BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 1839The BUCKINGHAMSHIRE arrived at Deal from the Thames River on Friday, December 7th 1838. The ship's master was William Moore. The boat sailed to Portsmouth arriving on Saturday, 8th December. When it finally departed for South Australia on Tuesday December 11th, it had a total of 512 passengers and 102 crew. The 512 consisted of 16 cuddy (cabin), 23 intermediate and 15 steerage passengers as well as 447 emigrants. The ship's tonnage at this stage was 1731 tons. Forty three days into the voyage, the ship was in contact with the ARGYLL at latitude 28 degrees south. When the ARGYLL arrived in Sydney, Lloyd's of London was notified of this meeting, recording the contact in its list dated September 4th 1939. After travelling for 98 days the ship arrived in Adelaide on 22nd of March 1839. The "South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register" of Saturday, 6th April 1839, page 3, column b describes an inquest on the "body of a man which was found lying above high-water mark, on the sea-shore, about half way between the flag staff at Glenelg, and Holdfast Bay. The body was found to be that of a sailor of the name of Harding, belonging to the Buckinghamshire, who, along with the surgon, and another seaman belonging to the same ship, were drowned a day or two before, in the boat in which they were upsetting. The Jury returned a verdict of "Found drowned". The BUCKINHAMSHIRE would have been a beautiful sight sailing up the Port River to the wharf. A record of the voyage exists in the form of a diary extract written by John Channing and letters written by G Vickery, both passengers on board this voyage. Surgeon W.I. Harris drowned in a boating accident at Holdfast Bay. A watercolour painting of this sailing ship by Col. Light hangs in the Art Gallery of South Australia. |
Extracts from the Diary of John Channing, one of the Steerage passengers sent out by the Commissioners to Adelaide on board the "BUCKINGHAMSHIRE".
Received 21/12/39, E.J Wheeler Esquire, South Australian Co. New Broad Street, London PRG 174/1 Angas Papers - Quarto Series - No's 1001 - 1499 Restricted, Reel 3, Working Copy - POSITIVE transcribed by Gail Dodds: http://members.iinet.net.au/~dodd/gail/tallships/diary.html |
Extracted from an early SA paper - The "Buckinghamshire"
The Buckinghamshire was a much larger boat than others that have been recorded, her tonnage being 1,450 tons against the Buffalo's 860 and the Rapid's 160. She was probably considered a very large boat indeed by 1839 standards-the last word in a luxury liner, and very fast, too, taking a little over 14 weeks for the voyage, leaving Portsmouth on December 11, 1838 and arriving at Holdfast Bay on 22 March, 1839. The ship was a fine old East Indian under the command of Capt. W. Moore, and had 512 passengers on board, including 180 children. Of these, 443 were migrants being sent out by the Commissioners under the care of General Superintendent Nathanel Hailes for the colonisation of South Australia. Many of these poor people were very misinformed over the whole business, being told that it was very much the same as moving from one county to another-from Dorset to Devon. The average labouring family was very ignorant, many of them spending their whole lives within a few miles of the village in which they were born. Migrants Misled This new colony, described in such glowing terms by agents anxious to obtain labourers, must have been a very great surprise to many of them. Although probably after a trying journey of months in a tiny sailing ship with the roughest of food and a shortage of water, any land would be welcomed, and even if they could raise their passage money few of them would feel like facing the journey back. They had come to stay, and soon learned to adapt themselves to new conditions. On the passenger list the Buckinghamshire one reads the names of Mr & Mrs Cook, Mr & Mrs Hailes and three children, Mr & Mrs Hezelden, Mr & Mrs Robertson, Mr & Mrs Munday and three children, Misses Shultz, Williams and Harridge, the Rev. Mr Wix, Messrs, Gilbert, Brown, Ellis, Allen, Miller, Matchel, Templar, Poulden, Harding, Handcock, Pratt, Williams, Gratwick, Bourchier, Lock, Gothardt, Salmon and Snape. Miss Nancy Gilbert's great grandfather, Mr Joseph Gilbert arrived in the boat. Anchoring at Glenelg, the natives helped in landing the various goods and carrying them up the shelving beach. Naturally, goods of all sorts and kinds were brought, many people bringing a store of provisions as well as furniture and household goods. Imported a House Mr Gilbert brought with him a wooden house in sections which he set up in the part which is now called Lower Hindley street. Soon, however, he went farther afield taking up land at Gawler and then in the Baroosa Range. Later he built a homestead on the lines of his English manor home and called it Pewsey Vale after the district in Wiltshire where he was born. South Australia was particularly fortunate in the personnel of her early colonists, so many of them being members of good old English families. The new colony of South Australia appealed to their adventurous spirits and especially to the better class, as there was no convict smirch on the colony's escutcheon, but it did loom very large. transcribed by Ida Forsyth (courtesy Wendy Tucknott) |
