Wreck of the Convict Ship Waterloo 1842

[Sue Mackay]

The South African Commercial Advertiser for 31 August 1842 and for 3, 7 and 10 September 1842 carried reports of the wreck of the convict ship Waterloo. If anyone has found reference to an ancestor being transported in 1842, but has found no reference to them in Australia, they may be on this list. You can use CTRL F to search for a particular name. Posts 2 and 3 contain some interesting editorials even if you have no ancestors involved.

List of the Prisoners lost by the Wreck of the Waterloo, August 28th 1842:

James THELWALL
James SKERRATT
Abraham MILLS
John TAYLOR
James JACKSON
Edmund HARDMAN
John GODDARD
Richard HOWARD
John NORTH
Richard MARSH
John STONE
Edward NEWTON
Daniel RIGDEN
Henry MEPSTED
George THORN
Richard ADCOCK
Henry PROCTOR
Thomas CLARK
James WILLIAMS
Edward ALEXANDER
Sydney ALDRIDGE
Abraham SCATCHARD
William WOODWARD
Frederick WIGHTWICK
John ATTWOOD
William SAINT
James DAVIS
George CUNNINGHAM
George LLOYD
Robert WELLS
James BARNES
William THISELTON
William NASH
Richard HILL
William STAMPS
William LOW
George GARNER
George BRADBURY
Alexander JOHNSON
Thomas JOHNSON
Charles GREEN
Henry DAWES
Richard EDMONDS
John JONES
Robert ESSON
James ELLIOTT
Robert FAIRFAX
Richard HEWITT
Richard TAYLOR
Joseph FLINT
William JONES
Richard HOLYLAND
John SHORT
George HARRIS
John BROWN
John BULMORE
Richard PARKER
Jennis JACKS
William HAMLET
William MOORE
___ BROOKES
James ARMITAGE
Charles BLYTH
Isaac HANCOCK
Points HOWELL
Daniel STEWART
Henry HICKS
George BAALAM
John ROBINSON
Edward BIRCH
James BAMBER
James WILKES
James CARSON
Charles WORKMAN
Thomas PARSONS
Benjamin CURRAY
Thomas COWLEY
John CRAIG
Peter WINSTANLEY
William GOULDING
Henry MARRIOTT
John PEACOCK
Felix CURRAY
George HETHERINGTON
George WYLES
Edward GREGORY
Thomas WILLSON
John JONES
Francis BARNES
Angus McKINNON
John LEDINGHAM
Thomas SMEDLY
John REYNOLDS
John HAWKINS
James BIRCH
John ELLIS
James DUNCAN
Joseph BARKER
Thomas PEARMAN
Bertrand EDMONDS
Henry BARNSLEY
James CLARK
Thomas HILL
John WILDING
James GREENHAM
Hugh CAMPBELL
James KNOTT
Robert NEWTON
James JOBLIN
John THOMPSON
John BROOMFIELD
Thomas VOSE
Robert PARKINSON
John SMALLY
George GILES
Thomas POWNALL
Henry MORGAN
William WRIGHT
John LOVATT
William BIGGS
Thomas BOSWELL
Thomas KIRWIN
Daniel MURPHY
John NOWLAN
William GYOURY
Nathaniel JENKINS
Robert WALTHAM
James HEWITT
James KING
George WILLIAMS
John BROOKES
Frederick PURSER
William WHITE
John ROSSER
William ROSSER
James ROSSER
Thomas HEWITT
Elijah MARTIN
Emanuel OSBORN
Thomas BARLOW
George JONES
Jonathan PACKER
Richard CRANE

The above is a correct Return of Prisoners drowned at the Wreck of the Convict Ship Waterloo.
(Signed) Henry KELSALL MD, Surgeon RN.

Names of Men of the Guard and the Soldier’s Wife who were saved on the 28th August from the wreck of the Waterloo.
Lieut. HEXT, 4th “The King’s Own” Regt, commanding the Guard.
99th Regt:
Ensign C. LEIGH
Corporal CULLUM
Corporal ARMSTRONG
Private BAWN
Private BROADHEAD
Private BROADBENT
Private BAUNAN
Private BERNE
Private MONAGHAN
Private PEARCE
Private RUTHERFOORD
Private TAYLOR
Private WARD
Private YARDLEY
Private MOORE
Drummer ARMSTRONG
Mrs. MULVANEY.

Names of those who were lost on the 28th August:
Serjeant SMITH, Mrs. SMITH and three children.
Corporal MULVANEY and one child.
Corporal MADDEN
Private NESTOR, Mrs. NESTOR and one child.
Private GREENLESS, Mrs. GREENLESS and three children.
Private AHERN
Private MUIR
Private ASKEY
Private BARNACLE
Private BYRNE
Private BEAUMONT
Private REYNOLDS
Private VINCENT
Private WARBURTON
Private WHITMORE
Also Mrs. ARMSTRONG and five children.
All the lost belonging to the 99th Regt.

Total Saved: 1 Lieutenant, 1 Ensign, 2 Corporals, 1 Drummer, 12 Privates and 1 Woman.
Total Lost: 1 Serjeant, 2 Corporals, 12 Privates, 4 Women and 13 Children.
Capt. AGER, the Master of the Waterloo, was saved; also Mr. JACKSON, Chief Mate; Mr. GUNNER, 2nd do; Mr. GILL, 3rd do; and fifteen of the crew.
The boatswain, Mr. CHIVERTON, was lost; also the sailmaker, the carpenter and 11 of the crew.
Charles Stanisforth HEXT, Lt.
4th “The King’s Own” Regt.

