Wikipedia

Scindian

Scindian is widely considered the first convict ship to transport convicts to Western Australia. She was launched in 1844 and sank in 1880.

Scindian
History
United Kingdom civil ensignUnited Kingdom
NameScindian
NamesakeScindia
Launched1844
FateSank 3 November 1880
General characteristics
TypeConvict ship
Tonnage605nrt, 637grt, & 536(Under deck)[2]
Tons burthen535,(Old calculation) or 650(post-1836 Act)[1] (bm)
Length129 ft 1 in (39.3 m)[2]
Beam31 ft 7 in (9.6 m)[2]
Depth21 ft 2 in (6.5 m)[2]
Sail planBarque

Career

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Scindian was constructed at Sunderland, England, in 1844 and named after the Indian Scindia dynasty. She appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1844 with J.Terry, master, J. Allan, owner, and trade London-India.[1] Lloyd's Register for 1850 showed her master as J. Cammell. Her owner was still Allan, but her trade was simply given as "London".

Scindian was driven ashore at the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Colony before 23 June 1849. She was refloated with the assistance of the steamship Phoenix.[3]

Scindian left Portsmouth on 4 March 1850 under the command of Captain James Cammell and surgeon-superintendent John Gibson, and docked at Fremantle on 1 June 1850 after a voyage of 89 days.[4] The vessel carried 275 people to Western Australia including 75 male convicts and 163 military pensioners. All the convicts survived the voyage.[5] Among the passengers were a number of officials including Comptroller General of Convicts Edmund Henderson and Superintendent of Convicts Thomas Hill Dixon. Also on board was 10-year-old George Throssell, a son of a pensioner, who later became the second Premier of Western Australia.

The arrival of the convicts was a surprise to many of the Swan River Colony settlers, as Western Australia had petitioned for convicts but had not yet received a reply when Scindian arrived. As no preparations had been made for their arrival, the colony had no jail capable of housing so many convicts. This had been anticipated, and only convicts with a record of good behaviour had been sent. The convicts were initially housed in the warehouse premises of the harbourmaster, which is now the Esplanade Hotel. Shortly after the arrival, work began on the building of a Convict Establishment prison, now Fremantle Prison. After the pensioners arrived, the governor of the colony inducted 100 of them into an armed constabulary force; one of their first tasks was building the prison. The second convict transport to Western Australia was Hashemy, which arrived on 25 October.[4]

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1851 J.Cammell J. Allan London–Saint Helena LR
1855 J. Allan London LR
1860 Not listed in LR
1865 Not listed in LR
1870 Not listed in LR
1875 J.H. Allan London LR[2]
1880 Wilson & Co. London LR; annotation "Wrecked"[6]

Fate

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Scindian sank off the cost of Rio Marina, Elba, Italy on 3 November 1880. Captain Lawrenson and five other men drowned; eight crewmen were rescued.[7]

List of Scindian passengers

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Scindian is widely considered the first convict ship to arrive in Western Australia, because she was the first to arrive after Western Australia became a penal colony. A number of ships did bring Parkhurst apprentices to Western Australia between 1842 and 1849, and while these were not considered convict ships by the Western Australian authorities, they were classified as such in English records.

Passengers on Scindian included Thomas Hill Dixon, Edmund Henderson and George Throssell. A full list is provided below.

