Obscure, Eccentric and Missing Lists from the Colony of New South Wales 1783~1823

List of convicts secreted to Norfolk Island as stowaways per Admiral Barrington – 27 Jan 1792

• Samuel Pearson, William & Ann 1791
• William Jones, Britannia 1791
• John Morgan, Surprize 1790 or Atlantic 1791
• Joseph Smith, Admiral Barrington 1791
• Edward Brown, William & Ann 1791
• James Scott, Active 1791
• Sarah Smith, Albemarle 1791

Embarkation of the Establishment of the New South Wales Corps to the Colony aboard Pitt East Indiaman

Departed Yarmouth 17th July 1791, arrived at Port Jackson 14 Feb 1792 with the Articles of the Corps including Paylists. It was recorded to be 78 men departed including officers on a return of 16 April 1791. By 22 Oct 1791 at Rio de Janeiro 13 Corps had died along with five Wives and a child. Two Wives of soldiers who had died enroute were allowed to depart at the Cape of Good Hope in December 1791 and return to England. After deaths, departures and desertion enroute the total arrived in the Colony was reported at six officers and 61 Rank & File, with nine Women and six children accompanying

• Major Francis Grose, Major – Commander, Lieut-Governor
• Joseph Foveaux, Captain
• Thomas Rowley, Lieut-Adjutant
• John Clephane, Ensign
• John Piper, Ensign
• Neil McKellar, Ensign
• Edward Laing, Surgeon’s Mate

Rank & File NSW Corps aboard Pitt East Indiaman to New South Wales including those who did not arrive

List of Scottish convicts in Hulks under order of transportation to New South Wales – 2 May 1792

Transfers from other Regiments to The NSW Corps or previous service in England Feb – Nov 1792

• John Davis, Plymouth Marines & Independent Company
• Wm Norris(2), 42nd Foot
• Richard White, Corp, 1st Dragoon Guards & Independant Company
• Samuel Porter, 1st Foot
• John Butcher, 1st Dragoon Guards
• William Neale, 2nd Foot

List of NSW Corps aboard Royal Admiral East Indiaman embarked from Torbay 30th May 1791, arrived in Port Jackson 7th October 1792

A return made at Sydney Cove, 10 Oct 1792 records a Non Comm officer, 19 Privates, a Wife and two Children belonging to the NSW Corps as arriving on the vessel. The Muster Roll of a detachment of His Majesty’s NSW Corps subsisted from June to December 1792 contains this number with an added Corporal marked as embarked & subsisted to 14 November

List of Free Persons embarked aboard Royal Admiral East Indiaman, arrived in Port Jackson 7th October 1792. Three children of convicts were born and deceased at Sea. One convict’s child, Eleanor Springate, was born aboard ship 10 Oct 1792 and died days later at Port Jackson

Kitty Transport, arrived at Sydney Cove 18th November 1792 with no NSW Corps aboard. However, there was trouble amongst the crew at Port Jackson and several troublesome Seaman are indicated in ‘A Sequel to Barrington’s Voyage’ lead by Benjmin Williams to have been removed from the vessel in Sydney. These are likely the men referenced by David Collins below. They were replaced at sailing from Sydney by several exemplary convicts and a sailer recently discharged from Daedalus

David Collins noted in his journal that before Royal Admiral left Port Jackson she discharged Quartermaster Henry Hacking to the colony. Capt George Johnston was enlisting for his new Company attached to the NSW Corps at this time and was very keen on enlisting any man of suitable character with some military or similar background. There were also six Royal Admiral crew (listed below) who ran from the ship in Port Jackson who were referenced by Collins, “…his in some measure checked the spirit of disobedience in the ship, (Kitty) and the duty was carried on better than before. Her preparations for Norfolk Island however went on but slowly, four or five of her hands having left her. These, together with some other seamen who had been left behind from the Royal Admiral were either employed in the public boats belonging to the colony, or had entered into the New South Wales corps; into which corps also several convicts of good character had been lately received, to complete the company that had been formed from the marines under the command of Captain Johnston, being composed of many excellent soldiers from the marines; who entered into it voluntarily, and whose conduct had met the entire approbation of their officers.”

Crew of Royal Admiral who ran from the ship in Port Jackson 6-8 Nov 1792. Replaced with seven seamen from Atlantic

List of Convicts and others allowed to enlist into the NSW Corps in the Colony in 1792. Commencing February 1792, after the arrival of Francis Grose, a small number of convicts and free men in good standing were allowed to enlist the Corps. It’s very likely that these men were all enlisted into Capt Johnston’s new company of former Marines annexed to the Corps being raised in the colony. As he was struggling to make full Company numbers, he was allowed to enlist the following:

List of former First Fleet Marines and others who enlisted Capt Johnston’s Company of NEW South Wales Corps in 1792

List of Alterations in The New South Wales Corps which occured in the missing paylist of 25 June - 24 December 1792

Deaths in the NSW Corps in 1792. Cited dates are St Philips date of burial unless otherwise noted

• 19 Feb 1792 – William Giles
• 10 Mar 1792 – Richard Powell, died on Norfolk Island
• 13 Mar 1792 – Corporal Isaac Beatty, no NSW burial
• 24 Mar 1792 – James Thomas
• 3 Apr 1792 – Thomas/Henry Briggs
• 4 Apr 1792 – Thomas Petty, burial st St John’s
• 18 May 1792 – George Chisholm(Jessim), St John’s
• 6 Jun 1792 – William Hume
• 16 Jun 1792 – Michael Rice
• 27 Dec 1792 – William Ellis, no NSW Burial
• 31 Dec 1792 – James Stephenson

List of Former Marines Embarked aboard Atlantic Transport with Governor Phillip for England December 1792 – “Sir, You will please to inform the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that the Atlantic, store-ship, which returned to this port the 20th of last June from Calcutta, under the command of Lieut. Bowen, naval agent, is now fitting for sea, and will sail for England with the remainder of the detachment of marines now on duty in this settlement by the middle of next month – 4th October, 1792. The Return of Marines doing duty at Sydney 12th Oct 1792 records three Lieuts and 19 Rank & File. Those marked * are not absolutely proven but very likely to have been aboard as they were still serving Marines and there is no record of them in NSW beyond Dec 1792. The above extracts imply that only those who had served the extra year in NSW with the Marine detachment at the request of Phillip would be returned to England by Atlantic (without cost to themselves). Atlantic arrived at Portsmouth 23 May 1793, where a number of the NSW Marines aboard were allowed to be discharged due to illness and being ‘unserviceable’

Return to 1791

Onward to 1793

Home