List of the Convicts received in Cape Town Prison from the wreck of the Waterloo, 2nd September 1842.
1. Stephen PARKER
2. Joseph HERNSHAW
3. David JONES
4. John JONES
5. William JOHNSON
6. William DODSWELL
7. John MARTIN
8. Robert STEWART
9. William WILLIAMS
10. James BROWN
11. William HENRY
12. Leslie CLARK
13. Henry HUNT
14. Richard BAKER
15. Edward MOORE
16. Joseph SLAWSON
17. Edward CAPSTACK
18. William SMITH
19. Joseph DARBISHIRE
20. Charles CARTWRIGHT
21. William CARTER
22. William SIMPSON
23. Frederick HUDSON
24. Frederick CHESHIRE
25. William HESKETH
26. Charles DAVIS
27. James HARVEY
28. Thomas William WEETMAN
29. William BREKHAM
30. John HARRIS
31. Edward ALEXANDER
32. William JONES
33. Thomas ASHWORTH
34. Thomas SQUIRES
35. Iven HARDWICKE
36. William GARDNER
37. John WINTERBURN
38. William CLARKE
39. William SINDEN
40. William KINGGATE
41. Thomas RODGERS
42. James MARFILE
43. John DAVIS
44. John COLLENS
45. Joseph DARWEN
46. William WATKINS
47. Thomas TAYLOR
48. John GARNER
49. John CLARKE
50. Thomas STANDING
51. James WATKISON
52. John SMITH
53. John BEAUMONT
54. Henry SUTTON
55. James GREEN
56. John JOHNSTONE
57. John WILLIAMS
58. William FRENCH
59. Daniel BURNS
60. William MOOBAY
61. Thomas HILL
62. Thomas MILES
63. Robert NIXON
64. John WILLIAMS
65. John CLIFFORD
66. Alexander SMITH
67. John GILBERT
68. William ROBERTSHAW
69. Mathew COWLEY
70. William TIPPIN
71. John ROBERTS
72. John THOMAS
73. William COLLINS
74. James WILKES
75. John ASTBURY
76. Wm. RICHARDS

[Sue Mackay]

Cape Town, August 31 1842
On the forenoon of Sunday last two large vessels, the Abercrombie Robinson and the Waterloo went on shore on the South Eastern beach at the bottom of Table Bay.
Both vessels were engaged as Transports by the British Government. The Abercrombie Robinson had on board, besides her crew and several passengers, 501 soldiers with their officers. She was a large Ship of nearly 1500 tons burden. After grounding near the shore she stood upright, and no lives have been lost. She will probably, or rather certainly, be a total wreck.
The Waterloo, a Ship of 414 tons, bound to Van Diemen’s Land, had on board, besides her crew, two hundred and nineteen male convicts, Dr. HELSELL in charge, Lt. HEXT, Ensign LEIGH, thirty men of HM 99th Regiment, five women and thirteen children. She took the ground between eleven and twelve o’clock in the forenoon and in fifteen or twenty minutes became a mass of rubbish, And now ensued a most piteous massacre. In about two hours and a half, amidst the crumbling heaps of their perfidious prison – of men, women and children, one hundred and ninety four were crushed, disabled and drowned.
There was no preparation for saving life made on board or on shore. No life buoys, no coils of ropes lashed to casks, nor any apparatus for establishing a communication with the shore from the Ship.
On the shore there was no Life Boat, no apparatus for throwing ropes over stranded vessels, nor any thing, in short, to show that the Government or people here had ever before heard of such a thing as a shipwreck. We stood amongst thousands on the beach within a hundred and fifty yards of the dissolving fabric, looking on the agonised faces of our fellow creatures, as they sunk in dozens, battered and bruised and suffocated – useless as children, or idiots, or wild Caffers. As corpse after corpse floated to our feet, and was raised from the brine, there seemed a curse in every dead man’s eye on the improvidence, the imbecility, the brutish indifference to human suffering and human life, to which, combined with fiendish avarice, so many miserable souls had been sacrificed.
For this ship, it appears, was built twenty seven years ago at Bristol, of light materials for the timber trade. No longer fit to carry logs, she is patched up like other whited sepulchres, stuffed with a living cargo by a contractor, and dispatched to the ends of the earth – a voyage of more than twenty thousand miles.
No doubt a “survey of professional men” will “find” that there was no fault anywhere; that the Waterloo was a sound ship, thoroughly repaired, and perfectly seaworthy; that she had on board all the equipments requisite for such a voyage and such a consignment; that the officers of the ship did all that human strength, directed by skill and animated by humanity, could do; and that the accident must be ascribed entirely to a hurricane, a mountainous sea, and a remarkably hard beach.
Now as to the hurricane and the mountainous sea, it is enough to observe that there were twenty other vessels at anchor in the Bay, besides the Waterloo and the Abercrombie Robinson, and none of them parted from their anchors, or dragged them to any perceptible extent. The wind was blowing a gale, but by no means a violent one, and it was partly off shore. The sea was not running unusually high. Without ropes in their hands or any precaution, men walked into the water up to their shoulders to drag out the bodies of the dead and dying, without the slightest risk. This could not have been done had the surf been such as a gale causes on an open beach. These are facts to which thousands can bear witness.
With respect to the bottom or ground where the ship struck, some say it is rock, others that it is sand, like the rest of the beach. As soon as the weather is fine it will be examined, and the most convenient spaces marked for this method of disembarking Her Majesty’s troops or convicts.
For some years back such “accidents” have been ascribed to the insufficiency of Lighthouses at the entrance of the Bay. That fault has just been fully remedied. The old Lighthouse is now properly attended, and the new one is so well placed, and so brilliant, that no man dare pretend to miss it, or to mistake it for anything else. These and some further improvements in this department, still in progress, were forced on the Government by the remonstrances of the Public, and particularly of the mercantile body.
When the Helen was lost at the entrance of the Bay, four or five months ago, the Commercial Committee very properly inquired into the cause, and found on the testimony of numerous witnesses that the Lights on that particular night were defective, and had thus misled the master of the vessel. This they represented to Government, and a remedy was instantly found.
We recommend the same course in the present case. The committee cannot compel witnesses to attend or give evidence, but they can invite them; and if interested parties disregard such invitations, that fact will not be without meaning.
These two wrecks will be much talked of at home. We think we can insure their being mentioned in Parliament. Let us show that we here are neither indifferent to human life nor to the character of our bay, which the villainy and the incapacity of strangers have too often brought into undeserved disrepute.
In the midst of this unhesitating condemnation on some points, and charges of guilt on others, we have to mention that two unofficial spectators, Mr. MOLTENE and Mr. STILL, procured the assistance of a common boat belonging to a Malay, which reached the Waterloo after she was falling to pieces, and brought off two men, and on a second trip fastened a rope to the wreck. After this a larger boat, belonging to Messrs. SINCLAIR was brought from the Abercrombie Robinson, and moving backwards and forwards along the rope, saved a good many lives. This shows what might have been done by a Life Boat used in time.
We purposely avoid going further into details at present, satisfied with thus openly charging all the parties concerned, before the world, with the offence of culpable negligence, or criminal intention. The world, let them be well assured, expects an answer, and will treat them according to the case they may make out in defence.
It is not strange, by the way, that we should hear such lamentations from what is called the Shipping Interest, as if no employment could be had for their new-built, fine-moulded, copper-fastened A.I. Vessels, while for the most important of all services, the transport namely of troops, and of persons under Judicial Sentences, such vessels as the Waterloo find ready acceptance in the twenty seventh year of their fragility and rottenness? We shall endeavour to force our way through this moral confusion, convinced that either the Shipping Interest are a pack of liars or the Contractors a pack of knaves. The official gentry who grant the contracts and their cousins the Surveyors will naturally fall into their proper places in the course of the Inquiry.

