M is for Merseyside – 1854 departure of the “Dirigo”

On 10 June 1854, some two years after the death of her husband Kenneth Budge, my 3rd great grandmother Margaret Budge née Gunn (1819 – 1863) married for a second time, to Ewan Rankin (1825- ?), a carpenter in Wick in the far north of Scotland.

Soon afterwards she and her new husband, with the four surviving children of her first marriage, made the long journey—nearly five hundred miles—from Wick to Liverpool, planning to emigrate from there to South Australia.

The family sailed as assisted immigrants, passengers whose fare was paid by a Government body.

McMinn, W. K. 1852, Emigration depot at Birkenhead Illustrated London News, 10 July 1852 retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135889210

They embarked on the new emigrant ship Dirigo, launched that year in New Brunswick, Canada. She was 1282 tons, owned by Coltart and Co, and registered in Liverpool.

In light of what unfolded we are fortunate in having quite detailed records of this voyage of the Dirigo, much of it correspondence between officers in the Colonial Land and Emigration Office; some of it even tabled in the House of Commons.

The Dirigo got off to a bad start:

“She was to have been ready for the reception of her emigrants at noon on Friday, the 24th June, but owing to various delays, the whole of her passengers could not be embarked before the 3rd of July ; and although moved into the Mersey on the 29th June, she could not, from the rainy and tempestuous weather, finally sail until the 6th July.

“At the final muster of the emigrants on the 4th of July, when the sailing orders were delivered, the number on board was equal to 426 statute adults [passengers over the age of 12] ; and with the exception of diarrhoea among children (a very common complaint in emigrant ships at starting), and the case of an emigrant named Nottage, who was recovering from an attack of the same malady, all the people answered to their names, and were to all appearance in good health.”

On 7 July Captain Trevillick telegraphed the owners:

“From Trevellick, Queenstown, to William Coltart, Son & Co.,
Chapel-street, Liverpool. SATURDAY —Ship “ Dirigo,” from Cork ; three deaths; seven cases cholera; two cases fever. Expect to see or hear from you. (Reply by magnetic telegraph.)”

William L Echlin, Surgeon Superintendant of the Dirigo wrote to the Emigration Officer at Dublin:

Sir, Ship “Dirigo,” Cove of Cork, 8 July 1854, 5 A. M. IT is my painful duty to inform you that sickness of a very serious nature has broken out on board the ship “ Dirigo,” Captain Trevellick, commander, which sailed from Liverpool on Thursday the 6th instant at 1.30 p. m. About this time, a girl aged 13 years, was reported ill; she was promptly attended and every attention was paid to her, but she expired about 3 p. m. Her father, who was in attendance upon her, sickened and expired upon the following night at 8 p. m. On the 7th instant, about 7 p. m., cholera appeared on the lower deck, attacking two men, one single and the other married. At 11.30 p. m. another case presented itself on the poop deck.
On the 8th instant, between the hours of 2.30 a. m. and 5 a. m., three other cases appeared, two amongst the single women, and one on the lower deck. There are also two cases of fever, but I am happy in stating they are progressing favourably. It is almost impossible that those persons suffering from cholera can recover. 
Under such circumstances as the above, I have considered it prudent to order the ship into Cork, with the hope of having the sick promptly removed, so that the health of the remaining passengers may be insured. I trust that the urgent necessity of the case will be sufficient excuse for the order I have given.”

On 8 July the Dirigo arrived in Cork. The Government Emigration Officer advised the Colonial Land and Emigration Office that he had landed the sick, but had no means of landing the healthy passengers. When inspecting the ship with the medical examiner of emigrants, the Government Emigration Officer found 7 dead and 19 persons were in confirmed cholera, and more than half the passengers suffering from diarrhoea and premonitory symptoms. The Government Emigration Officer sent the Dirigo back immediately to Liverpool, in tow of the Minerva steam ship, as he believed the passengers would be provided with accommodation of a better description and at an earlier period than could be effected if they stayed in Cork.

The Dirigo arrived back in Liverpool on the morning of 10 July. It was towed to the dock gates at Birkenhead. The authorities there, however, were reluctant to allow the emigrants, sick or healthy, to be re-landed. There had been three more deaths and there were likely to be more before night. There were about 100 cases with cholera or with premonitory symptoms. There was much alarm among the passengers. At 1 am on 11 July 300 of the healthy emigrants were eventually brought ashore in a steamer to the depot.

