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The 330 ton Caroline was under the command of Captain James Fewson. She was of British nationality, carried six guns and had a crew of 22 men. She was built of teak, had a copper bottom, and two decks - one a poop deck for cabin passengers. She had three masts, a square rig, a standing bowsprit, a square stern, a carvel build with quarter galleries and a woman's bust figurehead.
The Caroline left St Katherine's Dock in London on June 2 and pulled in near Worthing in Sussex on June 4 to load the rest of her cargo. She finally left England on June 6 arrived in the Swan River Colony on October 12, 1829 after stopping at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on the way. She was reported to have carried 60 adult passengers. One child was born during the voyage and another was buried in Rio.
The 'ship', which is sometimes referred to as a 'brig', was built at Cochin in India by John Crookenden and registered at the Port of Calcutta on November 21, 1825. In 1829 her owners were were William Chapman, a banker from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Eliot MacNaughten, a gentleman of Calcutta. Although many vessels of the time bore the name of Caroline as a sign of popular support for the Queen in her disputes with the much-disliked George IV; but Lloyd's Register has established this vessel as the same one whose earlier story was told by Ida Marriott in 'The Voyage of the Caroline from England to Van Diemen's Land and Batavia in 1827-8'. Her captain for the homeward half of that voyage was James Fewson, who then took the three Henty brothers and their employees out to the Swan River on the next journey.
During May in 1829, 'The Times' of London ran the following advertisement in its shipping notices:
Thomas Henty's three sons, James, Stephen and John, were being sent ahead to establish a new farming and pastoral life for the family in Western Australia. Prize Spanish merinos had been purchased and a whitesmith, carpenter, shepherds and stockmen were signed on. They were nearly all old employees of the family and came from West Tarring in Suffolk. They signed on to serve Thomas Henty, gentleman, or his agents, as dutiful servants for five years in return for a free passage, £20 a year, fuel and board.
Two sets of letters exist to tell the tale of the voyage and of life in the earliest years at the Swan. One set is in the Mitchell Library in New South Wales and holds letters from Henry Camfield who travelled as a cabin passenger. The other set of letters were written by James Henty and were found among family papers in England. Marney Bassett had access to the letters and referred to them in her book, 'The Hentys'.
Chartering a ship was an expensive business. 'Charter parties', or contracts, varied in their terms and even though there is no surviving record of the one between James Henty and the Caroline's owners, the 'Brighton Cazette' quoted a figure of £5 per ton a month. That would make a total bill of £7,000 for the hire of the ship from May to November. In contrast, the English Government piad $4.10s a ton a month to hire the Parmelia for its trip to the Swan River a few months earlier.
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Surname Given Names Age Comments BARNDEN Richard 31 steerage; general servant for HENTY; ex-Tarring, ENG BASHFORD William .. steerage; aka [BACHFORD]; general servant for EVERARD; ex-Tunbridge Wells, ENG BASHFORD Lucy .. steerage; wife; baby William born on voyage and died in Brazil BASHFORD William .. steerage; died and buried in Rio de Janeiro (late July) BUSHBY George 27 steerage; general servant for HENTY; ex-Tarring, ENG BUSHBY Mary 23 steerage; wife; ex-Tarring, ENG BUSHBY William 3 steerage; son; ex-Tarring, ENG BUSHBY Richard 2 steerage; son; ex-Tarring, ENG CAMFIELD Henry 29 cabin; agriculturalist; ex-Kent, ENG CHIPPER John 23 steerage; labourer for HENTY; ex-Tarring, ENG CHIPPER Mary 20 steerage; wife; ex-Tarring, ENG