[Sue Mackay]

Cape Town, September 3 1842
In speaking of the wreck of the Waterloo transport in Wednesday’s paper it was mentioned that she was built for the timber trade. This, we have been told, is not ascertained, and is probably incorrect. We have nothing else to correct in the statement now before the public.
The Committee of the Commercial body have instituted an Inquiry into the circumstances attending this horrible event, as well as to the loss of the Abercrombie Robinson, on the same occasion. The attention of Government, and of the Admiral, has also been fixed on these two accidents, the public and the parties concerned may therefore expect that all the facts will be properly ascertained and made known.
The loss of life by the ruin of the Waterloo is, we learn, as follows:
Convicts 143
Soldiers 15
Sailors 14
Women 4
Children 14
So great a loss of life has not happened in Table Bay since the year 1799. On the 5th November of that year His Majesty’s Ship Sceptre, Captain EDWARDS, was driven on shore and, like the Waterloo, immediately went to pieces, being an accursed old hulk on her way home to be broken up. A few hours after she struck not a vestige of her was to be seen, but the fragments of the wreck scattered on the strand, in myriads of pieces, not a single plank remaining whole, nor two attached together, Captain EDWARDS, his son, ten other officers, and near 300 seamen and marines perished.
On the same day several other vessels went on shore, among the rest a Danish man-of-war 6½ guns. But their crew were all saved, as in the case of the Abercrombie Robinson on the present occasion.
Taking advantage of the excitement caused by this melancholy event, funds have been raised, and measures are taken for constructing a Life Boat, and for having a Rocket Apparatus always in readiness in this Bay, for rendering assistance to vessels in distress, or for saving life.
But something more is required. A Coroner’s Court must be established, through which a competent Magistrate, with a Jury, may at once ascertain the manner in which any man came by his death, whose dead body has been washed ashore from a wreck. The propriety of adding such a Court to our Judicial Establishment has been suggested to Government, and we feel confident that the suggestion will be attended to without unnecessary delay.
In the absence of such a court we feel constrained, by a regard to truth and plain dealing, to send home along with the account of these two shipwrecks, our Protest on behalf of Table Bay. The weather, the water and the bottom are blameless.
The Abercrombie Robinson came into the Bay on the evening of the 25th, when it was dark, proceeded too far up the Bay, and came to anchor in a position unsafe for her should it come on to blow. The wind did blow a gale with squalls, and she wisely went on shore with an anchor at her bows, thereby saving some seven hundred souls, most of whom must have perished had she foundered where she rode at anchor. Had she been in a proper position she would have rode out the weather like the other vessels.
Of the Waterloo it is impossible to speak with moderation. Deadly blame rests somewhere, and justice will, we have no doubt, find out the parties that deserve it.
And now it would be proper to ask a few questions respecting the precautions taken on board of all transports into which involuntary passengers, such as soldiers and convicts, are thrust by Government.
1. Is it a rule to take the lowest tender, without respect to the Class of the vessel?
2. Or does Government, as it ought, limit tenders to the first class vessels?
3. Who are the surveyors? How are they paid? Do they receive money in any shape, and how much from the owners of the ships they survey for this service?
4. Is it true that they are “hard-worked men, with small salaries and large families” and that a friendly help of fifteen or twenty guineas is sometimes added to the regular charge by the benevolent ship owner?
5. When four, five or seven hundred souls are put on board a transport, is care taken to have at the same time the means of making signals in the dark and in foggy weather, in case of danger; or is all left to the chance of somebody seeing the flash of small arms, when the report of the same cannot be heard?
6. Is extra apparatus carefully placed on board for saving life in case of wreck, such as Life Buoys, instruments for throwing lines, and the other well-known means of communicating with a lee shore?
These are some of the questions that will be put, and that must be answered at home by the authorities, whoever they may be, to whose departments this branch of the service belongs. We have not leisure to pursue the subject farther today. Every reader can do it for himself.