“... large fires at both ends of the dining hall having been previously lighted, and tea already made to serve them. The thankfulness of these people at finding themselves once more in the depôt, and as they said, out of danger, more than repaid the anxiety of those engaged in attending their wants.”

McMinn, W. K. 1852, Government Emigrants’ Mess-Room in the Emigration depot at Birkenhead Illustrated London News, 10 July 1852 retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135889210

At 3am on 13 July a second party of 65 emigrants were landed leaving 20 on the ship who were sick or convalescent. These were landed the following night.

C. Stuart Bailey of the Colonial Land and Emigration Office who was in Liverpool wrote:

“I did not, however, overlook, while attending to my other duties, the importance of carrying out the Commissioner's instructions to induce the people to take daily walking exercise in the country. On several occasions I took parties of women and children to spend part of the day in the park, adjoining Birkenhead, regaling them with cakes and milk ; at another time, I hired half a dozen spring carts, and conveyed the whole of the people, men, women, and children, a few miles into the country ; giving them, in addition to their usual rations, which we took with us, a liberal supply of cakes and milk, and a small allowance of beer for the men ; and still further to encourage them to take exercise in the open air, away from the town, a notice was posted at the depôt, that such as might desire it should have cooked rations for the whole day served out to them in the morning.”

Ewan Rankin was among 118 passengers who signed a memorial concerning the cholera outbreak. Although they had made a number of complaints in the memorial, many of those who signed re-embarked and continued their journey to Australia. The Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners investigated and settled their complaints before sending the Dirigo to sea again.

Fifty-seven people from the Dirigo died of cholera from 8 July to 9 August.

The Dirigo left the Mersey at 7 p.m. on 9 August to continue her voyage to Adelaide. All her passengers were reportedly in good health and spirits. The voyage was more than a month delayed in setting off but the passengers had been ashore for four weeks recuperating from their ordeal.

The Dirigo . . . Arrived from Liverpool on the 22nd November, after a passage of 107 days. She landed 482 immigrants. Fourteen deaths and twelve births took place at sea. This ship arrived in a very excellent order. The cleanliness, general management and discipline of the people reflected the highest credit on Mr. W.L. Echlin, the surgeon-superintendent.

South Australian Government Gazette 1855.

At the same time the Dirigo was having trouble with cholera, another emigrant ship, the Bloomer, was leaving Liverpool. Amongst the emigrants were the Ralph family, ancestors of Greg. The Bloomer left Liverpool on 20 July but had to leave from Liverpool, on the other side of the Mersey, rather than Birkenhead because of the cholera at Birkenhead. The Bloomer arrived in Portland, Victoria on 21 November 1854 after a voyage of 124 days.

In reading the correspondence about the cholera outbreak on the Dirigo I was impressed by the efficiency of the officials dealing with the Dirigo cholera outbreak and struck by their kindheartedness. I was particularly touched by the conclusion of a report prepared on 10 August by C. Stuart Bailey, the Commissioners’ Despatching Officer at the Birkenhead Depot, an officer of the Colonial Land and Emigration Office:

"I have much gratification in pointing to the success which attended these simple efforts to promote the healthful recreation and amusement of these people; for instead of leaving, en masse, dispirited and discontented, long before the time came for a general muster preparatory to re-embarkation, good health, good spirits, and confidence were restored, and the number of those who had returned to their homes, instead of being 250, as at first threatened, did not exceed 50 adults altogether ; that is to say, the number in adults of the original passengers who re-embarked was about 300."

We smile condescendingly at Dickens’ portrayal of Victorian bureaucratic tanglements—Little Dorrit‘s Circumlocution Office is an example—so it is useful to be reminded that our forefathers were also very capable of doing things well.

Related posts

• Margaret Gunn (1819 – 1863)
• The death of Kenneth Budge (1813 – 1852) – Captain Budge died of cholera
• B is for Bookmark
• B is for the barque Bloomer arrived 1854

Further reading

• SHIPPING REPORT. (1854, November 1). The Hobart Town Advertiser (Tas.), p. 2. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article264615098
• Accounts and Papers of the House of Commons, Volume 46. Emigrant Ship Dirigo: Correspondence between Officers in Charge of Emigration Depot at Birkenhead, and Colonial Land and Emigration Coms. in relation to outbreak of cholera on board emigrant ship Dirigo. Retrieved through Google Books.

