What a trip! Elizabeth Macquarie's journey to Sydney in 1809

While researching for a future blog post I've been reading Elizabeth Macquarie's journals that are held at Sydney's Macquarie University. Both Elizabeth and husband Lachlan Macquarie's diaries have been digitised and grouped into years for ease of searching.

Elizabeth Henrietta Campbell Macquarie, ca. 1819 - watercolour on ivory miniature.
Courtesy of the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales
   http://digital.sl.nsw.gov.au/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?embedded=true&toolbar=false&dps_pid=IE3193357

Their ship Dromedary departed Portsmouth, England on 22 May 1809, stopping along the way at the Island of Madiera, the Cabo Verde islands off the west coast of Africa, Rio de Janeiro, and Cape Town, arriving in Sydney Cove on 28 Dec 1809, a journey of 220 days. Also on board was my ancestor's husband, Joseph Bigge, who was their coachman and groom, earning him the nickname 'Joe the Coachman'.

During this voyage Elizabeth suffered a few shocks, and encountered some interesting situations.
Only two days into their journey she thought they were being chased by two pirate ships which "occasion'd much uneasiness to me & the other Ladies". These ships turned out to be friendly, but I'm sure Elizabeth was wondering what she had let herself in for.

On 4th June she saw three sailors drown from the Hindostan due to the Captain of that ship sending out a smaller boat into rough seas to retrieve their letters and packets from the frigate Magicienne.

On 18th June while anchored at Madiera Elizabeth toured around the town and went by chance into a church where a young woman was taking the veil. She describes it like this:

A second ceremony took place at the door of the convent, but the crowd was so great that I could not see it, at this moment there was a noise made by a Person pressing forward thro' the mob, she was soon known to be the Mother of the young woman, there was room made for her to pass, & she arrived at the spot where her Daughter stood, to take her last embrace! -- till that moment the Nun supported herself, but the sight of her Mother totally overcame her; her head fell on her breast, & she sob'd aloud in an agony of grief; she was then hurried forward, & I saw her walk on follow'd by those dreadful looking black nuns, who threw rose leaves at her. ---I saw her no more! but I understood that her head was immediately to be shaved, she had a great quantity of fine hair, and I saw the dress carried in which she was to change for that she had on, it was an extreme coarse brown heavy stuff, which I suppose she was to wear till she took the black veil. ---I cannot say that I ever felt so much distress at the fate of a stranger, as I did on this occasion; the impression was not that I could not hear the subject mention'd without considerable emotion for sometime after. I hope her situation does not feel to her, as it appear'd to me. 

Elizabeth found it quite distressing to be on board a slave ship for a while from Bengola to Rio de Janeiro.

[O]n the third of August we boarded a Portuguese Brigg [sic] from Bengola to Rio Janiero [sic] laden with female slaves, this was a more hazardous service than we had any idea of, the officers found on getting on board that an infectious fever prevail'd among them, to which the Captain and a great number of the slaves had fallen victims -- to put a stop if possible to the complaint, they had resorted to a precaution at which humanity shudders, namely, that of throwing the unfortunate slaves overboard as soon as they were taken ill. 

Soon afterward she watched a seaman fall overboard. Thankfully he was rescued.

During this voyage one day when the Ship was going at eight knots an hour, a sea man fell overboard -- he fell over the poop & past our Cabbin [sic] window, I saw something fall, but had no idea it was a man till I hear'd him cry out, which he did in the most disturbing manner. Col^l.. Macquarie ran forward and encouraged him by every means in his power to keep a hold which he had fortunately caught of a fishing line, which hung over the stern -- the Ship was put about, and a Boat lower'd, by which the man was saved.