[Jan1954]

Well! I have found this fascinating - and none of my Ag Labs were involved! :D

Thank you for posting this, Sue.

[Sue Mackay]

For those who are interested there is a painting (http://images.statelibrary.tas.gov.au/Search/Search.asp?Letter=W&Title=Wreck+of+the+Waterloo+convict+ship%2C+Cape+o f+Good+Hope%2C+28th.+August+1842) of the wreck of the Waterloo in the Tasmania State Library.

It seems that the survivors of the wreck who were transferred to Cape Town prison did eventually complete their journey to Van Diemen's Land on board 'Cape Packet'
(Source: Bateson, Charles, The Convict Ships 1787-1868, Brown, Son & Ferguson Ltd 1985, ISBN 0 85174 195 9)

[rock island]

My 2 x gt grandfather's brother was James GREENHAM. On 3rd January 1842 at Hertford Quarter Sessions, when he was 17, he was convicted of larceny and sentenced to 7 years transportation.
He embarked on the Waterloo on 30th May 1842. I found his name on the list of convicts on the ship together with the annotation 'drowned'. I googled Waterloo and found this forum. Many thanks for posting this information Sue - it provides a wonderful insight to those harsh times.

[Sue Mackay]

My 2 x gt grandfather's brother was James GREENHAM. On 3rd January 1842 at Hertford Quarter Sessions, when he was 17, he was convicted of larceny and sentenced to 7 years transportation.
He embarked on the Waterloo on 30th May 1842. I found his name on the list of convicts on the ship together with the annotation 'drowned'. I googled Waterloo and found this forum. Many thanks for posting this information Sue - it provides a wonderful insight to those harsh times.

So glad. And welcome to the Forum |wave|

I hope now that you have found us you will stick around - there is a wonderful amount of information, and many people anxious to help with genealogical problems.

[spison]

Sue

Excellent list! The attached newspaper clippings are from the National Library of Australia's newsapaper database. Some are reproductions of ones you must have used from SA. The rest are from Australia. I don't think there's a list among them. (There are a couple of ring-ins in the search.)

http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/search?searchTerm=Waterloo+Wreck&textSearchScope=full&sortBy=

Jane

[R.Royal]

God, thats so awful & tragic. All those poor people dying like that .

[spison]

Cape Town, September 3 1842
And now it would be proper to ask a few questions respecting the precautions taken on board of all transports into which involuntary passengers, such as soldiers and convicts, are thrust by Government.
1. Is it a rule to take the lowest tender, without respect to the Class of the vessel?
2. Or does Government, as it ought, limit tenders to the first class vessels?
3. Who are the surveyors? How are they paid? Do they receive money in any shape, and how much from the owners of the ships they survey for this service?
4. Is it true that they are “hard-worked men, with small salaries and large families” and that a friendly help of fifteen or twenty guineas is sometimes added to the regular charge by the benevolent ship owner?
5. When four, five or seven hundred souls are put on board a transport, is care taken to have at the same time the means of making signals in the dark and in foggy weather, in case of danger; or is all left to the chance of somebody seeing the flash of small arms, when the report of the same cannot be heard?
6. Is extra apparatus carefully placed on board for saving life in case of wreck, such as Life Buoys, instruments for throwing lines, and the other well-known means of communicating with a lee shore?
These are some of the questions that will be put, and that must be answered at home by the authorities, whoever they may be, to whose departments this branch of the service belongs.

Hi R. Royal,

Yes it was but the government wasn't learning as 9 years earlier in 1833, the 'Hibernia' caught fire. If you want to read truly horrendous accounts go to the NLA link and search for 'Hibernia' wreck and read about what happened. Basically when fire broke out there were only enough boats to rescue about 80 of those on board - most of whom were crew - 150+ people were left on board the burning ship in the middle of the ocean.

Ghastly

Jane

[Amron24]

The 'No name' Brookes in the list of those convicts drowned off Cape Town in 1842 is Thomas. He was a farmer,aged about 31,from Clotton Hoofield, Cheshire convicted of larceny (precise details as yet unknown) & sentenced to 7 years transportation.
I am his gr.gr.gr.granddaughter living in Staffordshire,England.

[Sue Mackay]

The 'No name' Brookes in the list of those convicts drowned off Cape Town in 1842 is Thomas. He was a farmer,aged about 31,from Clotton Hoofield, Cheshire convicted of larceny (precise details as yet unknown) & sentenced to 7 years transportation.
I am his gr.gr.gr.granddaughter living in Staffordshire,England.

Thanks for filling in that detail Amron, and welcome to the B-G Forums. I hope you will stick with us now you are here.

[TomDickHarry]

More than interesting read about the Waterloo,my gr.grandfather Pt Yardley was saved from the wreck,I have his army pay book and inscribed inside the from cover is the fact that he was saved from the wreck.

[Sue Mackay]

More than interesting read about the Waterloo,my gr.grandfather Pt Yardley was saved from the wreck,I have his army pay book and inscribed inside the from cover is the fact that he was saved from the wreck.

|wave| Croeso TomDickHarry and welcome to B-G

[Martin Ager]

I have known for some time that my Great, Great Grandfather, Frederick Ager, was one of four brothers. Three of them were doctors and the forth was the captain of the convict ship Waterloo that was wrecked in Table Bay. Though British, I am currently working in Southern Africa with the United Nations and on a recent visit to Cape Town my interest in the subject was raised and I have been doing some research on the internet where I came across this website.

I have not been able to find the details of the enquiry into the loss of the Waterloo and am not sure what blame, if any, for this disaster can be attributed to Captain Ager. I can only say that reading the reports of what happened I felt a strong sense of guilt for what had transpired so can only apologise on behalf of my ancestor to the descendants of the others involved in the tragedy.

