First Fleet of South Australia
{{Short description|First ships to sail from England to South Australia}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
In 1836, at least nine ships carried the first European settlers from England to the south coast of Australia for the establishment of the City of Adelaide and the province of South Australia.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44579008 |title=Our Pioneer Ships — A Narrative of 1836 |newspaper=South Australian Register |location=Adelaide |date=27 July 1886 |accessdate=6 June 2015 |page=6 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}
Although not all of the ships sailed together, they have been referred to as the "First Fleet of South Australia" since all were carrying the first immigrants, including the founding planners and administrators of the new settlement, all of whom were represented at the proclamation of the new province.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article160634101 |title=Things That Happened Here a Hundred Years Ago |newspaper=Sydney Mail |volume=L |issue=1284 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=4 November 1936 |accessdate=9 February 2019 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}
People
After a historic meeting at Exeter Hall on 30 June 1834, where the principles, objects, plan and prospects of the new Colony of South Australia were explained to the public, hundreds of enquiries from prospective immigrants started to arrive at the South Australian Association's headquarters in London.{{cite web | title=Brief History: Colony built on a dream| website=Exploring Adelaide|publisher=Tourist Information Distributors Australia | url=http://www.exploringaustralia.com.au/history.php?s=adel | access-date=7 December 2020}}
The ships that sailed in 1836 would carry prospective emigrants as well as staff employed by the South Australian Company, a private business enterprise, and various appointees of the British Government to set up the new British Province of South Australia. Under the emigration scheme, labouring classes received free passage. They had to be between 15 and 30 years of age, preferably married, and needed two references. Steerage passengers paid £15-20, middle berth £35-40, and cabin class £70. Children under 14 years were charged £3 while those under 1 year were free.{{cite web | title=Emigrants seeking free passage to South Australia 1836–1841 | website=Findmypast | url=https://www.findmypast.com.au/articles/world-records/full-list-of-australia-and-new-zealand-records/travel-and-migration/emigrants-seeking-free-passage-to-south-australia-18361841|first= Graham|last= Jaunay| access-date=7 December 2020}}
Ships
In January 1836 four ships sailed from England on behalf of the South Australian Company, ahead of the planned expedition by the South Australian Colonization Commission, the board set up under the South Australia Act 1834. They developed a settlement at Kingscote on Kangaroo Island, in July 1836, but when farming proved unviable, both the settlement and the Company's operations were moved to the mainland.
Four of the ships were sent by the South Australian Company, three were chartered by the Colonization Commission, and the other two were chartered privately.{{cite web | publisher=State Library of South Australia | title=South Australian Company | website= SA Memory | date= 29 Oct 2014 | url=https://www.samemory.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=1483 | access-date=9 December 2020}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49778332 |title=Majority of the Colony of South Australia |newspaper=South Australian Register |volume=XXII |issue=3509 |date=5 January 1858 |accessdate=9 December 2020 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}} The ships began sailing from England in 1836 from January until about June, and arrived on the South Australian coast (all but one initially landing on Kangaroo Island) from July to December that year,{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44579008 |title=The infancy of South Australian settlement |newspaper=South Australian Register |volume=LI |issue=2,387 |location=South Australia |date=27 July 1886 |access-date=6 December 2019 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}} with the new province proclaimed on 28 December at Glenelg.
It is difficult for scholars to arrive at a definitive list of pioneer ships given the lack of extant primary evidence due to poor record keeping and accidental loss of records.{{cite web|title=Passenger Lists|url=http://boundforsouthaustralia.com.au/ships/passenger-lists.html |website=Bound for South Australia |publisher=History Trust of South Australia |accessdate=25 June 2015}}{{efn|name=fn1| The Company's barque South Australian, which brought Samuel Stephens's replacement David McLaren to Kingscote, Kangaroo Island Kingscote on 22 April 1837, is not included in the list.}} The following list is based on the best available records,{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article159446207 |title=The Pioneers of South Australia |newspaper=Adelaide Observer |date=10 November 1877 |accessdate=6 June 2015 |page=6 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} ordered chronologically by date of arrival in South Australia.
