Free Settler or Felon
Convict and Colonial History




Convict Ship Waterloo - 1829


Embarked: 182 men
Voyage: 117 days
Deaths: 2
Surgeon's Journal: yes
Previous vessel: Eliza arrived 20 June 1829
Next vessel: Sovereign arrived 3 August 1829
Captain Stephen Addison
Surgeon Michael Goodsir
Convicts and passengers of the Waterloo identified in the Hunter Valley region

The Waterloo was built at Bristol in 1815. Prisoners were transported to New South Wales on the Waterloo in 1829, 1831, 1833, 1836 and 1838 and to Van Diemen's Land in 1835.

The Waterloo prisoners came from counties in England - Huntingdon, Essex, Sussex, Surrey, Cambridge, Bucks, Chester, Lincoln, Wiltshire, Kent, Hertford, Oxford, Lancaster, York and London. Many had been held in the prison hulks while awaiting transportation.

The following prisoners were all tried at the Old Bailey on 10 April 1828 and taken to Newgate prison. They were received on to the Leviathan hulk from Newgate on 18 June 1828 where they remained until they embarked on the Waterloo on 9th March 1829 -

James Court
John Short
Charles Dell
Thomas Edwards
James Rust
George Archer
Timothy Magrath
Henry Smith
Cornelius Martin, George Knight

Military Guard

On 10th February 1829 it was reported that a detachment of the 63rd regiment had proceeded to Deptford for the purpose of embarking on the Waterloo as guard. Lieut. Grove of the 63rd was in command of the detachment.

Later in Sydney the 63rd regiment was posted to Van Diemen's Land. Lieut. Grove with a detachment and the band of the 63rd departed Sydney for VDL on 29th July 1829 on the Georgiana. Select here to find convict ships bringing detachments of the 63rd regiment.

Departure

The Waterloo was the next convict ship to leave England after the departure of the Princess Royal on 6th January 1829. The Waterloo departed London on 14th March 1829.

Surgeon Michael Goodsir

Surgeon Michael Goodsir kept a Medical Journal from 4th February to 21 July 1829.......

Having had no contagious disease on board during the voyage to New South Wales which was very short, I have few remarks to make. The cases which did occur are not uncommon. That which ended in phthisis did not originate on board as he had repeated attacks of pneumonia before embarking.

The Chloride of Lime which I was supplied with I think might be used in case of any infectious disease occurring on board - The only trial which I could make was in cleaning the necessaries between decks - on using it I found it most completely corrected all disagreeable effluvia


Some of those treated by the surgeon included:

Daniel Warby, aged 19, convict;
George Parlick, aged 16, convict;
James McMurray, aged 30, private [63rd Regiment?];
Samuel Drew, aged 19, convict; (died)
Stephen Rielly, aged 19, convict; (died)
George Jurdan, aged 25, convict; Sent to Sydney General hospital on 10 July 1829.

Arrival at Port Jackson

The Waterloo arrived in Sydney on the 9th July 1829.

Passengers

Cabin Passengers arriving on the Waterloo included Colonel Henry and Mrs. Dumaresq, Mrs. Goodsir and Mr. H.D. Butler, settler.

The Sydney Gazette reported - Our old fellow citizen, Colonel Dumaresq, has returned to the Colony by the Waterloo. We bid him welcome back to our shores, and hope he will not readily bid us a second adieu.

Steerage passengers included Thomas Petty, Martha Petty and child who were servants to Colonel Dumaresq. (Thomas Petty was later granted a publican's license for the Pultenay Hotel in O'Connell Street, Sydney. Find out more in the Sun)

Convict Muster

A Muster was held on board on the 13th July. One hundred and seventy-one prisoners were mustered and 7 men were in the hospital. Two prisoners had died on the passage out - Stephen Riley and Samuel Drew.

Information available in the convict indents includes name, age, education, religion, marital status, family, native place, trade, offence, when and where tried, prior convictions, physical description, where and to whom assigned and occasional colonial information such as date of death, colonial offences, tickets of leave.

Notes from the indents:
George Archer, shoemaker from Colchester died in Dungog district 4 September 1834
William Bowker, shoemaker and bargeman died in the General Hospital Goulburn 5 August 1838
George Bishop, Boatman and miller. Killed by blasting a rock on the mountain road to Bathurst 22 April 1831
John Burke, labourer. Died at Newcastle 28 March 1832
Samuel Cavill from Essex. Second conviction. Already served 6 yrs and a few days in hulk
James Castle from Surry. Hanged himself in the watch house Sydney on Sunday 27 August 1837
James Court. Brother in colony as William Court per Countess Harcourt
Zachariah Compton from Gloucester. Second conviction. Served 3 years on a hulk
William Davidson alias Thomas Roberts. Second conviction. Spend 7 years in Penitentiary
John Fitzgerald from Cork. Shopkeeper sent for embezzlement. 2nd conviction. Here before, same name. Went home in Countess Harcourt. Wife in colony as Ann Fitzgerald
Thomas Ford - Died at Emu Plains 27 July 1829
James Goulding. - Runaway from Van Diemen's Land
Benjamin Hounsom died at Port Macquarie 15 January 1837
Richard Lennox alias Allen. Colonial sentence 7 years to a penal settlement 1837
Joseph Moore - died No. 2 Stockade March 29, 1833
Samuel Osborne. Died 30 January 141 at Port Macquarie hospital
William Palmer. Second conviction. Served 3 years 8 months at the hulks
George Stevens from Sussex. Died in Liverpool Hospital February 1829
John Williams. Second conviction 7 years. Served 6 years in a hulk
Daniel Warby - Died at Liverpool 2 June 1831
Henry Wheeler. Sent to Norfolk Island 1830