My Uncle did some research into family history and my father, Derek Ager, found out some more details, I think largely from Charles Bateson’s book “The Convict Ships” which he would have found in a library in London. As far as I can make out from what my father wrote, the information there was largely drawn from the diary of the ship’s surgeon, Dr Henry Kelsall, which may still be in existence somewhere.

It seems that Captain Ager had made several journeys to Australia before, twice as Master of the AsiaV (1827 and 1831) once as Master of the Fairlie (1834) and then as master of the Waterloo in 1842. The ship had been plying this trade since 1829 and this was her 7th voyage. What Captain Ager did before he started this trade and whether he continued sailing after the wreck is a mystery to me.

The Ships Surgeon Dr Henry Kelsall was not at all impressed with her condition and wrote “the ship was perfectly rotten, as were also many other ships taken into government employ probably through interest or jobbery of some kind”. The mate reassured him that the ship was going to be renovated but it is quite possible that the Waterloo left in the same decrepit state that Kelsall had reported. Certainly she was leaking like a sieve in the fierce squalls of rain that she encountered at the equator. The ship was everywhere wet and scurvy broke out on board. The surgeon urged Captain Ager to put in to the Cape for fresh meat and vegetables and the Waterloo anchored in Table Bay on 24th August, 1842, though it was known to be an unsafe anchorage at the time of year. Captain Ager went ashore and the ship was left in charge of Chief Mate Jackson.

On August 26th a strong northerly gale sprang up with heavy rain. The ship broke loose but was held by two anchors. The top-gallant masts broke off and fell onto the deck. At about 10pm on August 27th, Dr Kelsall began to be apprehensive. Both anchors gave way at about 11pm. He consulted the Second Mate as he regarded the First Mate as useless. They lit flares for assistance. In the early morning of 28th the wind rose to hurricane strength and the troopship Abercrombie Robinson drove ashore. The First Mate refused to take responsibility for cutting away the masts and the surgeon ordered the irons be taken off the prisoners. The wives of the military guard gathered with their children in the small cabin or “cuddy”, fussing over their baggage until the seas got so rough they turned to praying.

The Waterloo was driven ashore, the masts broke off and the ship turned over onto her side. Many of the convicts jumped overboard and one of them rescued Dr Kelsall. Within two hours the ship had broken into pieces. At the subsequent enquiry Captain Ager was censured for remaining ashore and Jackson was censured for not lighting the ship. The enquiry also noted that the ship’s timbers were rotten and that the ship was not seaworthy. The one good thing that came out of the disaster was that more stringent instructions about the inspection of ships were issued by the Admiralty.

The only other thing that I know about Captain Henry Ager was that he was married to a woman called Amy and had a son who was also called Henry who married an Elisabeth. There was also a daughter called Amy who died young.

On my recent visit to Cape Town I found a plaque on the top of Table Mountain which shows the position of the wreck of the Waterloo amongst some of the many other wrecks around that part of the coast. Cape Town is a very windy place at the best of times and in 1842 there were not the extensive harbour works that there are today to make it a busy and safe port.

[susan-y]

Welcome Martin!

What interesting reading... You should not feel guilt for something that certainly beyond your control. Your information will help other people answer some of their lingering questions on a very compelling subject.
It is very hard for us to even imagine the horror those poor people endured and so many of them were likely there because they were trying to support their family in desperate times and erred.

Sue

[v.wells]

A really interesting read Martin :) Welcome to B-G and we hope you stay a while |wave|

[Sue Mackay]

Fascinating Martin.


The only other thing that I know about Captain Henry Ager was that he was married to a woman called Amy and had a son who was also called Henry who married an Elisabeth. There was also a daughter called Amy who died young.

I don't know for sure if it is the same man, but the name is not that common. There is a marriage amongst the London Metropolitan Archive images recently uploaded to Ancestry between a Henry AGER and an Amy SILBERRAD. The marriage took place in St.Katherine Cree Church, London on 28 May 1825. The marriage was by licence, so the licence might tell you more. Henry was described as being from the parish of St.Mary, Whitechapel.

Aha, just seen that there are also baptisms of children to "Henry and Amey Ager" in the London registers.

Henry, baptised St.Giles, Camberwell 31 January 1827. Father described as "Officer in the Hon. East India Co.'s Service" Residence: Peckham

Amey, baptised St.Giles, Camberwell 14 April 1830. Father described as "Gentleman". Residence: Camberwell

Mary, baptised St.Katherine Cree 11 January 1832. Father described as "Sea Captain" Residence: St.George's, Camberwell.

Francis, baptised St.Giles, Camberwell 27 November 1833. Father described as "Captain of a Merchantman". Residence: Camberwell

[Sue Mackay]

If the family in my previous post is the right one, then it would seem that the daughter Amey did not die in infancy.

1861 Census: RG9; Piece: 365; Folio: 134; Page: 16 (original at TNA, Crown Copyright)17 Grosvenor Cottages, Millbrook Road, Lambeth

Henry AGER Head Widower 35 Com'l Clerk Timber & Iron Merchant born Peckham
Amey AGER Sister Unm 31 Governess Daily born Peckham
Mary AGER Sister Unm 29 Housekeeper born Peckham

Edit: Francis died young. There is a burial entry for 19th February 1838 for Francis AGER, aged 4. Address: High Street, Peckham

[Sue Mackay]

I have known for some time that my Great, Great Grandfather, Frederick Ager, was one of four brothers. Three of them were doctors and the forth was the captain of the convict ship Waterloo that was wrecked in Table Bay.

It looks as if the Henry AGER I found might be the right one, as I see there is also a marriage in St.Katharine Cree on 20 October 1829 between a Frederick AGER of St.Mary's Whitechapel and a Helen Eliza SILBERRAD. Was this a case of two brothers marrying two sisters?