Wikitree:

• Ewan Rankin (abt. 1825 – aft. 1863)
• Margaret (Gunn) Rankin (1819 – 1863)

B is for the barque Bloomer arrived 1854

My husband’s great great grandmother Caroline Ralph (1850-1896) came to Australia at the age of four with her parents, Francis Ralph (1823-1915) and Caroline née Rodgers (1825-1893), and her brother, John Ralph (1848-1882).

The Ralph family arrived in Portland, Victoria on 21 November 1854 on the Bloomer after a voyage of 124 days. They had left Liverpool on 20 July.

Portland looking South by S T Gill March 14th 1856 from the State Library of Victoria Image H12920

The Portland Guardian reported the arrival on 23 November 1854:

This ship Captain Hunt from Liverpool July 20th arrived last Tues 21st inst. bringing 182 government immigrants, under the charge of Surgeon Superintendent Dr. Turner. There were 11 births on the passage and 3 deaths of infants. When the “Bloomer” left Cholera was at Birkenhead, the immigrants in consequence were embarked at Liverpool. The immigrants are almost all from the Southern Countries of Scotland, a large proportion of them are represented as being a superior class of mechanics.

The Bloomer‘s voyage of 124 days was relatively slow. In the Tyranny of Distance, Geoffrey Blainey writes that although the First Fleet took 250 days to reach Australia in 1788, by 1816-20 the average passage was only 140 to 150 days and by 1849 had fallen to about 120 days. However, the coming of the American clippers in the 1850s meant the duration of the average passage continued to fall. In 1852, for example, the Marco Polo completed the voyage in 74 days.

The Liverpool Albion on 24 July1854 (quoted in the Maitland Mercury of 25 October 1854) reported that four ships had sailed in the previous week for Australia:

• the Bee, of the Eagle line sailed for Melbourne with upwards of 390 passengers
•  the Bloomer, of Messrs James Baines & Co’s Black Ball line left with 160 emigrants for Portland Bay
• the Phoenix, of Walthew’s Liverpool line sailed for Melbourne with 370 passengers
• the Marco Polo, also of the Black Ball line left with 616 passengers and 400 tons of fine goods.

The Marco Polo arrived 23 October after a journey of 93 days. The Bee arrived from Liverpool on 24 October after a voyage of 98 days. The Phoenix arrived on 30 October after a journey of 100 days. In 1852 the Marco Polo had completed the journey in 74 days; this 1854 voyage of the Marco Polo was slow apparently because of light and variable winds.

The passenger list of the Bloomer records the Ralph family as coming from Lancaster, though in fact the Ralphs were from Cornwall. Francis was a mason; his religion was Methodist; and both he and his wife could read and write. Francis was 31 and his wife Caroline 28 years old. The children were 6 and 4. In the columns “by whom engaged” and “address” the Ralphs are recorded as “on own account” and “Melbourne”.

Public Record Office Victoria Series: VPRS 14; Series Title: Register of Assisted Immigrants from the United Kindom (refer to microform copy, VPRS 3502) (click image to enlarge)

In addition to John and Caroline born in England, the Ralphs had a further six children in Australia. Elizabeth was born in Collingwood, Melbourne, in 1855. William was also born in Collingwood in 1857. The family moved to Ballarat and Eliza was born there in 1860 as were Christina (who died in 1870) and Francis; the youngest child, also called Christina, was born in Ballarat in 1871.

Their daughter Caroline married Francis Gilbart Edwards in Ballarat in 1870. She died in Brighton, Victoria in 1896.

Francis and Caroline moved with some of the family to South Australia. Their son John died there in 1882. The following children married in South Australia: Eliza in 1883, William in 1885, Elizabeth in 1886, Francis in 1888. Caroline died in South Australia in 1893 and Francis died in 1915.

