Convict Ship Eliza II (2) - 1829
Embarked 171 men
Voyage 110 days
Deaths 3
Surgeon's Journal: yes
Tons: 538
Previous vessel: Princess Royal arrived 9 May 1829
Next vessel: Waterloo arrived 9 July 1829
Captain William Nicholas
Surgeon James McTernan
Follow the Irish Convict Ship Trail
Prisoners and passengers of the Eliza identified in the Hunter Valley
The Eliza was built in India in 1806. This was her second voyage as a convict ship having previously transported prisoners to New South Wales in 1827.
Military Guard
The military guard, a detachment of the 40th regiment of Infantry under orders of Lieut. Sweeney, marched on Friday 16th January from Chatham Barracks to Deptford and embarked on the Eliza Saturday 17th January 1829.After embarking the guard the Eliza departed for Cork to load prisoners.
Convicts
The convicts of the Eliza came from counties throughout Ireland including Leitrim, Cork, Kilkenny, Roscommon, Mayo, Galway, Tipperary, Limerick. They were inspected by surgeons before being embarked; one prisoner Thomas Kickery was disembarked prior to leaving Ireland.
Cove of Cork Bartlett, William Henry (1809-54) (after). English. Medium: engraving. Date: 19th CenturyCabin and Steerage Pasengers
Passengers included Mr. Edward Wall to join his parents and eleven free boys to join their parents.Departure
One hundred and seventy-one prisoners finally set sail bound for New South WalesThe Eliza was the next vessel to leave Ireland bound for New South Wales after the departure of the female convict ship Edward in January 1829. The Eliza departed from Cork 2nd March 1829
Surgeon James McTernan
This was James McTernan's fourth voyage as surgeon superintendent on a convict ship. He was also surgeon on the convict ships Ocean in 1823 Sir Charles Forbes in 1827 (VDL) Asia in 1828, Lady Harewood in 1831, John Barry in 1836 and the Sara in 1837 (VDL)He joined the ship at Deptford in December 1828.
He kept a Medical Journal from 30 December 1828 to 7 July 1829 and had hoped that by the appearance of the prisoners who embarked in Cork that he would not have any mortalities on the voyage............. however the continual damp through the prison which is so well calculated to call forth disease where predisposition exists, I consider myself fortunate that under the circumstance of such damp on the lower deck, scurvy did not in any degree manifest itself. This I attribute to the aggregate of many causes - a good system of victualling, cleanliness, ventilation and exercise.
The conduct of the prisoners was so quiet and tractable that they were permitted to be on deck almost without limit as to number and when the weather permitted were ever ready for any amusement or exercise pointed out to them; also above all the free and frequent use of the hydra chloramine of lime.
He reported three deaths in his journal -
Dennis McGrath, aged 21, died on 11 May 1829 from cynanche trachealis (croup) and
Anthony Riddington, aged 27 died on 10 June 1829 after suffering atrophia (wasting, loss of strength, defect of nutrition etc).
John Limery died of consumption on 5th May 1829.
Port Jackson
The Eliza arrived in Port Jackson on Saturday morning 20 June 1829.Convict Muster
A Muster was held on board by Colonial Secretary Alexander McLeay on 24th June 1829. The convict indents include name, age, education, marital status, family, native place, occupation, offence, date and place of trial, sentence, prior convictions, physical description and where assigned on arrival. There are also occasional notes regarding colonial crimes, relatives in the colony, pardons and tickets of leave.The crimes of the Eliza convicts included vagrancy, picking pockets, pig and cow stealing, house robbery, abduction, manslaughter, forgery and rape. There were also several who had been convicted of whiteboy crimes including Thomas Dorney, Timothy Fogerty, William Gahan, Peter Gray, William Leary, Michael Lonergan, John Maher, John McLaughlan, Joseph Munro and Michael Ryan.
There were some very young prisoners on this ship. Usually young boys were sent to Carter's Barracks, however there is no mention of this on the Eliza and some of them were privately assigned, others were deemed unfit for assignment:
Eugene McCarthy age 11; who was deemed not fit for assignment. He may have been sent to Carter's Barracks
Cornelius Sullivan age 13 years had been convicted of vagrancy. He was deemed unfit for assignment on arrival.
William Bolton age 13; Died at Norfolk Island 5 December 1840
James Baldwin aged 14;
Thomas Mahoney aged 14. No place of assignment against his name. Later he spend time at Norfolk Island
Notes from the Indents:
Charles Carthy age 20 from Limerick. Wife in the colony as Ellen Broderick or Byrne per Edward
David Drinnen age 21 from Cork. Wife in the colony as Joanna Ryan per Edward
Michael Fleming age 28 from Mayo died in Sydney 14 August 1838
Thomas Ginnan age 27 from Kings Co. Died at Norfolk Island January 1836
William Gahan from Tipperary executed at Bathurst in 1831
William Hanley from Tipperary. In the colony before on the Tyne 1819
Daniel Hickey from Tipperary died at Norfolk Island in 1837
James Hunt - Wife in colony as Mary Hunt per Edward
John Maher from Tipperary died in Newcastle hospital 24 June 1839
John Moran died in Sydney Hospital 8 April 1835
John Murphy in colony before per Guildford. Wife in colony as Betty Deniher per Elizabeth
Thomas Quigley from Sligo - Wife convicted as Susannah McGee or Quigley expected.