This next seaman didn't fare so well:

[A]bout the end of the month we had a great deal of rain, and on the night of the 31^st.. our Cabin was quite in a float; owing to a leak in the Deck. George Tiers having gone to bed, a Carpenter Charles Tonkins was sent to caulk it, I observed as he pass'd me what a very pleasant handsome looking man he was; after doing what he could to the leak he said that for want of materials he could not do it completely that night, but that he should finish it in the morning. --- Poor young man he little knew that that morrow, was to be the last he should ever see in this world. The Soldiers suffer'd much inconvenience from some of the ports taking in water, it was blowing pretty hard, and the Ship was going 9 knots, when Charles Tonkins went over the side of the Ship unattended & unobserved by any person, to caulk in those ports; a service which might have been perform'd with perfect safety if the man had been properly attended, one of the officers in the gun room hear'd a cry, & saw the poor young man fall into the sea [---] he was never seen again ---The Ship was brought to, a boat was sent from this ship, & one from the Hindostan but they could not find him. [T]his melancholy accident shock'd us all very much; next day (as is always the custom on board Ship,) there was a sale of his effects & his papers were examined by the Captain; he found a great many letters from a young woman who was engaged to him, which in my opinion contain'd more pure affection, express'd in a more natural & affecting manner than any I ever read; there were also copies of some of his in return, which were also very interesting -- what her sufferings will be when she hears of this event it is dreadful to think on. ---The man who fell overboard sometime ago might really have lost his life owing to a joke, as when Cap^t.. P. saw the Ship in confusion, & the men busy lowering the boat, he ask'd what the matter was, & if any one had fallen; the Sailors call'd out Sir, Nobody has fallen overboard; that being the name he went by in the Ship, tho' known to Cap^tn.. P. by his proper name of John Smith.

On 31st October after leaving Cape Town another sailor died in sad circumstances:

On the 31^st.. in the evening Col^l.. M. & I were walking on Deck when Thomas Jackson fell from the fore top Mast Rigging on the Forecastle, and fractured his skull; which occasion'd his immediate death. [H]e was a very active good temper'd young Man, and a great favorite with the Sailors; they were much affected with the accident, & some of them shed tears. This young Man had been rather addicted to drink, when Col^l.. M. & Cap^tn.. P. passed him at quarters the Captn.. said I dont think you are quite as you should be. [H]e seem'd offended, & said, you always look hard at me Sir. [I]t is supposed from this circumstance that his being in drink occasion'd this dreadful accident. [N]ext morning his Body was committed to the deep.

Curiously, on 5th November at 11 o'clock at night a large fire ball was seen not far off, passing in a S. W. direction

I'd love to know what this was!

Ten days later yet another sailor lost his life:

[A]t 2 o'clock this day the Commodore hove to, & made the Signal for a Man overboard; we lay to, but did not go to him; he had his boats out for two hours but to no effect, the Man was unfortunately drown'd — he was one of the best Seamen Captain Pascoe had; it was his birth day, the other sailors had treated him to a share of their Grog on the occasion he went to his station on the yard arm to look out in a state of intoxication, & fell asleep; another man was half way up to releive [sic] him when he fell. — This disturbing accident detain'd us three hours during which time the favorable wind lasted but shortly after deserted us. 

Elizabeth had such an eventful voyage to an unknown future as the wife of the Governor to New South Wales.

A day in 'The Big Smoke' - without the smoke

A few Sundays ago I had a fantastic day in Sydney, with a fellow (sister?) genie, my friend Suellen. We started off with at Hyde Park Barracks with a bit of a look around using their audioguide to help us learn about the various displays. We interrupted this with a tour run by the delightful Sydney Living Museums guide Amy Armour around The Mint building next door to the Barracks, where we learned all about how it used to be the southern wing of Governor Macquarie's Rum Hospital before it was used as a Mint.

In the foyer there's a machine to mint an oval-shaped design from, starting with a blank the size and colour of a 1 cent piece (remember them??!), you choose a design, roll the handle and out pops a little thingy that you can keep as a memento of your day at the Barracks. The four designs were: a rat (no thanks), a convict man, the broad arrow (convict symbol), or a design of the Barracks themselves. I chose the building, made two of them, and used them as earrings. Beware that if you choose the image of the convict man, when the hole punch goes through it does line up with his head, which I thought wasn't such a nice look on a man. Or a woman.






















