Minstrel (1811 ship)

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

History
Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameMinstrel
BuilderBarkworth, Paull, Kingston upon Hull [1]
Launched1810, or 5 February 1811 [1]
FateFoundered 31 March 1851
General characteristics
Tons burthen351, [2] or 3514094, [1] or 354, or 357 (bm)
Length104 ft 5 in (31.8 m) [1]
Beam28 ft 6 in (8.7 m) [1]
PropulsionSail
Complement56 crew
Armament
  • 1811:2 × 6-pounder guns + 8 × 12-pounder carronades
  • 16 guns

Minstrel was launched at Hull in 1811. She transported convicts to Australia in 1812 and again in 1825. Between these voyages she traded east of the Cape of Good Hope under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). In 1829 she brought immigrants from England to the Swan River Colony. She then traded widely, including across the Atlantic. Minstrel foundered in March 1851.

Contents

Career

Minstrel first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1811 with S.Dick, master, changing to J.Reed, Hall & Sons, owners, and trade Hull–London, changing to Hull–Lisbon. [2]

Under the command of John Reid, Minstrel left England on 4 June 1812 with 127 female convicts. She sailed together with Indefatigable and they reached Rio de Janeiro on 29 July. There they joined Archduke Charles, which was transporting convicts from Ireland, also for Port Jackson. The three vessels left Rio together on 11 August, but Archduke Charles parted the next day. Six days after they left Rio, a gale separated Minstrel and Indefatigable.

Minstrel arrived at Port Jackson on 25 October. [3] One female convict had died on the voyage, [4] and one may have been relanded before Minstrel left England.

Minstrel left Port Jackson on 14 January 1813 bound for Norfolk Island. [5]

Minstrel arrived from Port Dalrymple at Port Jackson on 4 April 1813 and left for England on 6 July. [5] She had brought 63 passengers from Norfolk Island as the government closed down the penal colony there.

In 1813 the EIC had lost its monopoly on the trade between India and Britain. British ships were then free to sail to India or the Indian Ocean under a license from the EIC. [6]

On 16 September 1815 Captain T.Harvard sailed Minstrel for India. [7]

In March 1817 Minstrel, H.Bristow, master, sailed from England for Fort William, India. [8]

On 17 July 1819 Captain H.Bristow sailed Minstrel from London for British Bencoolen under a license from the EIC. [9] LR for 1820 showed Minstrel with H.Bristow, master, Palmer & Co., owners, and trade London–India. [10]

YearMasterOwnerTradeSource & notes
1825ArkelBrown & Co.London–BataviaLR
1830ArkolBrown & Co.London–Swan RiverLR; small repairs 1825

In 1825 Captain Charles Arckoll sailed Minstrel on a second voyage transporting convicts to New South Wales. She left Portsmouth on 17 April 1825 and arrived at Sydney on 22 August. [11] She had embarked 121 male convicts and she suffered no convict deaths en route. [12] A detachment of 33 men of the 57th Regiment of Foot, under the command of a lieutenant, provided the guard.

Captain Arckoll sailed from England on 20 September 1829 with settlers for the Swan River Colony. Minstrel arrived there on 20 January. She landed 46 settlers.

New owners c.1833 transferred Minstrel's homeport to Newcastle. By 1839 her homeport was Hull.

YearMasterOwnerTradeSource & notes
1835SkipseySmith & SonNewcastle–PetersburgLR; large repair 1833
1840JenkinsonT.WardHull–OdessaLR; large repair 1833 & 1836
1845JenkinsonT.WardHullLR; large repair 1833 & 1836, & small repair 1844
1850JenkinsonT.WardHull–QuebecLR; large repair 1847

Fate

Her crew abandoned Minstrel on 31 March 1851 in the Atlantic Ocean. Nicholas (or Nicholas Biddle) rescued them. [13] [14] [15] Minstrel was on a voyage from Hull to Boston, Massachusetts. [16]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Hackman (2001), p. 299.
  2. 1 2 LR (1811), Supple.pages "M", Seq.№M22.
  3. Bateson (1959), pp. 290–291.
  4. Bateson (1959), p. 327.
  5. 1 2 "Arrival of Vessels at Port Jackson, and their Departure". Australian Town and Country Journal, Saturday 3 January 1891, p.16. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  6. Hackman (2001), p. 247.
  7. LR (1816), "Licensed and Country Ships".
  8. LR (1818), "Licensed and Country Ships".
  9. LR (1820), "Licensed India ships".
  10. LR (1820), Seq.№M1091.
  11. Bateson (1959), pp. 296–297.
  12. Bateson (1959), p. 330.
  13. "Ship News". The Times. No. 20776. London. 15 April 1851. col F, p. 7.
  14. "Ship News". The Standard. No. 8321. London. 12 April 1851.
  15. "Ship News". Glasgow Herald. No. 5031. London. 18 April 1851.
  16. "Loss of the Barque Minstrel, of Hull". The Standard. No. 8327. London. 19 April 1851. p. 1.

Related Research Articles

Archduke Charles was built in Newcastle, England in 1809. She was sheathed in copper in 1810 and partially resheathed with copper in 1812. She made one voyage transporting convicts from Ireland to New South Wales, and on her return voyage to Britain she carried a cargo from China for the British East India Company (EIC). She was wrecked in 1816 while carrying troops from Quebec to Nova Scotia.

Indefatigable was a square-rigged, three-decked, three-masted merchant ship launched in 1799 at Whitby for James Atty & Co. for the West Indies trade. In 1804 she served as an armed defense ship and recaptured a merchantman that a privateer had captured. She was a transport in the 1805–1806 British invasion of the Dutch Cape colony. She twice transported convicts to Australia; on the first trip she was chartered to the British East India Company (EIC). She burned to the waterline in 1815.