Convicts Disembarked

The prisoners were landed on Monday 20th July and were reported to be stout healthy men.

Convict Assignment

In the Hunter Valley the Waterloo convicts were assigned to:
Crawford Logan Brown
John Galt Smith
J.P. Webber
Beresford Hudson
William McLean
Walter Scott
Duncan Forbes Mackay
Alexander Livingstone
Lawrence Myles

Select here to find out more about these settlers and estates

Notes and Links

1). Read about the punishment of convict George Archer

2). Convicts and passengers of the Waterloo identified in the Hunter Valley region

3). The convict ship Waterloo under Captain Henry Agar and surgeon Henry Kelsall was wrecked at Table Bay in 1842 while on the voyage from Sheerness to Tasmania. Read about it here.......Parliamentary Papers, House of Commons and Command, Volume 52

4). Lieut. Grove who was mentioned in the Last of the Tasmanians: or the Black war of Van Diemen's Land published by James Bonwick. In 1834 the Hobart Town Courier reported that among the officers of the 63d who remain as settlers in Van Diemen's Land, we may enumerate the following, viz. Capt. Vicary, Capt. Nielly, Lieutenant Grove, Lieutenant Aubin, Lieutenant Barrow, Adjutant Montgomery and Ensign Darling.

5). Return of Convicts of the Waterloo assigned between 1st January 1832 and 31st March 1832 (Sydney Gazette 14 June 1832; 21 June 1832; 28 June 1832).....

Benjamin Briggs - Bricklayer assigned to George Williams at Argyle
John Clarke - Coachman assigned to John Montimore at Parramatta
Henry Dyer - Bricklayer assigned to John Lamb in Sydney
Charles Dell - Groom assigned to Andrew Coss at Sydney
Richard Lennox - Hawker assigned to J.G. Colyer at Sutton Forest

6). Ships bringing detachments of the 63rd regiment -

Albion departed Sheerness 1 June 1828 - Lieutenant M. Vickery

Eliza departed London 29 June 1828 - Major Sholto Douglas

Marquis of Hastings departed 30 June 1828 - Ensign Stulbmer

Royal George departed Spithead 26 August 1828 - Captain J. Briggs

Vittoria departed Devonport1 September 1828 - Lieutenant Aubyn

Governor Ready departed Cork 21 September 1828 - Lieutenant J. Gibbons Lane

Ferguson departed Dublin 16 November 1828- Captain D'Arcy Wentworth

Mellish departed Falmouth 2 January 1829 - Captain Baylee

Lord Melville departed London 5 January 1829 - Lieut-Col. Burke

Waterloo departed London 14 March 1829 - Lieutenant T. Grove

America departed Woolwich 8 April 1829 - Adjutant T. Montgomery

Norfolk departed Spithead 22 May 1829 - Ensign W.J. Darling

Guildford departed Dublin 12 July 1829 - Lieut McLean 89th

Larkins departed Cork 16 August 1829 - Captain Mahon

Claudine departed London 24 August 1829 - Captain Paterson

Sarah departed London 29 August 1829 - Lieutenant Croly

Dunvegan Castle departed 30 September 1829 - Lieutenant John Gray

Katherine Stewart Forbes departed Spithead 14 October 1829 - Major Fairtclough

References

[1] Ancestry.com. UK, Royal Navy Medical Journals, 1817-1857Records of Medical and Prisoner of War Departments. Records of the Admiralty, Naval Forces, Royal Marines, Coastguard, and related bodies. The National Archives. Kew, Richmond, Surrey.

[2] Bateson, Charles, Library of Australian History (1983). The convict ships, 1787-1868 (Australian ed). Library of Australian History, Sydney : pp.348-349, 386

[3] National Archives - Reference: ADM 101/73/1 Description: Medical and surgical journal of His Majesty's convict ship Waterloo for 4 February to 21 July 1829 by Michael Goodsir, Surgeon and Superintendent, during which time the said ship was employed on a voyage to New South Wales

[4] Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Convict Indents, 1788 - 1842. New South Wales Government. Bound manuscript indents, 1788 - 1842. NRS 12188, microfiche 614 - 619,626 - 657, 660 - 695. State Records Authority of New South Wales, Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia.