Maria (1798 ship)

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Great Britain
NameMaria
OwnerVarious
BuilderJohn Smith, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire,[1][2]
Launched26 March 1798
FateLast listed in 1833
General characteristics
Tons burthen413,[3] or 424,[4] or 427,[1] or 430[2] (bm)
Armament
  • 1798: 4 × 6-pounder guns;[3] later 6
  • 1815: 18 guns

Maria was launched in 1798 at Gainsborough, upstream from Hull. She spent the first half of her career or so as a West Indiaman. She then made two voyages to Australia transporting convicts. On the first of these voyages she transported women convicts to Port Jackson; on the second she transported men to Hobart. On her second voyage she returned via Bombay. She is last listed in 1833.

Career[edit]

Convict voyage #1: (1818): Captain Henry Williams sailed from England on 3 April 1818. Maria sailed via Rio de Janeiro and arrived at Port Jackson on 17 September.[5] She had embarked 126 women convicts and suffered two deaths en route.[6] In October she departed for England.

Lloyd's Register shows her departing on 31 July 1820 for Bombay under a license from the EIC.[7] There is a discrepancy between the name of the owner cited her and the name of the owner cited elsewhere in the volume (see Table below). Furthermore, Maria was first sailing to Hobart, and presumably from there sailing to Bombay before returning to England.

Convict voyage #2: (1820): Captain Harris Walker sailed from England on 28 July 1820 and arrived at Hobart on 1 December 1820.[8] Maria had embarked 156 male convicts and she suffered no convict deaths en route.[9]

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1798 S. Stark
J. Foot
Smith & Co.
Dale & Co.
Hull-St Petersburg
London–Jamaica
Lloyd's Register (LR)LR[3]
1800 J. Foot Dale & Co. London–Jamaica LR
1805 Gardner
McMasters
Moulton London–Jamaica LR[4]
1810 Taylor Moulton London–Jamaica LR
1815 J.Weller Gale & Co. London transport LR;[2] Gainsborough origin
1819 Williams Soames & Co. London–New South Wales LR; thorough repair 1817
1821 Walker Soames & Co. London–New South Wales LR
1825 H. Williams J. Taylor London–Quebec LR
1830 W. Taylor J. Taylor Bristol-Liverpool LR
1833 W. Taylor J. Taylor Bristol-Liverpool LR; last listing

Citations[edit]

References[edit]

  • Bateson, Charles (1959). The Convict Ships, 1787-1868. Brown, Son & Ferguson. OCLC 3778075.
  • Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-96-7.