James White from Cork later spent time at Moreton Bay
Assignment
In the Hunter Valley the prisoners were assigned to:John Galt Smith
Archibald Mossman
James Dodds
Grayson Hartley
William Dumaresq
Hart Davis
William O'Donnell
Francis Moran
Australian Agricultural Company
Notes and Links
1). Following is an excerpt from the Belfast Newsletter about Henry Stapleton from Kilkenny and some of his relatives who were also transported at various times.........Kilkenny Assizes - George Limmery, John Limmery, Patrick Keeffe, Patrick Rafter and Kenny Stapleton* were indicted for stealing in a warehouse 16 casks of butter, of the value of 50, the property of Richard Aylward Esq. of Kilkenny, butter merchant. The Jury found the prisoners with the exception of Patrick Rafter guilty. Mr. Justice Moore sentenced the prisoners each to seven years transportation. Stapleton exclaimed, Long life to your Honour! I'll be back with you in 18 months. - Mr. Justice Moore - If you do your life will become the forfeit - Stapleton - Oh! It's only with the governor. I'll come back - he knows me well - Mr. Justice Moore - I shall take very good care that you shall not return before the period at which your sentence shall expire. Intimation shall be given to the governor of your intentions and he shall know what sort of character you are. - Stapleton made no reply, and appeared quite chop fallen. This worthy character only returned last summer from serving his apprenticeship to the Governor at New south Wales. He was tried at the Kilkenny Assizes in 1817 for sheep stealing, 1818 for cow staling, and in the same year he was tried for stealing blankets, convicted, and sentenced to seven years' transportation by Mr. Justice Mayne.
As soon as the Learned Judge passed the sentence, Stapleton with a croaking voice, cried out, ' Oh the d- l's luck to your soul! When I come home I'll bring a monkey with me as ugly as your Lordship, and that's saying enough, if I can get him in Botany Bay, and I'll make him a present to your ugly Lordship.' The Learned Judge smiled for the first time in his life at the delicate compliment paid to his beauty, and Stapleton in due time completed the full measure of his sentence. Upon his return to dear Ireland, with his early impressions confirmed, he was true to his word, brought a monkey of the largest size with him and the first inquiry he made was after Judge Mayne. He inquired at the house in which the Learned Judge lived, with the monkey under his arm, and was much chagrined when he was told that his Lordship was on the continent, but he consoled himself by saying that the monkey would make a good present upon another occasion.
Stapleton then proceeded to Kilkenny, and soon joined a gang worthy of such an associate. The premises of a respectable corn dealer were robbed in the early part of the spring of about three hundred pounds - Stapleton was not present upon this occasion, as he was employed in another quarter; but when he ascertained that his partners got a booty, he contrived to get the entire of the money from the captain upon some plausible excuse. He instantly bolted with the money, went to Dublin, stopped at a first rate hotel, and lived like a Prince whilst the money lasted; but he was surprised in all his glory, sent to gaol for the robbery of the butter, and another opportunity was presented to him for disposing of his monkey. Stapleton has, however, one consolation; his brother was transported in the course of the last summer, and another brother and a sister were sent to Botany Bay a short time before, but none of of them had arrived when Mr. Kenny Stapleton left Port Jackson.
The father was in Kilkenny gaol for 16 years, and was afterwards transported for sheep stealing; about ten years ago he died in Sidney Cove. Kenny and his brother were butchers, and as soon as he shall land at Botany Bay the entire family of the Stapletons will be comfortably settled in the Southern hemisphere. Judith Purcell was the name of the sister. She was tried before Mr. Sergeant Lefroy for stealing a quantity of calico; and when the sentenced was pronounced, she vociferated, in a very grating tone 'the d - l burn ye all, Judge and Jury altogether' to the great scandal of the learned Sergeant who is of a very religious turn of mind....Belfast Newsletter 29 August 1828 *the above-mentioned Kenny/Henry Stapleton first came to New South Wales on the Minerva in 1819.
2). Queen's county - Maryborough Assizes March 17 - ....Timothy Hughes, for cow stealing, seven years transportation. John Evans, for stealing wearing apparel, like sentence. William Quinn, for stealing 40lb of cheese from a shop in Mountrath. Guilty. Same sentence. Peter and Pat Bryan, (father and son) for stealing seven pounds' worth of muslins and handkerchiefs from a poor, old, miserable looking itinerant pedlar. Guilty. Seven years transportation. - Finns Leinster Journal 22 March 1828
3). Prisoners and passengers of the Eliza identified in the Hunter Valley
4). Return of Convicts of the Eliza assigned between 1st January 1832 and 31st March 1832 (Sydney Gazette 14 June 1832).....
William Bolton - Tobacco Twister assigned to Francis Mitchell at Sydney
Thomas Ginnan - Butcher assigned to John Terry at Box hill
5). Convict ships bringing detachments of the 40th Regiment......
Embarked on the Albion 25th April 1823 under command of Lieutenant Lowe
Embarked on the Asia 5th July 1823 under command of Captain Bishop
Embarked on the Isabella 10th July 1823 under commander of Lieutenant Millar
Embarked on the Sir Godfrey Wilestow 18th July 1823 under command of Captain Hibbert
Embarked on the Guildford on 29 July 1823 under command of Captain Thornhill
Embarked on the Medina on 31st July 1823 under command of Lieutenant Ganning
Embarked on the Castle Forbes on 5 August 1823 under command of Lt.- Col. Balfour
Embarked on the Prince Regent on 29 December 1823 under command of Captain Stewart
Embarked on the Chapman on 5th February 1824 under command of Captain Jebb
Embarked on the Countess of Harcourt on 25 February 1824 under command of Captain Morow
Embarked on the Mangles on 14 June 1824 under command of Lt.- Col Thornton
Embarked on the Princess Charlotte on 14 June 1824 under command of Lieut Neilley
The Minerva departed London 14 July 1824 under command of Major Tobias Kirkwood
The Ann and Amelia departed Cork on 8 September 1824 under command of Captain Richard Turton
The Eliza departed Cork on 2 March 1829 under command of Lieutenant Sweeney
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