William Hammond
Encyclopedia
The William Hammond was a barque
used to transport
convicts to Western Australia
.
Built in Sunderland in 1853 for Thomas and Co, the William Hammond was 149.5 feet (45.6 m) long, 28.6 feet (8.7 m) wide and 19 feet (5.8 m) deep, and weighed 683 tons. In 30 September 1854, it sailed from Plymouth
to Hobart
with 261 emigrating passengers on board. It docked in Hobart on 25 December, after a journey of 83 days, during which three children died.
When appointed to transport convicts to Western Australia in 1855, the William Hammond was still considered a new ship, and had an A1
rating. With Horatio Edwards as captain and George MacLaren as surgeon-superintendent
, the William Hammond embarked 35 convicts from the Woolwich
prison
hulk
Defence on 6 December 1855, and another 32 convicts from the hulk Warrior shortly afterwards. On 8 December she was towed out of Woolwich dock and sailed down the River Thames
. After clearing the Straits of Dover
she encountered stormy weather in the English Channel
. She sailed along the south coast of England, docking at Portsmouth
. On 17 December she took on 59 more convicts, and the following day she anchored off the Isle of Portland
, where it took on 80 convicts from Portland Prison. It left Portland on 24 December, but shortly afterwards a sailor named John Gollately fell overboard while trying to stow the jib
. Another sailor, John Deady, attacked the Chief Mate, David Kid, saying it was his fault the man fell overboard. The William Hammond then set in at Plymouth
, where Deady was tried before a magistrate and sentenced to 21 days imprisonment. Six sailors who due to various illness were deemed unfit to travel were also disembarked. After taking on 45 more convicts from Dartmoor Prison
, the William Hammond sailed for Western Australia on 5 January 1856.
The William Hammond sailed with 32 crew, 250 convicts and 98 passengers, most of whom were pensioner guards and their families. She sailed directly to Fremantle
, and the journey took 84 days. Only one person died on the journey, a corporal
in the pensioner guard named Henry Fraser, probably of tuberculosis
. No convicts died, although there were reported cases of dysentery
, diarrhoea and nyctalopia
. The only other incident occurred on 28 January, when Kid was found to be drunk on his watch, having accessed the stores of rum
without permission.
At about 7 P.M.
on 28 March, the William Hammond sighted the lighthouse
on Rottnest Island
. Anchor was dropped in the lee of Rottnest early the next morning, and at 7 A.M. the Fremantle harbourmaster
boarded the ship. The passengers were disembarked by mid-afternoon, and the convicts were disembarked over the next two days.
Little is known of the William Hammonds subsequent service, except that there is a record of immigrants arriving in Melbourne
on the William Hammond in 1862.
For other convict ship voyages to Western Australia, see List of convict ship voyages to Western Australia.
in London. A copy is available on the Australian Joint Copying Project microfilm reel
3212, which is held in most major libraries and archives offices throughout Australia.
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
used to transport
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
convicts to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Built in Sunderland in 1853 for Thomas and Co, the William Hammond was 149.5 feet (45.6 m) long, 28.6 feet (8.7 m) wide and 19 feet (5.8 m) deep, and weighed 683 tons. In 30 September 1854, it sailed from Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
to Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
with 261 emigrating passengers on board. It docked in Hobart on 25 December, after a journey of 83 days, during which three children died.
When appointed to transport convicts to Western Australia in 1855, the William Hammond was still considered a new ship, and had an A1
A1 (shipping)
In shipping, the designation A1 is a symbol used to denote quality of construction and material. In the various shipping registers ships are classed and given a rating after an official examination, and assigned a classification mark, which appears in addition to other particulars in those...
rating. With Horatio Edwards as captain and George MacLaren as surgeon-superintendent
Surgeon-superintendent
A surgeon-superintendent was the official on board a convict transport ship and ships transporting indentured labour, with overall authority in all non-nautical matters....
, the William Hammond embarked 35 convicts from the Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
hulk
Hulk (ship)
A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Although sometimes used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, the term most often refers to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment removed, retaining only its flotational qualities...