[Sue Mackay]

Children of Charles and Mary SILBERRAD
Charles born 28 Oct 1794 bap 24 Nov St.Leonard's, Shoreditch
Amey born 18 Oct 1796 bap 27 Nov St.Leonard's, Shoreditch
Elizabeth bap 20 Sep 1800 St.Katharine Cree
Richard born 26 Jan 1802 bap 22 Feb St.Katharine Cree
Louisa bap 4 May 1808 St.Katharine Cree
Helen Eliza born 6 July 1810 bap 1 Aug St.Katharine Cree
Frances born 8 Apr 1812 bap 8 May St.Katharine Cree

Louisa was a witness at her sister Amey's marriage, along with Charles and Helen Eliza (and Fanny was a witness at Helen's, along with Louisa and Charles and a Martha BURTON) so I suspect Elizabeth may have died, as I have found a notice on Google Book Search from The New Monthly Magazine, which states

At St.Katherine Cree Church, Frederick, fifth son of J. AGER Esq of Felstead, Essex to Helen Eliza, third daughter of Mr. SILBERRAD of Aldgate.


There is a burial for Charles SILBERRAD of Aldgate, aged 57, on 5 May 1833 at St.Katherine Cree.

Does this sound like your family?

[Sue Mackay]

As far as I can make out from what my father wrote, the information there was largely drawn from the diary of the ship’s surgeon, Dr Henry Kelsall, which may still be in existence somewhere.

Possible this document (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=5038525&CATLN=6&Highlight=%2CHENRY%2CKELSALL&accessmethod=0) at the National Archives in Kew. (See Folios 12-15)

[Thomasin]

Henry's brother Frederick was one of the doctors mentioned by Martin. He and Helen baptised seven children at St Mary, Whitechapel, and Frederick is described as a Surgeon.

[Sue Mackay]

1841 census: Class: HO107; Piece 719; Book: 2; Civil Parish: Allhallows Barking; County: Middlesex; Enumeration District: 1; Folio: 6; Page: 4 (original at TNA, Crown copyright)
Tower Hill

Frederick AGER 48 Surgeon Not born in County
Helen wife 30
Frederick 10
Sidney 6
Louisa 4
Fanny 3
Helen 6mo

It is interesting to note that of the seven children baptised in Whitechapel that Thomasin found, three died in infancy and were buried in St.Katherine Cree church.
Helen Eliza bur 26/7/1838 aged 6
Clara Sophia bur 29/6/1834 aged 1
Albert bur 28 Dec 1840 aged 15 mo (address Trinity Square, Tower Hill)

So even although Frederick was a doctor he could not prevent three of his children from dying. He might even have brought contagion into the house. Tough times indeed.

Just as they obviously named a subsequent child Helen, they must have had another son called Albert.

1851 census: HO107; Piece: 1539; Folio: 633; Page: 26 (original TNA, Crown copyright)
10 Oval, Bethnal Green

Frederick AGER Mar 58 General Practitioner, College of Surgeons London born Bucks, Bowbrick Hill
Fred son 20 unm Clerk to engineer born Whitechapel
Albert son 6 Scholar born City of London

Not sure where Helen and the other children were on census night. Helen Eliza (nee SILBERRAD) appears to have died June qtr 1856 in Bethnal Green.

[Sue Mackay]

The parents of Frederick (and presumably Henry) AGER would appear to be Joseph and Mary. Frederick was born in Bow Brickhill, Buckinghamshire, and it seems likely that he was born at Caldecott Manor (http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62586), sold by Joseph in 1798.

[johnmillwood]

Hi Sue
I am interested to find out when Captain Henry Ager was born ...My interest in him is because I collect Tasmanian colonial portraits and I have just acquired a portrait of Henry done on board the "ASIA" which he was the captain and was transporting convicts to Tasmania in 1827 ..the portrait was done by a William Buelow Gould who was a convict .I would be grateful for any information .


Regards ,

John Millwood

[Sue Mackay]

Hi Sue
I am interested to find out when Captain Henry Ager was born ...My interest in him is because I collect Tasmanian colonial portraits and I have just acquired a portrait of Henry done on board the "ASIA" which he was the captain and was transporting convicts to Tasmania in 1827 ..the portrait was done by a William Buelow Gould who was a convict .I would be grateful for any information .


Hallo John, and welcome to British-Genealogy. I am delighted that this thread has garnered yet another member :smile5:


The parents of Frederick (and presumably Henry) AGER would appear to be Joseph and Mary. Frederick was born in Bow Brickhill, Buckinghamshire, and it seems likely that he was born at Caldecott Manor (http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62586), sold by Joseph in 1798.

This is not actually my family, and Martin may come back to tell you more, but looking at what I found for Martin previously it looks as if Henry's parents were Joseph and Mary, but this would need to be confirmed. The IGI gave a likely baptism for Henry, son of Joseph and Mary, and with the exact date I was able to find this amongst the unindexed pre 1813 images from the London Metropolitan Archives available on Ancestry.

London, England, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 Record for London, England, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812
Choose Westmister
Choose St.Marylebone
Choose 1786-1793
Go to Page 31

Baptism, St.Mary St.Marylebone, London 6 December 1787
Henry AGER, of Joseph and Mary, b 20 Septr.

[Martin Ager]

Well all of this has added considerably to my knowledge of my family history which was based on the family tree drawn up by my Uncle from notes recorded in the old family bible and painstaking research around London. The wonders of the Internet!

I knew that Dr Frederick Ager was married to Helen Eliza Silberrad but did not know that his brother Henry (the sea captain) married her sister Amy.

