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Convict Ship Albion

1828

Embarked 192 men
Voyage 155 days
Deaths 4
Surgeon's Journal - Yes
Previous vessel: Marquis of Hastings arrived 12 October 1828
Next vessel: City of Edinburgh arrived 12 November 1828
Captain James Ralph
Surgeon Superintendent Thomas Logan
Prisoners and passengers of the Albion identified in the Hunter Valley

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The Albion was built at Bristol in 1813. [2]. Prisoners were transported on the Albion to Van Diemen's Land in 1823 and to New South Wales in 1827 and 1828.

Surgeon Thomas Logan

Thomas Logan kept a Medical Journal from 9 May to 14 September 1828. - He joined the Albion on 9 May 1828 at Deptford. Having never seen before the dispositions of a prison-ship, he wrote, I examined those of the Albion with much interest. They seemed to be judicious and proved that considerable attention had been bestowed in perfecting this melancholy service [1].

On the following day (10 May) the guard embarked. The guard consisted of a detachment of the 63rd regiment (sergeant, corporal, 28 privates, five women and 8 children) under the orders of Lieutenant Vickery. Passengers included Mrs. Vickery and 5 children and settler Mr. Frederick Darcy (or Davey).

Convicts Embarked

On 16 May 1828 at Woolwich the Albion was towed down by the Harlequin steam boat. She anchored in the evening close to the hulk Justitia. The prisons had previously been prepared for receiving the convicts by a thorough cleaning.

On 19th May 1828, twelve convicts were received from the hulk Ganymede, and sixty from the Justitia. They had all been examined previously to their coming on board the Albion. They all appeared to be healthy; they were clean and dressed in a new suit of convict clothes.

On 21 May 1828, the Albion being at anchor in the afternoon, the convicts were all allowed to come on deck. The occasion was taken to clean the prisons thoroughly by sweeping, partial scraping and then swabbing. The wind being high the ventilation of the prisons was complete.

They weighed anchor at 6pm 22 May 1828 and sailed for the Nore under a moderate easterly wind and rainy weather. They reached the Nore at 5pm and the prisons were carefully cleaned again. The cleaning of the prisons continued every day. The prisoners remained on deck until the afternoon while the prisons dried. At Sheerness on the 23 May, fifty convicts were received from the Hulk Retribution and the prisoners were allowed on deck for most of the day.

On 24 May 1828 sixty convicts from the hulk Dolphin and ten from the Euryalus were received. There were now 192 prisoners on board. The following day there were strong gales. The prisons were cleaned again but prayers were not read because of the weather. The surgeon noted that the easterly gale force winds and sending the prisoners on board in duck trousers instead of the woollen ones they were accustomed to was the cause of a great number of them suffering from Catarrh.

Following is a list of some of those treated by the surgeon before the ship left England -

Mr Dale, 2nd mate, taken ill at Deptford; sick or hurt, urticaria. Had eaten crabs; Put on sick list 15 May 1828
Mr Parry, 3rd mate, taken ill at Deptford; sick or hurt, wound of shin; Put on sick list 15 May 1828

Patrick Fitzgerald, soldier 63rd regt, taken ill at Deptford; sick or hurt, ophthalmia;

Patrick Doyle, soldier 63rd regt, taken ill at Woolwich;

Francis Cox, aged 20, soldier 63rd regt, taken ill at Woolwich;

Mrs Easton, soldier's wife, taken ill at Woolwich;

Isaac Watts, convict, taken ill at Woolwich;

Peter Campbell, convict, taken ill at Woolwich;

George Barbarrow (or Barrow), convict, taken ill at Woolwich; sick or hurt, ulcer of back, resulting from 500 lashes previously received;

Robert Clarkson, convict, taken ill at Woolwich;

Thomas Bishop, convict, taken ill at Woolwich;

Thomas Wyld, convict, taken ill at Woolwich; sick or hurt, vertigo, suspected of being a sham

William Hawkins, convict, taken ill at Woolwich;

Samuel Holland, convict, taken ill at North Fleet;

Joshua Tideswell, convict, taken ill at North Fleet;

James Hall, convict, taken ill at North Fleet;

William McKay, convict, taken ill at North Fleet;

Francis Unwin, convict, taken ill off the Nore;

James Beaken, convict, taken ill off the Nore;

Charles Rootsey, convict, taken ill off the Nore;

Samuel G Owen, convict, taken ill off the Nore;

James Roberts, convict, taken ill off the Nore;

William Crew, convict, taken ill at Sheerness;

George Dickson, convict, taken ill at Sheerness;

Ben Rumbold, convict, taken ill at Sheerness;

George Homer, convict, taken ill at Sheerness;

Richard Voughn, convict, taken ill at Sheerness;

William McDonald, convict, taken ill at Sheerness;

Francis Holland, convict, taken ill at Sheerness;

Thomas Gleason, soldier taken ill at Sheerness;

Joshua Poole, convict, taken ill at Sheerness;

William Blackmore, convict, taken ill at Sheerness;

James Arrow, convict, taken ill at Sheerness;

Joshua Chicket, convict, taken ill at Sheerness;

George Fretwell, convict, taken ill at Sheerness;

John Quiball, convict, taken ill at Sheerness

Departure

The Albion departed Sheerness on 1st June 1828 and the Cape of Good Hope 13th September 1828.