| class="wikitable"
! Ship | Type and burthen (bm) | Master
! Departure date | Nepean Bay arrival date (1836) | Holdfast Bay arrival date (1836) |
| rowspan=2 | Duke of York 37 passengers | Barque,* 197 tons | 24 February | 27 July*{{efn|name=fn2|Disagreement exists in the primary sources as to the arrival date of the Duke of York at Nepean Bay. George Kingston gives the date of the arrival as 28 July whereas Robert Russell, the second mate, gives the date as 27 July.}} | | ||||
| colspan=5 | Known passengers:{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49778363 |title=The First Vessel |newspaper=South Australian Register |volume=XXII |issue=3509 |location=South Australia |date=5 January 1858 |accessdate=12 January 2017 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{efn|name=fn3|Passenger names included here are those which might be found elsewhere in Wikipedia and in newspapers of the 1800s. For further names, refer to the external links at the end of the article.}}
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}} | ||||
| rowspan=2 | {{ship | Lady Mary Pelham|1816 ship|2}} 29 passengers | Barque,* 206 tons | Robert Ross | 7 April | 28 July{{efn|name=fn4|Disagreement exists in the primary sources as to the arrival date of the Lady Mary Pelham at Nepean Bay. George Kingston gives the date of the arrival as 28 July whereas Robert Russell, the second mate, gives the date as 30 July, which is probably correct, as the two vessels spoke to each other on the voyage out, and the Lady Mary was in close company with the Duke.}} | | |||
| colspan=5 | Known passengers:{{efn|name=fn3}}
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| rowspan=2 | John Pirie 28 passengers | Schooner | George Martin | 22 February | 16 August | | ||||
| colspan=5 | Known passengers:{{efn|name=fn3}}
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}} | ||||
| rowspan=2 | Rapid 24 passengers | Brig,* 162 tons | Col. William Light | | 2 August | | ||||
| colspan=5 | Known passengers:{{efn|name=fn3}}
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| rowspan=2 | Cygnet 84 passengers | Barque | John Rolls | | 11 September | 5 November | ||||
| colspan=5 | Known passengers:{{efn|name=fn3}}
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There was also a third William Williams in the colony, William Brabyn Williams, who arrived in SA in 1843 after two years in Tasmania; he was a blacksmith, who lived in Brompton and Bowden, and died in 1892.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25344031 |title=Death of an old colonist. |newspaper=The Advertiser |volume=XXXV |issue=10655 |location=South Australia |date=10 December 1892 |accessdate=3 March 2021 |page=10 |via=National Library of Australia}}}}
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| rowspan=2 | Emma 22 passengers | Barque | John F. Nelson | | 5 October | | ||||
| colspan=5 | Known passengers:{{efn|name=fn3}}
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| rowspan=2 | {{ship | Africaine|1832 ship|2}} 76 passengers | Barque,* 346 tons | 28 June | 2 November | 8 November | |||
| colspan=5 | Known passengers:{{efn|name=fn3}}
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| rowspan=2 | Tam O'Shanter 74 passengers | Barque | Whiteman Freeman | | 30 November | 17 December | ||||
| colspan=5 | Known passengers:{{efn|name=fn3}}
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| rowspan=2 | {{HMS|Buffalo|1813|3}} 174 passengers | Barque | | 24 December | 28 December | ||||
| colspan=5 | Known passengers:{{efn|name=fn3}}
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Table notes
{{notelist}}
See also
References
{{Reflist|2}}
Further reading
=Passenger lists=
- {{cite web|url=https://bound-for-south-australia.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/|website=State Library of South Australia|title=Bound for South Australia: Passenger lists 1836-1851|first=Diane|last=Cummings|quote=Virtually every passenger list for the 3000 overseas and local ships that came to South Australia between 1836-1851, plus a host of additional information (individual names, ages, occupations, etc).}}
- {{cite thesis|url=https://theses.flinders.edu.au/view/e06ed5b3-637e-4df4-84c3-b91f9b603f83/1|publisher=Flinders University|first=Heidi|last=Ing|type=PhD|date=2020|title=South Australia's First Expedition: three generations of settler-colonial social mobility}} [https://flex.flinders.edu.au/file/e06ed5b3-637e-4df4-84c3-b91f9b603f83/1/HIng_Thesis_Final_Library_Copy.pdf PDF] This thesis lists all passengers of six ships (it excludes Africaine, Buffalo and Tam O' Shanter), including occupations, and examines their and their descendants' social mobility after arrival.
- {{cite web|url=http://www.familyhistorysa.org/shipping/passengerlists.html|website= FamilyHistory|title= South Australian Shipping & Immigration: Passenger Lists|first=Barry|last=Leadbeater}}
- {{cite web|url=http://boundforsouthaustralia.com.au/ships/passenger-lists.html|website=Bound for South Australia|title=Passenger lists }} Links to the lists for 6 ships (excluding Africaine, Buffalo and Tam O' Shanter).
- {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article162367523 |title=Proclamation day in 1836. The First Fleet. |newspaper=Adelaide Observer |volume=LIII |issue=2,882 |date=26 December 1896 |page=1 (Illustrated Supplement) |via=National Library of Australia}} Lists all passengers and crew on all ships.
- {{cite web|url=http://boundforsouthaustralia.com.au/ships/passenger-lists/tam-oshanter-passenger-list.html|website=Bound for South Australia|title=Tam O'Shanter passenger list}}
=Other=
- {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article191545165 |title=Early History on K I |newspaper=The Kangaroo Island Courier |volume=XIX |issue=40 |location=South Australia |date=9 October 1926 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}} Article about a booklet entitled Kangaroo Island. The tragedy of Dr. Slater and Mr Osborne, by Dr. A. A. Lendon, which was published in the Kangaroo Island Courier in parts [https://trove.nla.gov.au/search/category/newspapers?keyword=Kangaroo%20Island.%20Tbe%20tragedy%20of%20Dr.%20Slater%20and%20Mr%20Osborne%20lendon from December 1926 to January 1927]. Reproduced in full [https://sites.google.com/kipioneers.org/kipioneersassociation/history/journal-of-robert-fisher here] by the Kangaroo Island Pioneers Association.