibb<s> to call for it when he came down from other stores. If I get Mr Mackillop's sheep I shall also have his bullocks, so that it will not then be necessary to purchase more. I formerly acknowledged your kindness in making a purchase of the bullocks for me.

Additional information about Robert Officer in Australian Dictionary of Biography

Excerpt from correspondence from Philip Russell to George Russell dated 2 October 1839
[p267] Dr Officer has got an offer of Mr McKillop['s] sheep, about 6.500 at 22/- with their wool on; he intends being over to reside with all his Family in Nov., but should the sheep require to be delivered before he can be over, will you take the trouble of doing so?they are running somewhere near Gibb's; these sheep are for the Captain and Dr Officer, and we considered them, with the station &c., a bargain; the sale has not yet been completed, but when it is I will give you all the particulars &c.

[p312] Phillip Russell to George Russell 7 February 1840 - in reference to T Anderson purchasing sheep -
... he has lost both Mackillop's and Hutton's. I do not suppose  he will be able to buy any other on such favourable terms. Mr Mackillop informs me that his sheep at P P [returned] 10p. cent., and 100 per cent in 4 years.

[p133-4] Part of a footnote relating to a letter dated 29 January 1838 from Phillip Russell to George Russell referring to Charles McLachlan - Charles McLachlan owned or was agent for several small craft trading to Port Phillip, among them the schooner Tasmanian Lass, which arr. H.T. 10 Jan. from P.P 1 Jan. with 24 bales wool a/c J.F. Strachan and 18 a/c George Mackillop.