Further reading

• Russell, Roslyn and National Library of Australia (issuing body.) High seas & high teas : voyaging to Australia. Canberra, ACT NLA Publishing, 2016.  
• This is a very new book on immigration – beautifully illustrated which gives a terrific sense of what it must have been like to travel to Australia. The book includes extracts from diaries of travellers and shipboard newspapers.
• Charlwood, D. E. (Donald Ernest) The long farewell (New ed). Penguin, Ringwood, Vic, 1993. 
• Another book on the experiences of the voyage to Australia.
• Blainey, Geoffrey The tyranny of distance : how distance shaped Australia’s history. Sun Books, Macmillan, 1968. 
• Trace, Keith. “Shipping.” EMelbourne the City past and Present. School of Historical & Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne, July 2008. Web. 1 Apr. 2016. <http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01366b.htm>. 

Deaths at sea

This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt is the sea. In fact, the prompt picture of Bondi Beach inspires thoughts of holidays by the beach, but I have recently been researching several members of my family who died at sea and I was reminded that the sea is not always benign.

The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault painted 1818-1819 and now hanging in the Louvre. The Méduse was wrecked off the coast of Africa in 1816. Of the 400 on board only 15 survived.

Arthur Branthwayt (1776-1808) was the second husband of my 5th great grandmother Elizabeth née Phipps (1774-1836). He died at sea in a shipwreck. He was travelling to Gothenburg and the Crescent, a frigate with 36 guns, which was lost off the coast of Jutland. 220 of the 280 aboard her died. A raft was constructed, similar to the Méduse‘s. Arthur Branthwayt’s wife, eight-month-old daughter and four step-children were not travelling with him.

Hampshire Chronicle 6 February 1809

Kentish Gazette 30 December 1808

Morning Post (London) 17 January 1809

Arthur Branthwayt’s grandson, Arthur Branthwayt Toker (1834 – 1866), my first cousin five times removed, is doubly related to me as his mother married her half-sister’s nephew by marriage, the son of Clarissa Champion de Crespigny (1776 – 1836). Young Arthur died at sea of typhoid fever while returning to England from New Zealand. He had been an officer in the 65th Regiment (later the York and Lancaster Regiment) and fought in the Maori Wars. He was unmarried.

 

from William Francis Robert Gordon’s album “Some “Soldiers of the Queen” who served in the Maori Wars and Other Notable Persons Connected Herewith”. Retrieved from the collection of Puke Ariki, New Plymouth, New Zealand

 

Wellington Independent 27 March 1866

In 1814 another shipwreck took the lives of Henry Gore Wade, his wife and children. Wade was the brother-in law of my fourth great uncle Philip Champion de Crespigny (1765 – 1851).  The Wade family were returning to England from India and died when the John Palmer was wrecked.

Morning Post (London) 31 March 1814

Morning Post (London) 1 April 1814

Gordon Skelly, who died in 1771, was my 6th great grandfather. His granddaughter Sophia née Duff (1790 – 1824) married Rowland Mainwaring (1783 – 1862). Skelly was the captain of the Royal Navy sloop Lynx stationed at Shields Yorkshire. He was drowned when his ship’s long boat, ,crossing the bar of the harbour, was overturned by breakers. At the time of his death his two children were aged four and three.

Leeds Intelligencer 2 July 1771

Entrance to Shields Harbour from The Ports, Harbours, Watering-places and Picturesque Scenery of Great Britain Vol. 1 by William Findon retrieved from Project Gutenberg

When I checked my family tree I found a number of others who died at sea:

• Charles Patrick Dana (1784 – 1816), my 4th great grand uncle, who died while travelling from the East Indies to England on the Sir Stephen Lushington.
• Michael Hickey (1812 – 1840), the brother of my 3rd great grandmother died on the voyage to South Australia from Cork, Ireland,  on the Birman.
• Kenneth Budge (1813 – 1852), my 3rd great grandfather, died of cholera while sailing near Elsinore, Denmark.
• Walter Wilkes Plaisted (1836 – 1871), my 3rd great grand uncle, who died of phthsis (tuberculosis) on board the SS Geelong during the passage from Singapore to Melbourne. His probate file, held by the Public Records Office of Victoria, includes an inventory of his effects, a fascinating insight into his possessions.

My great great grandfather, James Francis Cudmore (1837 – 1912) was born at sea aboard the Siren off the coast of Kangaroo Island. His mother, Mary née Nihill (1811 -1893) was travelling from Launceston to the very new colony of Adelaide to join her husband Daniel Michael Paul Cudmore (1811 – 1891).

My husband’s great great grandmother Margaret née Smyth (1834 – 1897) gave birth to a baby boy as she travelled to Australia from Ireland on the Persian. The baby is recorded on the passenger list but it is not known what happened to him after arrival. He probably died as an infant. His death was before compulsory civil registration.

The death of Kenneth Budge (1813 – 1852)

My very great thanks to Laurena who has so generously shared some research with me relating to the Budge and Cudmore families.  Although she is only very distantly related to these families by marriage she had come across some research which solved a long standing puzzle for me.  Unfortunately ancestry.com’s notification system is very unreliable and I was unaware that she had let me know of her finds until she sent me a follow-up message.  I am indeed very grateful and my silence did not mean my lack of interest!

I wrote a couple of months ago about Kenneth’s wife Margaret Gunn. They married in 1840 and had five children:

1. Donald, also known as Daniel, (1841 – 1895)
2. Kenneth George (1842 – 1878)
3. Alexandrina (1844 – ? : died young)
4. Margaret (1845 – 1912), my great great grandmother who married James Francis Cudmore
5. Alexandrina (1851 – 1911)

When Margaret married James Francis Cudmore in 1867 the marriage announcements referred to her as the daughter of the late Captain Kenneth Budge.  I had a great difficulty in finding Margaret’s and her family’s immigration and had never found her father’s death.  I had worked out that the death must have been about 1853 based on Margaret’s remarriage.  The death preceded civil registration and I had not found a burial record.  I thought he must have died at sea but had not found any newspaper mentions.

Laurena has located a key newspaper article telling of the fate of my great great great grandfather, filling in some of my family history and also adding another generation.

From the John O’Groat Journal Friday 10 September 1852

THE MARY RODGERS. –  This vessel which belongs to Bo’ness, is reported in the Shipping Gazette of the 4th instant as having left Elsinore on the 30th ult.; and in the same paper she is again reported as having put into the same port, with master and one man dead of cholera. This vessel left Wick on the 30th July, herring laden, for Dantzic, and was commanded by Mr Kenneth Budge, of this place, son of the late Mr Donald Budge, shipmaster, Wick. The owner of the Mary Rodgers was on board when the vessel left Wick.

Another article on the same subject from the Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury  Saturday 11 September 1852: 

Elsinore, Aug.30 – The brig Corinthian, from Newcastle, was towed up from Hornbeck to these roads to-day. The schooner, Mary, Rodgers, of Boiness, from Danzig, has put in here; master and one man dead of cholera.

Margaret Gunn (1819 – 1863)

Margaret Gunn was born 26 February 1819 in Auchingill near Wick, Caithness, Scotland. She was the daughter of Donald Gunn (1783 – 1870), a farmer, and Alexandrina Manson (1786 – 1881). She was baptised in 1819 by the Reverend James Smith of Canisbay; the witnesses were William Gunn, farmer, Auchingill, and Margaret Miller, Auchingill.

Old parish register image retrieved from ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk GUNN MARGARET DONALD GUNN/ALEXANDRINA MANSON F WICK /CAITHNESS 043/00 0030 0390

Auchingill was a coastal village in the parish of Canisbay, ten miles north of Wick. (Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Auchingill from John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887) retrieved from http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/entry_page.jsp?text_id=1863250# )  The village is not found on modern maps such as Google maps.

Margaret was the seventh of nine children born to Donald and Alexandrina. 

On 17 June 1840 Margaret married Kenneth Budge, a seaman, at South Leith parish church, Edinburgh.  Both were living at South Leith at the time.

Old parish register image retrieved from ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk

In 1841 the Budge family were living in Staxigoe.  Kenneth was a fisherman and their son Donald (also sometimes known as Daniel) was two months old at the time of the census on 6 June 1841.  He was christened at Wick on 4 June.

Staxigoe is a former fishing village two miles east of Wick.  In the mid 1800s it was the largest herring salting station in Europe. (Staxigoe, Ports and Harbours of the UK http://www.ports.org.uk/port.asp?id=581 )

Staxigoe harbour 1890s from the Johnston collection (http://www.johnstoncollection.net). Comments associated with the photograph noted that all the buildings along cliff top were demolished and used as hard core for the runways of Wick Aerodrome.

