''Somersetshire'', was launched in 1810 on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

as a

West Indiaman West Indiaman was a general name for any merchantman sailing ship making runs from the Old World to the West Indies and the east coast of the Americas. These ships were generally strong ocean-going ships capable of handling storms in the Atlantic ...

. She made two voyages to Australia transporting

convicts A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convict ...

, and one in between with passengers. On the second convict transport voyage some convicts and guards planned a mutiny that her captain was able to foil. ''Somersetshire'' is last listed in 1844. In between convict transport contracts, she made numerous other voyages, including a diarised (by "BJ" Barker Joseph Benson) voyage to Bombay (Mumbai) and back in 1838.

Career

''Somersetshire'' first appeared in ''

Lloyd's Register Lloyd's Register Group Limited (LR) is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research and education in science and ...

'' (''LR'') in the volume for 1810.''LR'' (1810), Supple. pages, seq.no.S145.
/ref> Captain Robert Haly (or Haley, or Hayley) received a letter of marque for ''Somersetshire'' on 9 March 1811."Register of Letters of Marque against France 1793-1815"; p.87
On Monday 7 October 1811 ''Somersetshire'' arrived in the Downs from Jamaica. The evening before she had warded off an attack near Dover by three French privateers.

First convict voyage (1814)

Under the command of Alexander Scott, ''Somersetshire'' sailed from

Spithead Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire ...

, England on 10 May 1814, and arrived at

Port Jackson Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...

on 17 October. She embarked 200 male convicts, one of whom died on the voyage. ''Somersetshire'' left Port Jackson on 5 December bound for

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

Cargo & Passenger transport (1838)

1838 - ''Somersetshire'', under Captain John Jackson. * departed

Llannerch-y-medd Llannerch-y-medd, is a small village, community and post town on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. The Royal Mail postcode is LL71, and it has a population of 1,360, of whom more than 70% is Welsh speaking. The village is situated near the centre ...

, Wales (February 27) * docked for repairs in

A Coruña A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and s ...

Spain (March 7 to April 1) * traversed the Maedeira Achipelago (April 7) * sighted the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

(April 8) * docked for minor repairs at

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

Cape Verde Islands , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

(April 10) * cross the

Tropic of Cancer The Tropic of Cancer, which is also referred to as the Northern Tropic, is the most northerly circle of latitude on Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward ...

(April 12) * off the cost of São Nicolau, Cape Verde Islands (Aril 16th), in company with the Barque 'Wave", which was bound for

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

- trading butter, clothes, empty bottles & other goods for livestock, fruit & vegetables * in company of two ships, a French vessel & the "Barrito Junier" from Madras (April 24) * spoke with a vessel named "Mary" bound for Bordeaux (April 30) * rounded the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

(May 30) * Observed "an extraordinary phenomena. A star suddenly seemed to ignite and burst, lighting up the horizon as it were broad day light" (June 13) * rounded Cape St Mary, the southernmost point of the Island of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

(June 14) * sailed "The Middle Passage" (between

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

) * traded in the strait with an American South Sea Whaler "Neptune of New York" - gunpowder & coal for 20 gallons of

sperm oil Sperm oil is a waxy liquid obtained from sperm whales. It is a clear, yellowish liquid with a very faint odor. Sperm oil has a different composition from common whale oil, obtained from rendered blubber. Although it is traditionally called an " ...

(June 20) * sighted whales off the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...

archipelago (June 26) * anchored off Bombay harbour (July 11)

Passenger transport - London to Port Adelaide (1839)

''Somersetshire'', Captain John Jackson, brought 234 passengers to Port Adelaide. She had left London on 18 April 1839 and she arrived there on 28 August. One of her passengers was

Thomas Boutflower Bennett Thomas Boutflower Bennett (1808–14 September 1894) was an early colonist of South Australia, remembered as a schoolmaster at J. L. Young's Adelaide Educational Institution and at Saint Peter's College. He married Elizabeth (14 January 1811– ...

Second convict voyage (1841-42)

''Somersetshire'' sailed 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 December 1841, under the command of Charles Motley (or Mottley), and arrived at

Hobart Town Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-smalle ...

on 30 May 1842. She embarked 219 male convicts; one died on the voyage. One officer and 30 rank-and-file being sent out to join the 51st King's Own Light Infantry provided the guard. What makes this voyage notable was the mutiny plot that some prisoners developed during the voyage. The mutineers' plan was to murder the officers, place in the ship's boats those who would not join the mutiny, and then sail to South America. The convicts succeeded in getting several of the guard to join their plot. It is not clear how the officers discovered the plot, but Captain Motley decided to put into

Table Bay Table Bay (Afrikaans: ''Tafelbaai'') is a natural bay on the Atlantic Ocean overlooked by Cape Town (founded 1652 by Van Riebeeck) and is at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula, which stretches south to the Cape of Good Hope. It was named ...

. There a two-week court martial tried the four soldiers who were part of the planned mutiny, with one of the four testifying against his companions. The court martial sentenced the ring leader to death by firing squad, and the other two to transportation. ( picked up six prisoners at the Cape when she stopped there later that year and the two mutinous soldiers may have been among them.) ''Somersetshire'' left the Cape on 12 April and encountered no further issues on her voyage. ''Somersetshire'' arrived in Sydney on 28 June, having sailed from Hobart in ballast. ''The Australian'' (Sydney, NSW), 11 July 1842, p.2, "SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE".
/ref>

Fate

''Somersetshire'', with Mottley, master, is last listed in ''Lloyd's Register'' in 1844.

Citations

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Somersetshire (1810 ship) 1810 ships Ships built on the River Thames Mutinies Convict ships to New South Wales Convict ships to Tasmania Age of Sail merchant ships Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Migrant ships to Australia