Convicts

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Convicts
Name Convict number Age when sentenced Crime Trial place Trial date Sentence
William Bailey 75 21 House breaking Central Criminal Court 1848 14 years
James Baker 48 48 Stealing fowls Exeter 1847 14 years
George Barker 39 23 Pick pocket Yorkshire Assizes 6 March 1847 15 years
James Baxter 32 25 Violence & striking superior officer (Army) Corfu 1847 14 years
Francis Best 73 32 House breaking Worcester 1847 15 years
John Bradbury 66 24 Rape Chester 1848 20 years
Samuel Brakes 26 35 Burglary Peterborough 1848 15 years
William Branson 3 33 Sheep stealing Leicester 1848 15 years
Arthur Bristow 51 31 Grievous bodily harm Kingston upon Thames 1848 15 years
Reginald Bristow 50 27 Grievous bodily harm Kingston upon Thames 1848 15 years
Joseph Brown 45 41 Stealing oats & drapery Boston Sessions June 1847 14 years
Charles Burgess 38 34 House breaking Maidstone 1846 14 years
Solomon Burkett 19 46 Burglary Peterborough 1848 15 years
William Carter 8 25 Horse stealing Worcester 1847 15 years
James Cox 53 38 Stealing a watch Dorset 1847 15 years
John Davies 52 32 Rape Swansea 1848 15 years
Robert Dawes 35 28 Sheep stealing Swaffham 1847 14 years
Samuel Diggle 58 39 Burglary Liverpool 20 March 1847 15 years
John Dobson 36 31 Pick pocket Stafford 1847 14 years
William Drake 42 25 House breaking & stealing money Newport 1847 15 years
Robert Eley 14 23 Stealing a copper funnel Durham 1848 14 years
Thomas Faulds 22 23 Robbery with violence Glasgow 1847 14 years
Thomas Fletcher 18 24 Robbery with violence Lancaster 1848 15 years
Thomas Hargreaves 31 30 Stealing crockery Portsmouth 1847 14 years
Thomas Hart 55 23 Burglary Cambridge 17 March 1848 15 years
James Hatton 69 29 Rape Liverpool 1847 20 years
Thomas Hirst 10 26 House breaking York 1847 15 years
Robert Holder 40 26 Robbery Portsmouth 1847 15 years
Samuel Jackson 16 36 Robbery with violence Chester 0 15 years
Luke Jeffry 56 26 Stealing money Cambridge 1848 15 years
John Jermyn 6 24 Rape Norwich 1848 15 years
William Johnson 70 30 Firing stacks Stafford 1847 20 years
Richard Jones 41 38 Warehouse breaking Reading 1847 15 years
Allan Lancaster 57 35 Breaking out of gaol & stealing Knutsford 1848 14 years
John Larcombe 4 30 House breaking Dorchester 1848 15 years
William Loveridge 34 29 Arson Aylesbury 1848 15 years
Alexander Matthieson 44 28 House breaking Glasgow 1847 21 years
James Morris 49 43 Counterfeiting coin Central Criminal Court 1847 15 years
John Morris 67 24 Rape Winchester 1848 15 years
George Oliver 65 28 Robbery with violence Chester 1848 15 years
James Osborne 62 23 House breaking Worcester 1848 15 years
John Osborne 72 30 Horse stealing Sleaford 6 January 1848 15 years
John Patience 2 30 Burglary Dorset 1848 14 years
George Phillips 30 33 Absent & violence to superior officer (Army) Bury 1847 14 years
Matthew Porteous 20 53 Theft Edinburgh 28 February 1848 14 years
George Postins 17 17 House breaking Worcester 0 20 years
Charles Pye 59 28 Burglary Chelmsford 1847 15 years
James Rackham 43 48 Receiving stolen goods Chelmsford 1848 14 years
Thomas Rutledge Raine 63 24 Pick pocket York 6 March 1847 15 years
John Raison 64 24 Assault & robbery Lincoln 6 March 1847 15 years
John Rampling 46 27 Striking superior officers (Army) Newcastle 1847 14 years
George Richardson 71 39 Attempting to strike superior officer (Army) BARBADOS 1848 14 years
Thomas Robinson 68 24 Burglary Maidstone 1847 14 years
Thomas Rodrigues 24 27 Manslaughter Liverpool 1847 15 years
Samuel Scattergood 1 36 Sheep stealing Leicester 9 March 1848 15 years
James Smith 9 26 House breaking Worcester 1848 15 years
John Smith 33 19 Arson Chelmsford 1848 15 years
Samuel Smith 37 28 House breaking Warwick 1848 15 years
William Smith 13 25 House breaking Worcester 1848 15 years
Edward Spillett 12 32 Manslaughter Maidstone 1848 15 years
Martin Stone 25 24 Horse stealing Dorchester 1847 15 years
Thomas Stubbs 21 20 House breaking Chester 29 March 1848 14 years
James Sweeney 15 58 Uttering counterfeit coin Caernarvon 1847 15 years
Seymour Taylor 28 35 Stealing an oak beam Ipswich 1847 15 years
James Tetlow 23 56 Manslaughter Liverpool 1848 15 years
Alexander Thomas 61 22 Manslaughter Swansea 1848 15 years
George Thompson 7 26 Manslaughter Newcastle 1848 15 years
Thomas Trott 11 28 Stealing & assault Lincoln Assizes 1847 15 years
Frederick Ward 29 30 Stealing Birmingham 1847 15 years
George Watkins 27 32 Stealing clothes Durham 1848 14 years
Thomas Welsby 5 26 Robbery Liverpool 1848 15 years
Francis Westmoreland 47 46 Sheep stealing Stafford 1847 15 years
Esau Wetherall 54 35 Horse stealing Taunton 1847 15 years
George Wilson 74 23 Arson Chelmsford 1848 15 years
John Wilson 60 41 Robbery with violence Newcastle 1848 15 years