Two of the 11 children of Frederick and Helen Eliza Ager; Frederick Birch (b1830) and Sidney Charles (b1835) dissapeared in Australia and family tradition has it that they went to a gold rush and were not heard of again. Perhaps going to Australia was not such a big step as I had thought when their Uncle Henry had been their several times only a few years earlier on the convict runs.

I would be really interested to see a photo of the protrait of Captain Henry Ager if John Milwood could send me one at martin DOT ager AT fao DOT org

Best regards

Martin Ager

[Sue Mackay]

Two of the 11 children of Frederick and Helen Eliza Ager; Frederick Birch (b1830) and Sidney Charles (b1835) dissapeared in Australia and family tradition has it that they went to a gold rush and were not heard of again. Perhaps going to Australia was not such a big step as I had thought when their Uncle Henry had been their several times only a few years earlier on the convict runs.

Ancestry has a passenger list for the "Hanover", which sailed London to Sydney, dated 28 Sep 1854
Frederick Birch AGER, aged 18, was apparently a member of the crew. He is down as OS, which I presume stands for Ordinary Seaman?

[Martin Ager]

Thanks to you all, particularly Sue, for all this information. I am sure that this is my family and have managed to improve my family tree considerably with information and biographical notes. I have also exteded it outwards with information from the Internet, through marriage, to some interesting characters. The problem now is getting to the parents and beyond of Thomas and Joseph Ager in Bow Brickhill, Bucks. It seems that there are lots of interesting documents in the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies in Aylesbury but I cannot get at them from where I now live in Zimbabwe. I will have to look them up next time I am in the UK. If anyone is interested in the tree that I have managed to construct I am very happy to share the Excel spreadsheet if you send me your e-mail address. Martin Ager

[clockmaker]

G'day Sue, What an interesting story! I found a possible, Thomas Barlow, in the list of dead convicts. Now I have to see if I can find out any details & fit him into my tree.
Kind regards

[lindamarshman]

Hi Martin

I am a direct descendent of Louisa Ann Ager the daughter of Eliza and Fred.Louisa married my Great great grandad Romeo George Rice.I would like you to email your family tree ,please.

kind regards

linda

[Sue Mackay]

Hi Martin

I am a direct descendent of Louisa Ann Ager the daughter of Eliza and Fred.Louisa married my Great great grandad Romeo George Rice.I would like you to email your family tree ,please.

kind regards

linda

|wave| Hallo Linda, and welcome to B-G. I see Martin has not visited the forum for a bit, but hopefully your post will generate an e-mail notification to him. You might want to send him a private message (click on his user name) with your e-mail.

Now you are here, do take a look round the rest of the site.

[K Hodgkinson]

Hi, My ten year old son is doing 1 page convict diary at school, and I suggested my 2x Great Grandfather, John Clifford, who survived the Waterloo shipwreck, so I went to the internet for additional information and found this website.

I have a newspaper cutting which details John Clifford's 100th Birthday, as well as a photo of him taken on his 100th Birthday (he died later that year), and a copy of his convict record etc... which has the following information: son of Mary, stepson of John Richardson, and brother of William, Ann, Betsy, James and Mary, of Norwood, which I believe is a suburb of London. Of course, as Clifford and Richardson are both well-known surnames, I haven't made any progress with finding information about the rest of John's Family.

The other thing I remember seeing on John's record (court trial) he was using the name John Taylor. Was this possiby his mother's maiden name?

best wishes, (and hoping to find more information), Kathryn

[Sue Mackay]

Hi, My ten year old son is doing 1 page convict diary at school, and I suggested my 2x Great Grandfather, John Clifford, who survived the Waterloo shipwreck, so I went to the internet for additional information and found this website.



Hi Kathryn

Welcome to B-G Forums. However you found us, we hope you will stay! I am also delighted if I have contributed in some small way to your son's school project :smile: It is good to hear that some at least of the men from the Waterloo reached a ripe old age.

If no-one comes forward to help with John's family on this particular forum, then it might be an idea to start a new thread on the London Forum (http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/103-London-main-forum) with specific questions about the family left behind.

[Sue Mackay]

The other thing I remember seeing on John's record (court trial) he was using the name John Taylor. Was this possiby his mother's maiden name?



The alias is mentioned in the Proceedings of the Old Bailey. He was given ten years for stealing a horse!

http://www.
oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=def1-1940-18410705&div=t18410705-1940#highlight

[Sue Mackay]

best wishes, (and hoping to find more information), Kathryn

I have now copied your post to a new thread on the London Forum here. (http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/showthread.php/69801-Clifford-Richardson-Taylor-in-Norwood-area?p=487650#post487650)

Anyone with info on the family left behind should post on that thread.

[Clifford Family]

Hi All, I am new to this board.

I am a direct descendant of Jospeh CLIFFORD, one of the survivors of the Waterloo. Clifford remained in Tasmania after his sentence expired and became one of the early pioneers of the East Coast/Portland district. Living in Tasmania I have a good deal of information concerning his life in Tasmania, his children, grandchildren etc.

I would be very interested in making contact with English relatives of Jospeh CLIFFORD and exchanging information, photographs etc. If you can help or are a relative please send me a private message.

I am also interested in making contact with any direct descendants of Richcard ADCOCK, a convict that sadly drowned on the Waterloo.

Was a detailed description list of the convicts on board the Waterloo [detailing height, hair colour, eye colour, marks/tattoos etc.] made in England before departure? These details were recorded in Tasmania on arrival but only for the survivors of course, so the description list is incomplete. I'm hoping someone can find this information or at least point me in the direction where to find it.

Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from interested researchers.

Best Wishes for the Christmas Season,

John

[Sue Mackay]

I am also interested in making contact with any direct descendants of Richcard ADCOCK, a convict that sadly drowned on the Waterloo.