The staff were amused at my new fine art jewellery, so Amy took a photo, and now I'm now on their homepage! The new face of Hyde Park Barracks!! Well, until someone else has their photo taken anyway. Fleeting fame.

Amy's article mentions the husband of my ancestor, Esther Spencer. She married Joseph Bigg in 1822 in St Phillip's Church of England. Joseph came out with Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie on the Dromedary as their coachman in 1809. He drove the Governor on his tours of inspection to the Cowpastures in 1810, Bathurst in 1815, Mittagong and Goulburn in 1820, and assisted during the trips to Newcastle in 1818, and Van Dieman's Land, Newcastle, and Port Macquarie in 1821. He'd seen more of the colony than almost everyone in that time. While driving Elizabeth Macquarie in her curricle in George Street in October 1814 a child suddenly ran into the horses and was killed. There was a newspaper article in The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser two days later which details the accident, but curiously, makes no mention of the driver or his important passenger, which is why it took me forever to find it on Trove. Elizabeth's PR team must have worked overtime to keep this news quiet.

Thankfully, the inquest gives a lot more information. 

At midday, on 6 October 1814, Joseph Bigg (1768-1833), the Macquaries' coachman, accidentally ran over and killed a small child, named Charles Thomas, in George Street, Sydney while Elizabeth Macquarie was a passenger in the coach. Biggs had observed a group of children playing in the street and had drawn his curricle to a halt. He then proceeded on again, little realising that one of the children had run under the vehicle.
When it was realised what had happened from the cries of the bystanders, Elizabeth Macquarie called out to Bigg to stop, dismounted immediately, and carried the injured child into the nearby Thomas family home. Dr. William Redfern was immediately sent for, however, he was unable to revive the child, and Charles Thomas died soon afterwards.
Eyewitness testimony at the coronial inquest chaired by J.W. Lewin cleared Joseph Bigg of any charge of negligence or recklessness in his driving. However, it should come as no surprise that as a consequence of the accident Elizabeth Macquarie suffered a severe nervous collapse and was confined to her bed for several weeks thereafter.
Source: http://www.lib.mq.edu.au/digital//lema/1814/thomas6oct1814.html

After lunch at the Barracks cafe we were lucky enough to gatecrash a private tour of St James' Anglican Church opposite the Barracks, in King Street. What a gorgeous building it is too. 

It was designed by convict architect (and forger) Francis Greenway, and a number of my forebears were christened and married there. The church website says: St James’ Church was constructed between 1819 and 1824. It is the oldest church building in the City of Sydney and has been in continuous use from its consecration on 11 February 1824 to the present.

This is the view from the Hyde Park Barracks, which is the eastern elevation of the church. The front faces north.

The altar with a gold-leaf lined dome above. Just stunning.

Our impromptu tour took in some of the marble memorials around the walls, then we took the stairs leading to the choir loft and bell pulling ropes, and it was such a beautiful view from up there. We were invited to the next level again, which houses the bells, but we were in a rush to get to the The Scots Church in Margaret Street, so we couldn't hang around any longer. An organised tour that includes the crypt and the bell tower is a must for me one day.

The Scots Church was the venue for a talk by Heather Garnsey from the Society of Australian Genealogists (of which I am a member) on tracing our London ancestors. The talk was arranged by the Huguenot Society of Australia, who were very welcoming and friendly at the afternoon tea that followed. It was great to learn more resources that are available online, seeing that (sadly) a trip to the UK chasing my English, Irish and Scottish ancestors isn't going to happen for me any time soon.

We ended that part of the day with a few drinks at The Menzies Hotel near Wynyard, which finished the afternoon off nicely. I'm looking forward to another Sunday spent touring the city. If only that lottery win would speed up, then I could immerse myself in it every single day.