The ''Clontarf'', an immigration
clipper
A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. Clippers were generally narrow for their length, small by later 19th century standards, could carry limited bulk freight, and had a large total sail area. "C ...
ship, sailed from
England to
New Zealand between 1858 and 1860 on commission for the
Canterbury Provincial Council, the governing body of
Canterbury Province. Sailing under the flag of
Willis, Gann and Co, it set out on its first voyage from
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
on 20 September 1858, and after a journey of 105 days arrived at
Lyttelton, New Zealand on 5 January 1859 with 412 immigrants. Six infants and one adult died on the journey, plus there was a still-birth.
With one successful run complete it returned to England to collect its next passengers. On 30 November 1859 the ''Clontarf'' left
London with 430 people on board. This voyage met with unforgiving bad weather, and a rampant plague of
measles
Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...
,
whooping cough and
tropical diseases swept mercilessly through the ship. It arrived at Lyttelton on 16 March 1860 with many fatalities. On a normal voyage for immigration ship of that time it was expected that up to five people might die from frailty, accident or birth at sea. On the second voyage of the ''Clontarf'' 41 people died: five adults and 36 children.
This would give the ''Clontarf'' her infamy. Due to her reputation, prospective immigrants chose not to sail on her, and she was officially dismissed of her duties of ferrying immigrants to
New Zealand in 1861.
Notable passengers
1858/59 journey
*
John Acland (1823–1904), farmer and politician
*
Edward Sealy (1839–1903), surveyor, photographer and farmer
*
William Gapes
William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conqu ...
(1822-1903), pioneer and namesake of
Gapes Valley
Gapes Valley is a valley in the Canterbury Region in the South Island of New Zealand. It is about west of Geraldine and located on the Geraldine Fairlie Highway. The valley is nestled between the Waitohi Hill and the Rocky Ridges and is descri ...
References
* ''The Voyages of the ''Clontarf' – Marolyn Diver (Dornie Publishing New Zealand 201
)
* Archives New Zealand
* Ancestry.co
ARRIVAL OF THE SHIP CLONTARF''Lyttelton Times'', 17 March 1860
*
External links
* {{cite book
, last1 = Brett
, first1 = Henry
, author-link1 = Henry Brett (journalist)
, chapter = Many deaths on the Clontarf
, title = White Wings: Founding of the Provinces and Old-time shipping: Passenger ships from 1840 to 1885
, url = http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bre02Whit-t1-body-d2-d7-d2.html
, series = New Zealand Texts Collection
, volume = 2
, location = Auckland
, publisher = The Brett Printing Company Limited
, publication-date = 1928
, page = 361
, access-date = 18 October 2019
, quote = 'We have never had such a list of deaths to publish,' stated the "Lyttelton Times," when reporting the arrival of the Clontarf (Captain A. W. Barclay) on March 16th, 1860.
* Ancestry.co
''Lyttelton Times'', 17 March 1860
Clippers