Pensioner guards

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Pensioner guards
Name Age Notes
Samuel Annear private, sapper and miner
wife
Mary J. Annear 2 child, died on board
three other children
John Atkinson private, 2nd Queen's Dragoon Guards
Ann Atkinson wife
two children
George Bagg 32 private, Royal Marines
Catharine Bagg 31 wife
Sarah Bagg 3 child
Robert Baker private, 34th Regiment
wife and three children
John Barrett 46 private, 61st Regiment
Alice Barrett wife
Catharine Barrett 2 child
Mary A. Barrett 9 months child
James Bond private, 17th Regiment
Henry Burton 44 corporal, 54th Regiment
Harriet Burton 43 wife
Samuel Butterworth acting corporal, Royal Artillery
Catherine Butterworth wife
three children
James Caldwell corporal, 57th Regiment
wife
Charles Clark private, 40th Regiment
George Clark private, 9th Regiment
one child
John Coyle sergeant, 27th Regiment
wife and one child
Henry Davey 35 private, Royal Marines
Jane Davey 24 wife
infant child
John Day private, 31st Regiment
wife and child
John Dulston private, 80th Regiment
wife
Samuel Fairbrother private, 29th Regiment
William Finlay 40 private, 97th Regiment
Marjory Finlay wife
three children, including William Finlay jr
Joseph Foot 47 private, 76th Regiment
Catherine Foot 42 wife
four children
Scindian Gibson Foot child, born at sea
Patrick Gallagher private, 7th Battalion Royal Artillery
wife
Andrew Gordon corporal, 40th Regiment
Mary Ann Gordon wife
Thomas Hammond private, 80th Regiment
John Harris 38 private, 97th Regiment
Charlotte Harris wife
William Harris child
Henry Herbert 50 private, Royal African Corp
Ann Herbert wife
Henry Herbert child
Joseph Herbert child
one other child (Agnes Herbert Daughter)
John Hubble 33 private, 32nd Regiment
Jane Hubble 20 wife
William Hubble 37 private, 32nd Regiment
James Hunt 46 private, Royal Marines
wife and child
James Jones private, 38th Regiment, sapper and miner
John Kingdon 41 private, 43rd Regiment
wife and five children
John Kirwan 42 sergeant, 30th Regiment
Jane Kirwan wife
five children
Robert Lindsay 45 private, 2nd Queen's Regiment
Julia Lindsay wife
Julia Lindsay 2 child
Thomas McMullen 42 private, 4th Battalion Royal Artillery
Ann McMullen wife
two children
Henry Morgan private, 10th Battalion Royal Artillery
wife and three children
James Murphy private, 19th Regiment
Ann Murphy wife
four children
Peter Murphy private, 31st Regiment
wife and three children
Joseph Nichols 52 drummer
wife
John Nicholson private, 1st Regiment
William Oak 35 private, 46th Regiment
Daniel O'Connell private, 6th Regiment
wife
Sarah O'Connell 2 child
one other child
John O'Connor private, British East India Company
Sarah O'Connor wife
two children
Moses O'Keefe 48 private, 44th Regiment
Norah O'Keefe wife
Dennis O'Keefe child
John Payne 48 private, 40th Regiment
Michael Reddin sergeant, 61st Regiment
Jane Reddin wife
four children
Richard Roffey private, 59th Regiment
James Rourke private, 27th Regiment
Anna Rourke wife
James Rourke 1 child
four other children
John Skillen private, 2nd Regiment
wife and child
James Stark 32 private, 9th Regiment
James Stevens 49 private, British East India Company
Johanna Stevens wife
Michael Stokes 50 private, British East India Company (Artillery)
wife and child
Samuel Sutton 39 private, Royal Marines
Ann Sutton wife
Frances Sutton 2 child
one other child
James Taylor private, 2nd Regiment
(George) Michael Throssell 42 private, 7th Dragoon Guards
Jane Ann Throssell wife
Thomas Throssell 14 child
George Lionel Throssell 10 child
one other child
Peter Towers 39 private, Royal Marines
wife
Emanuel Unwin sapper, Royal Engineers
John Watkins 33 private, 94th Regiment
Elizabeth Watkins wife
two children
William Watts sergeant, 21st Regiment
wife and child
John Winfield 44 private, Grenadier Guards
wife and child

Other passengers

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Other passengers
Name Age Notes
John Carr warder
wife
Thomas Hill Dixon Superintendent of Convicts
common law wife and two children
servant
John Gibson surgeon superintendent
Edmund Henderson Comptroller General of Convicts
wife and child
two servants
James Manning 36 Clerk of Works
Jane Manning wife
James Manning child
one other child
servant employed by James MANNING
corporal, Royal Engineers
private, sapper, Royal Engineers
private, sapper, Royal Engineers
private, sapper, Royal Engineers

Citations

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  1. ^ a b LR (1844), Seq.№S263.
  2. ^ a b c d e LR (1775), Seq.№S366.
  3. ^ "Shipping Intelligence". Caledonian Mercury. No. 19920. Edinburgh. 17 September 1849.
  4. ^ a b Bateson 1959, pp. 324–325.
  5. ^ Bateson 1959, p. 341.
  6. ^ LR (1880), Seq.№S71.
  7. ^ "Disasters at Sea". Times of London. 8 November 1880. Retrieved 4 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.

References

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