CRIDDLE William 25 steerage; aka [CRITTLE]; general servant for STONE DYER William 21 steerage; general servant for HENTY; ex-Tarring, ENG EVERARD William 34 cabin; Lieutenant, R.N.; on half-pay; ex-Barnes, ENG [Top] Surname Given Names Age Comments FREIND Frederick 33 steerage; general servant for CAMFIELD FREIND Frances 31 steerage; wife; son Frederick born on voyage FREIND Mary Ann 1 steerage; daughter FREIND Frederick .. steerage; son; born on voyage (September 17) GEE Charles 32 steerage; aka [GEEL]; labourer for HENTY; ex-Tarring, ENG GEE Mary Ann 22 steerage; wife; ex-Tarring, ENG GEE Charles 12 steerage; son; ex-Tarring, ENG GEE Joseph 10 steerage; son; ex-Tarring, ENG GEE William 6 steerage; son; ex-Tarring, ENG GEE Walter 4 steerage; son; ex-Tarring, ENG GEE Alfred 9m steerage; son; ex-Tarring, ENG GOBLE T. William 22 steerage; aka [GOBBE]; general servant for HENTY; ex-Tarring, ENG HAYBITTLE Richard 16 steerage; general servant for HENTY; ex-Tarring, ENG HAWKINS John .. cabin [Top] Surname Given Names Age Comments HENTY James 29 cabin; brother; agriculturalist; ex-Tarring, ENG HENTY Stephen 17 cabin; brother; agriculturalist; ex-Tarring, ENG HENTY John 16 cabin; brother; agriculturalist; ex-Tarring, ENG HEWSHIRE Thomas .. steerage HILLS George 38 steerage; general servant for HENTY; ex-Tarring, ENG HILLS Mary Ann 38 steerage; wife; ex-Tarring, ENG HILLS Mary Ann 13 steerage; daughter; ex-Tarring, ENG HILLS George 12 steerage; son; ex-Tarring, ENG HOLLAND Richard 21 steerage; general servant for MACKIE HOUSE William 18 steerage; general servant for TALBOT MACKIE William 29 cabin; aka [MACKEY]; lawyer; ex-India MAPLE Guy 30 steerage; general servant for TALBOT [Top] Surname Given Names Age Comments MINCHIN James 30 steerage; baker and carpenter MINCHIN Elizabeth 34 steerage; wife MINCHIN James 8 steerage; son MINCHIN Andrew 7 steerage; son MINCHIN Eliza 6 steerage; daughter MINCHIN Alfred 4 steerage; son MINCHIN Esther 1 steerage; daughter MORROUGH Robert 29 cabin; aka [MORRAH]; doctor; ex-Worthing, ENG PATTERSON Dabniel 27 steerage; aka [David]; general servant for HENTY; ex-Tarring, ENG PRICE Robert 21 steerage; general servant for HENTY; ex-Tarring, ENG REWELL George 28 steerage; labourer for HENTY; ex-Tarring, ENG REWELL Jane 31 steerage; wife; ex-Tarring, ENG REWELL William 4 steerage; son; ex-Tarring, ENG REWELL Ann 10m steerage; daughter; ex-Tarring, ENG [Top] Surname Given Names Age Comments SANDFORD Benjamin 28 steerage; general servant for HENTY; ex-Tarring, ENG SANDFORD Frances 33 steerage; wife; ex-Tarring, ENG SANDFORD William 9 steerage; son; ex-Tarring, ENG SANDFORD Charles 6 steerage; son; ex-Tarring, ENG SANDFORD John 4 steerage; son; ex-Tarring, ENG SANDFORD Stephen 1 steerage; son; ex-Tarring, ENG SMITH Richard William 29 steerage; general servant for CAMFIELD SMITH Mary Bransby .. steerage; wife SMITH William 9 steerage; child STONE Alfred Hawes 28 cabin; solicitor; ex-Tunbridge Wells, ENG TALBOT Samuel 30 cabin; agriculturalist; ex-Liverpool, ENG THOMPSETT Thomas .. steerage TRIMMER Spencer 25 cabin; agriculturalist; ex-Ealing, ENG WATERS Thomas 35 steerage
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Surname Given Names Comments
FEWSON James captain
HEYERS .... .... .... mate
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For this voyage of the Caroline, researchers will be able to find passenger and voyage details in a range of records held in the State Record Office and Battye Library in Perth, Western Australia. Some of the primary and secondary sources consulted for this project were:
NOTE: It is also recommended that Marney Bassett's book, 'The Hentys: An Australian
Colonial Tapestry', be consulted for a comprehensive account of the voyage, the preparations
that were made to bring it to pass and the fate of the passengers after they arrived.
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Apr 9, 2001
Rob Nelson.
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