Port Jackson

They arrived in Port Jackson on Monday 3 November 1828; a voyage of 155 days. Four convicts had died on the passage out. - Joseph Beckinhill, William Crew, Michael Keefe and William Storey.

On Tuesday 4th November 1828 the military detachment of the Albion, was welcomed on shore. They proceeded through the town to their quarters by the melody of wind instruments, the trill of fifes, and beat of drums belonging to the 39th regiment. On Thursday 6th November the Colonial Secretary Alexander Macleay proceeded on board the Albion to inspect and muster the prisoners prior to their disembarkation and distribution.

Assignment of Convicts

Convict Indents for the Albion include the place of assignment with the exception of the educated men and young boys. The boys were probably sent to the Carter's Barracks and the educated prisoners were probably sent to Wellington Valley known as 'The Valley of the Swells'.......... In 1827 the settlement became the destination for difficult convicts or 'specials'. The treatment of middle or upper class convicts had been of concern to the colonial administration for some time. There was unease that these convicts were given preferential treatment that did not reflect their criminal status. It was recommended by Commissioner Bigge that they be given light work and banished from the centres of population. From 1827 these 'special' convicts were sent to Superintendent John Maxwell at the Wellington Valley Settlement. - Wellington Convict and Mission Site - Maynggu Ganai.

The following men are those with no place of assignment noted in the indents:
Francis Anderson, Merchant's Clerk
Thomas Allen, Attorneys Clerk
John Crowe - Merchant's Clerk
John Lantaff Dancy - Merchant's Clerk and Ship's Broker
William Howard alias Josiah Dell - Private teacher
William Jones - Copyist to law stationer
George Skinner - Merchant's Clerk


The colony had been in the grip of a severe drought for some time previous to the arrival of the Albion, however by November rain had arrived and when Thomas Bishop and Job Booth were assigned to T.W.M. Winder in the lower Hunter, it was reported that the crops on the beautiful and romantic estates of Windermere and Luskintyre looked most luxuriant. Prisoner George Burghall was assigned to John Pike at Pickering and Benjamin Belcher was assigned to Peter Cunningham at Dalswinton. These Estates were situated higher up the Hunter River and were affected with blight after the end of the drought. By November the wheat crops on these estates had failed and the stalks were being cut down only to be used to make hay.

Convicts of the Albion identified in the Hunter Valley

Allen, Thomas

Antrobus, William

Barrow, George Bar

Belcher alias Lea, Benjamin

Bishop, Thomas (1)

Bishop, Thomas (2)

Booth, Job

Brace, Thomas

Burghall, George

Cox, William

Critchley, James

Davis, James (1)

Dixon, George

Fretwell, George

Garratt, George

Gray, Thomas

Green, George

Green, Thomas

Harris, George

Hatchett, Joseph

Hawkins, William

Hide, George

Hodgins, John

Holland, Samuel

James, John

Jenkins alias Cox, James

Jones, John

Leach, William

Mackay, William

McDonald, William

Mews, Richard

Newman, Thomas

Owen, James

Parish, William

Pierce, William

Pitt, John

Pooley, Henry

Rook, John

Root, Richard

Rumbold, Benjamin

Saunders, William

Sayce, William

Taylor, John

Tomlinson, James

Turnpenny, Samuel

Unwin, Francis

Vaughan, Richard

Webster, Thomas

Welch, Thomas

Williams, David

Wright, Robert

Young, John

Notes and Links

1). Thomas Logan was also employed as surgeon on the convict ship Proteus to Van Diemen's Land in 1831

2). Return of Convicts of the Albion assigned between 1st January 1832 and 31st March 1832 (Sydney Gazette 14 June 1832; 21 June 1832; 5 July 1832).....
Thomas Green - Quarryman assigned to Robert Crawford at Prospect
John Harper - Labourer assigned to Julia Johnston at Annandale
John Rook - Sailor assigned to Thomas Small at Kissing Point

3). Convict 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

Vittora 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


4). Lieut. Vickery and family and a detachment of the 63rd departed Sydney for Hobart on the Countess Harcourt late in November 1828.

References

[1] Ancestry.com. UK, Royal Navy Medical Journals, 1817-1857 . Medical Journal of Thomas Logan on the voyage of the Albion in 1828.. 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 101/1/9/1 Description: Medical Journal of the convict ship Albion


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