Was a detailed description list of the convicts on board the Waterloo [detailing height, hair colour, eye colour, marks/tattoos etc.] made in England before departure? These details were recorded in Tasmania on arrival but only for the survivors of course, so the description list is incomplete. I'm hoping someone can find this information or at least point me in the direction where to find it.


Hallo John, and a warm welcome to B-G. My information in this thread was taken from the newspaper reports in the South African Commercial Advertiser, and I have no detailed knowledge of what records were made prior to departure. I presume that you are looking for additional details on Richard ADCOCK, as you seem to have them for Joseph CLIFFORD? I looked on Ancestry at the criminal registers and there was a Richard ADCOCK convicted of stealing in January 1841 in Lincoln, but I have no idea if this is the right one. If it is, then there is also the image of a record from the prison hulk 'Fortitude' which states a Richard ADCOCK, convisted of stealing from a shop in Lincoln on 14 January 1841, was received on the hulk on 4th December 1841. He was aged 37. If this is the right chap then it may be a good idea for you to start a new thread on Richard on the Lincolnshire forum (http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/101-Lincolnshire-county-wide-forum).

[Clifford Family]

Hi Sue, thank you for welcoming me to the board.

Thank you also for the Old Bailey transcript re John Clifford linked above - I have his convict records at the "Tasmanian end" but not any English records, so a big thank you.

Thanks also to Kathryn H, we have made contact off the board.

I have very little information about John Clifford from English records - would census information be (easily) available showing exactly where he was living, how many persons in the house etc.?

At a guess his trial might have also been reported in an English newspaper? Is this information available or only on subscription services?

[Clifford Family]

Hi Sue,


I looked on Ancestry at the criminal registers and there was a Richard ADCOCK convicted of stealing in January 1841 in Lincoln, but I have no idea if this is the right one. If it is, then there is also the image of a record from the prison hulk 'Fortitude' which states a Richard ADCOCK, convisted of stealing from a shop in Lincoln on 14 January 1841, was received on the hulk on 4th December 1841. He was aged 37.

Is it possible for you to post a link to the hulk Fortitude record? This could well be the same man, the dates match for him being sent on the Waterloo, though a more detective work is needed. I'll start another thread for Adcock as suggested.

[Sue Mackay]

Is it possible for you to post a link to the hulk Fortitude record? This could well be the same man, the dates match for him being sent on the Waterloo, though a more detective work is needed. I'll start another thread for Adcock as suggested.

The AUP (http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/announcement.php?f=402) prevents me giving links to commercial sites. If you have access to Ancestry you will find it under Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills and it comes up in an initial list of hits if you just type in Richard Adcock and then scroll to that section.

I saw your new thread on Richard Adcock (http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/showthread.php/71421-Richard-Adcock-Waterloo-wreck-1842) and see that you have already received some more information from Pam Downes and Coromandel, two of our most trustworthy researchers, so any further info that members have on Richard should be posted on that thread.

[alfier]

It certainly made interesting reading, bad enough that the convicts were give 14 years to serve in a thankless land without having to forego such a dreaded journey. Thankyou for the post

[Clifford Family]

Wishing everyone on the board a Happy New Year!

I am searching for any information re Issac HANCOCK, a convict that died on the Waterloo wreck.

It appears that he was not tried at the Old Bailey but elsewhere.

If anyone can locate details for this man (age, crime, length of sentence, age etc.) I would be most grateful.

Kind Regards

[Clifford Family]

One online source states Issac Hancock was sentenced to LIFE transportation at Gloucester, but that's all i have. A copy of his case would be great if anyone can find it. Would like to find his age, whether he was single/married or had family. I don't know what his crime was.

[Kerrywood]

One online source states Issac Hancock was sentenced to LIFE transportation at Gloucester, but that's all i have. A copy of his case would be great if anyone can find it. Would like to find his age, whether he was single/married or had family. I don't know what his crime was.
The Criminal Register (HO 27/66) shows Isaac HANCOCK aged 37, tried at Gloucester Assizes on 30 March 1842, convicted of Horse-Stealing after a previous conviction. The court records are at the National Archives, not available online. Records of the assizes don't normally include a trial transcript and may not tell you much.

A previous conviction for an Isaac HANCOCK is recorded on 30 June 1840 (HO 27/60), also for horse-stealing, at Gloucester County Sessions. His age is written as 25, not a good match with the above record (though either could be wrong). On this earlier occasion he was sentenced to 18 months in gaol.

The Gloucestershire Genealogical Database shows that Isaac HANCOCK was held in Gloucester Gaol on both occasions (if it is the same man).

http://ww3.gloucestershire.gov.uk/genealogy

The sessions records for the 1840 hearing and the Gaol Registers for both years are at Gloucestershire Archives, who will send you copies.
www.
gloucestershire.gov.uk/familyhistory

[Kerrywood]

Further to the above, the hulk register HO 9/13 (Justitia, moored at Woolwich) confirms the place and date of Isaac HANCOCK's trial and describes him as aged 37, married, could both read and write, a baker by trade, and of Bad Character. He was transported to VDL on 20 May 1842.

[spison]

Further to the above, the hulk register HO 9/13 (Justitia, moored at Woolwich) confirms the place and date of Isaac HANCOCK's trial and describes him as aged 37, married, could both read and write, a baker by trade, and of Bad Character. He was transported to VDL on 20 May 1842.
HO 9 is available to be read on the AJCP at the NLA. If you search the index you may also find other references to him. If you are near Canberra you can just go as the reels are on open shelves in the Newspaper Room downstairs. If you are not near Canberra you can order these reels on inter-library loan. Becoming a member of the NLA allows you online access to some wonderful resources including the English 19th Century Newspapers. Membership can be completed online and they will post you your reader's card. You'll need a reader's card if you visit the library too (so you can log on to the readers) but it takes no time to arrange when you're there.
Jane