At the time of the census in 1851 on 31 March Margaret was living in Breadalbane Terrace, Wick. Her husband was away and she was recorded as a sailor’s wife.  With her were three children: Donald aged 10, Kenneth aged 8 and Margret aged 5.

Breadalbane terrace in the 1920s from the Johnston collection.

There had been another child, Alexandrina, christened on 26 September 1844 and born on 26 June.  Death records for Wick before 1855 are not available.  There are also no relevant headstone records.

On 4 May 1851 Margaret and Kenneth’s fifth child, again called Alexandrina, was born at Wick.

By 1851 it seems that Kenneth was master of the vessel “Sisters “ which was involved in coastal trade and whose crew apparently sometimes included his brother-in-law William Gunn. (Information from Deborah Patterson, a descendant of William Gunn)

In about 1853 Kenneth Budge, seaman died. I have not found any records of his death, death records for Wick before 1855 are not available and there appears to be no headstone in the cemetery. Update: thanks to a newspaper article found by a very distant cousin I now know he died at sea of cholera in August 1852 – see my later blog post on his death.

Margaret remarried on 10 June 1854 at Wick to Ewan Rankin, a carpenter of Pulteney Town, Wick.

Old parish register image retrieved from ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk

On 15 July 1854 Margaret, Ewan and Margaret’s children set off from Liverpool on board the “Dirigo” bound for Australia. A cholera outbreak on board forced the ship to turn back from Cork to Liverpool. The voyage recommenced on 9 August and they arrived in South Australia on 22 November 1854. It seems that the ship was new.

DIRIGO from 1858 Lloyds Register Rigging: Ship; sheathed in felt and yellow metal in 1858 ; fastened with iron bolts Master: Captain White Tonnage: 1,152 tons Construction: 1854 in New Brunswick, using Tamarack, Oak, Pine & Birch ; some repairs in 1856; repairs to damages in 1857 Owners: Coltart & Co. Port of registry: Liverpool Port of survey: Liverpool Voyage: sailed for Australia

…
Rankin Ewen 29 Carpenter – Caithness
Margaret 35
Daniel 12
Kenneth 11
Margaret 9
Alexandrina 2

from The Ships List http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/dirigo1854.htm

Ewan Rankin was among 118 passengers who signed a memorial concerning the cholera outbreak:

To the Government Colonial Land an Emigration Commissioners.
The Humble Memorial of the Passengers per Ship Dirigo.
Most humbly showeth,
That we consider the ship Dirigo quite unfit for us passengers to proceed in, as she is at all times damp, and very much given to leakage. We have the opinion of many of the sailors as to the above-mentioned fact, together with our own experience. We were on board for 14 days, and during that length of time she was constantly wet ; and we consider that the damp state of the ship tended greatly to the progress of the disease we had amongst the passengers.
Memorialists are ready to give their sworn testimony as to the facts stated in this memorial.
The passengers beg leave to state that our medical attendant allowed diseased passengers to come on board, which we consider was the first and principal cause of the fatal disease that swept so many of our passengers to an untimely end, as the passengers up to that unfortunate day were free from any infectious disease.
Many of the memorialists further beg to state that the doctor wilfully neglected to attend many of the dying when called upon to do so, he not being occupied at the time more than walking on deck. Memorialists have many minor complaints to make that they consider too numerous to put here, as they hope for an inquiry into the whole case.
And memorialists, as in duty bound, shall ever pray.

The majority of the 118 who signed the memorial re-embarked on the Dirigo. (from http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/dirigocork1854.shtml )

South Australian Register Thursday 23rd November 1854 Wednesday, November 22nd :-

the ship Dirigo, 1,282 tons, Trevellick, Master, from Liverpool August 8th 1854 Passengers:— Mrs. Mulville & Misses Ann, Ellen and Mary Mulville, and Master D. Mulville in the cabin. — 26th ship from England to S.A. with 484 government passengers for 1854 ; 12 births and 14 deaths on the passage ; William L. Echlin, surgeon-superintendent. ship Dirigo … sailed from Birkenhead in early July 1854, but was forced to go into Queenstown (Cork) due to cholera aboard. The ship was towed back to Liverpool by the steam vessel Minerva, arriving there on July 10th 1854. Arrangements were made to fashion a temporary hospital but met with resistance from local people. Of the 518 passengers and 51 crew-members, there were 44 deaths recorded as of July 11th. …