Asia was a merchant barque built at Whitby in 1813. She made one voyage to India for the British East India Company (EIC) in 1820–21, and one voyage to Van Diemen's Land in 1827–28. Asia then traded to the Mediterranean, but mostly to Quebec. She was last listed in 1850.

Asia was a merchant ship built by A. Hall & Company at Aberdeen in 1818. She made eight voyages between 1820 and 1836 transporting convicts from Britain to Australia. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC) between 1826 and 1827. At the same time she served in private trade to India as a licensed ship. She also carried assisted emigrants to Australia. She was last listed in 1845.

Albion was a sailing ship of two decks and three masts, built at Bristol, England, and launched in 1813. She made three voyages transporting convicts to Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales. She also traded with Jamaica, India, and Quebec. For two of the voyages to India she was an "extra" ship to the British East India Company (EIC).

Forth was built in 1826 at Leith, Scotland. She made two voyages transporting convicts to New South Wales. After disembarking the convicts from her second voyage she sailed to Manila. She sailed from Manila in July 1835 and subsequently foundered without a trace.

Castle Forbes was a merchant ship built by Robert Gibbon & Sons at Aberdeen, Scotland in 1818. She was the first vessel built at Aberdeen for the trade with India. She then made several voyages to India, sailing under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She made two voyages transporting convicts from Ireland to Australia. She sustained damage in 1826 on a voyage to India and was condemned at the Cape of Good Hope. However, she was repaired. She was last listed in 1832, and in 1838 in Lloyd's Register (LR).

England was built at Chepstow, Wales in 1813. She made three voyages transporting convicts from England to Australia. On the first she was under charter to the British East India Company (EIC) and, after delivering her convicts, sailed to Canton where she picked up a cargo for the EIC. She foundered in 1843 in the Channel while on a voyage to Sierra Leone.

Elizabeth was a merchant ship built at Chepstow, Wales in 1809. She made three voyages transporting convicts from England and Ireland to Australia. Elizabeth is no longer listed after 1832 and may have been lost in 1831.

Grenada was a merchant ship built at Kingston upon Hull, England in 1810. She made four voyages transporting convicts from England to Australia. In 1827, while returning to England from Australia via Batavia, she arrived at Mauritius in a damaged state and was condemned.

Tyne was launched in 1807 in Rotherhithe. She spent the first part of her career as a West Indiaman. However, in 1810–1811 she made a voyage to India for the British East India Company (EIC) as an "extra" ship, i.e., under charter. Then in 1818 she made a voyage to Port Jackson, New South Wales transporting convicts. Thereafter, with a change of owners, she traded with the Far East under a license issued by the EIC. A fire destroyed her in 1828.

Ocean was launched in 1802 at Quebec. She made five voyages under charter to the British East India Company (EIC) between 1804 and 1814. Her owners then sold her and she continued to sail between Britain and India under a license issued by the EIC. In 1815–1816 she made one voyage transporting convicts to Australia. She was last listed in 1825.

Agamemnon was launched at Sunderland in 1811. She traded with India and made one voyage in 1820 transporting convicts to New South Wales. She was wrecked in 1826.

Barrosa was launched in 1811 at Cossipore. She sailed to England and then made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC); during this period she also made one voyage carrying immigrants to South Africa. After the EIC gave up its maritime activities in 1833-1834, Barossa became a transport. She made three voyages transporting convicts to Australia. She was lost in 1847, without loss of life, while transporting contract labourers from Madras to Jamaica.

Thames was launched in 1818 as an East Indiaman, trading with India and Ceylon under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She made one voyage transporting convicts to Van Diemen's Land. She became leaky and was condemned at Swan River in 1830 as she was sailing to Île de France from having delivered her convicts at Hobart.

Lord Wellington was launched in 1810 at Rochester, or equally, Chatham, as a West Indiaman. She made at least one voyage to India under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She then made a voyage to New South Wales transporting female convicts from England and Ireland. She was lost in December 1822 off Denmark while sailing from Saint Petersburg to London.

Regalia was launched at Sunderland in 1811. In 1819 she made a voyage to Calcutta, sailing under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She also sailed to New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land. From Sydney she engaged in several sealing hunting voyages to the waters around Macquarie Island. In 1826 she transported convicts from Dublin to New South Wales. From 1831 until 1852, when she was wrecked at Davis Strait, Regalia was a whaler in the northern whale fishery.

Runnymede was a barque–rigged sailing ship built in London in 1825. She traded between Britain and India, sailing under a license from he British East India Company (EIC). She made one voyage to Tasmania in 1839–1840 transporting convicts. She also carried immigrants to New South Wales. She was wrecked in 1844.

Prince of Orange was launched in Sunderland in 1814. She originally sailed as a West Indiaman but then became an East Indiaman, sailing to India under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She made two voyages transporting convicts to Australia, the first in 1820–1821 to New South Wales, and the second in 1822 to Van Diemen's Land. Between 1830 and 1840 she made nine voyages as a whaler to Davis Strait. She was lengthened and rebuilt in 1846. In December 1852 she grounded and it took some months to get her off. She then need major repairs. She also suffered damages in 1854. She foundered in 1858.

Glory was launched in Quebec in 1811. She sailed to London in 1812, and was registered there. In 1817 she made a voyage to Bengal, sailing under a licence from the British East India Company (EIC). A voyage transporting convicts to New South Wales followed. She then returned to general trading and was last listed in 1824.

References