Defence on 6 December 1855, and another 32 convicts from the hulk Warrior shortly afterwards. On 8 December she was towed out of Woolwich dock and sailed down the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. After clearing the Straits of Dover
Strait of Dover
The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel. The shortest distance across the strait is from the South Foreland, 6 kilometres northeast of Dover in the county of Kent, England, to Cap Gris Nez, a cape near to Calais in the French of...
she encountered stormy weather in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. She sailed along the south coast of England, docking at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. On 17 December she took on 59 more convicts, and the following day she anchored off the Isle of Portland
Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
, where it took on 80 convicts from Portland Prison. It left Portland on 24 December, but shortly afterwards a sailor named John Gollately fell overboard while trying to stow the jib
Jib
A jib is a triangular staysail set ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bow, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast...
. Another sailor, John Deady, attacked the Chief Mate, David Kid, saying it was his fault the man fell overboard. The William Hammond then set in at Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, where Deady was tried before a magistrate and sentenced to 21 days imprisonment. Six sailors who due to various illness were deemed unfit to travel were also disembarked. After taking on 45 more convicts from Dartmoor Prison
Dartmoor (HM Prison)
HM Prison Dartmoor is a Category C men's prison, located in Princetown, high on Dartmoor in the English county of Devon. Its high granite walls dominate this area of the moor...
, the William Hammond sailed for Western Australia on 5 January 1856.
The William Hammond sailed with 32 crew, 250 convicts and 98 passengers, most of whom were pensioner guards and their families. She sailed directly to Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, and the journey took 84 days. Only one person died on the journey, a corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
in the pensioner guard named Henry Fraser, probably of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. No convicts died, although there were reported cases of dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
, diarrhoea and nyctalopia
Nyctalopia
Nyctalopia is a condition making it difficult or impossible to see in relatively low light. It is a symptom of several eye diseases. Night blindness may exist from birth, or be caused by injury or malnutrition...
. The only other incident occurred on 28 January, when Kid was found to be drunk on his watch, having accessed the stores of rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
without permission.
At about 7 P.M.
12-hour clock
The 12-hour clock is a time conversion convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem and post meridiem...
on 28 March, the William Hammond sighted the lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
on Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island is located off the coast of Western Australia, near Fremantle. It is called Wadjemup by the Noongar people, meaning "place across the water". The island is long, and at its widest point with a total land area of . It is classified as an A Class Reserve and is managed by the...
. Anchor was dropped in the lee of Rottnest early the next morning, and at 7 A.M. the Fremantle harbourmaster
Harbourmaster
A harbourmaster is an official responsible for enforcing the regulations of a particular harbour or port, in order to ensure the safety of navigation, the security of the harbour and the correct operation of the port facilities.-Responsibilities:Harbourmasters are normally responsible for issuing...
boarded the ship. The passengers were disembarked by mid-afternoon, and the convicts were disembarked over the next two days.
Little is known of the William Hammonds subsequent service, except that there is a record of immigrants arriving in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
on the William Hammond in 1862.
See also
Convicts transported on board the William Hammond include:- William BoxhalWilliam BoxhalWilliam Boxhal was a convict transported to Western Australia. He later became a farmer in the Victoria Plains district, and was one of the first such farmers to secure land in the area....
- William JonesWilliam Jones (convict)William Frederick Jones was a convict transported to Western Australia, and later became one of the colony's ex-convict school teachers.Born in 1827, Jones was the mate on a trading ship in his youth...
For other convict ship voyages to Western Australia, see List of convict ship voyages to Western Australia.
Further reading
The ship's log of Captain Horatio Edwards is extant, as is George MacLaren's surgeon's journal for the voyage. The original of MacLaren's journal is held by the Public Record OfficePublic Record Office
The Public Record Office of the United Kingdom is one of the three organisations that make up the National Archives...
in London. A copy is available on the Australian Joint Copying Project microfilm reel
Reel
A reel is an object around which lengths of another material are wound for storage. Generally a reel has a cylindrical core and walls on the sides to retain the material wound around the core...
3212, which is held in most major libraries and archives offices throughout Australia.