The Dirigo . . . Arrived from Liverpool on the 22nd November, after a passage of 107 days. She landed 482 immigrants. Fourteen deaths and twelve births took place at sea. This ship arrived in a very excellent order. The cleanliness, general management and discipline of the people reflected the highest credit on Mr. W.L. Echlin, the surgeon-superintendent. The ship itself was of a first class character for emigrants, having ample room and height between decks, and was well ventilated. The male and female hospitals were large and convenient. The Surgeon-superintendent speaks highly of the efficient support and co-operation he received from the master and all the officers of the ship. The mortality, with one exception was confined to young and delicate children, and was caused by diarrhoea.

The Surgeon-superintendent seems to have had more trouble with enforcing the regulations among the single men, than all the others on board. He speaks highly of the conduct of the single women, who were a well selected set of persons, and adapted for the requirements of the Colony.

In this ship the baking succeeded better than usual. the size of the oven precluded the possibility of baking twice in the week, a sufficient to supply all the emigrants with soft bread twice a week. The yeast used was made by using what the surgeon called porter bottoms, and answered well. The form and size of loaves found the best, were those baked in square tins, containing 2lbs each, supplied by the Commissioners for the use of emigrants. The oven contained twenty six tins and the time required for each batch was about two hours; the 12oz. of flour yielded about 14½oz. of bread. I have been thus particular in describing the system of baking adopted on board the Dirago because in all other ships the baking of soft bread has turned out quite a failure. The first requisite to ensure success is to appoint a man as baker who is properly qualified and who ought to prove his efficiency by baking good bread before the ship is despatched to sea; and sufficient space should be given so that his work may be done properly. The surgeon-superintendent suggests that one or two extra floor plates for the oven should be sent, as the first, from continual use, is burnt through before the ending of the voyage. I think that in all respects the Dirago was the model of an emigrant ship.

I uncovered the remarriage of Margaret and her emigration with her children under the surname Rankin due to a report of a plaque on her grave:

Murray Pioneer, Friday May 6, 1994; – COUPLE UNCOVER HISTORIC PLAQUE: – A brass plaque of historical interest has been discovered by a Berri couple. – Mrs Sue Laidlaw and husband, Tim, when cleaning a block of land north of Berri recently, came across a plaque which dated back to 1863. They communicated their discovery to Riverland historian, Ms Heather Everingham, who quickly realised the importance of the Laidlaw’s find. The plaque reads – “Presented by EWIN RANKIN in memory of his beloved spouse, MARGARET GUNN, who departed this life at Bookmark on the second day of Sept 1863. Aged 41 Years. Oh Death where is thy Sting. Oh Grave where is thy Victory.” It had been stolen from the tombstone of one of the first woman settlers in the Riverland. Ms Everingham said the plaque had been missing from the grave site since the early 1950’s. The historic grave was situated between Dishers Creek and old Calperum Station. About one and a half kilometres from the river, above the floodplain, in an area of red sand and hop bushes. The grave was originally enclosed by a wrought iron fence, which was also stolen more than a decade ago. All that remains at the site today, are some chiselled stone blocks which once formed the base of the fence. The plaque discovery sparked an investigation into the identity of Margaret Gunn and her husband. Renmark Historian Mr Brian Glenie, obtained a death certificate, lodged at Adelaide, which stated the woman died of liver disease. Also, a newspaper report at the time read;- RANKIN, On September 1, at Bookmark, River Murray, Margaret Gunn, daughter of Daniel Gunn, Staxigoe, Wick, Caithness, Scotland, the dearly beloved wife of Ewin Rankin, of the same place, aged 41 years. Much regretted by all who knew her. – Ewin Rankin was apparently the overseer of Bookmark, at the time, when that property belonged to John Chambers.

The plaque has been restored by Ms Barbara Smith of the Renmark National Trust, and will take pride of place at “Olivewood”, the Chaffey Brothers historic homestead/museum, at Renmark.

from Lonely Graves in the Murray Valley http://users.esc.net.au/~pereilly/grave.htm

Death notice in the South Australian Register of 7 October 1863 on page 2

I have not found any details of the death of Ewan Rankin.

Margaret Gunn was my third great grandmother.