This post is part of the A to Z Challenge, a blogging initiative where participants publish daily posts in April (except Sundays), each one themed around a letter of the alphabet. My theme this year is "Migration Stories"—tracing the journeys, ships, and personal histories behind my ancestors’ moves across continents. Through passenger records, newspaper clippings, and genealogical detective work, I’m piecing together the routes they took and the vessels that carried them. Today's post is brought to you by the letter V.
The Story of the Marquis of Hastings
When my 3rd great-grandfather Thomas Crump and his wife Rebecca arrived in Sydney in 1841, they did so aboard a ship with a long and varied past: the Marquis of Hastings. Originally built in 1819 in London, the vessel had served many purposes — from transporting convicts to sailing the East India trade routes, and eventually bringing assisted immigrants like my ancestors to Australia.
Its story is one of adaptation, repurposing, and, at times, decline. Here’s a closer look at the evolving roles of the Marquis of Hastings.
Timeline & Known Voyages
Convict Transport Voyages to Port Jackson (1825–1828)
• 1825–26 – Voyage (1) Departed London 17 December 1825 under Master William Ostler → Arrived 3 January 1826 Sydney.i
• 1827 – Voyage (2) Departed Portsmouth 18 April 1827 under Master John Drake → Arrived 31 July 1827 at Port Jacksonii
• 1828 – Voyage (3) Departed London under John Jeffrey Drake → Arrived 12 October 1828 in Port Jackson.iii iv
“In 1828, the average expense for passage of each of the male prisoners... the lowest [being] the Marquis of Hastings, at £24 9s. 6d.”v
The low cost suggests that accommodations aboard were strictly functional, with minimal comfort for the convicts on board.
East India Trade and Passenger Service (from 1835 to 1839):
After 1828, the ship appears to have undergone refurbishment. By 1835, she was advertised as a:
“fine first-class river-built Barque, Marquis of Hastings, 452 tons register... splendid accommodations for Passengers. A plan of her Cabins may be seen at the office … She carries a surgeon.”vi
These improvements were likely aimed at attracting paying customers, especially those seeking passage to and from India.
However, the improvements likely applied to paying cabin passengers — not to those travelling in steerage or under government schemes. It’s quite probable that many of the ship's earlier features (e.g., barred partitions, poor ventilation) remained intact for lower-class passengers.
Return to Convict Transport: Hobart Town (1839)
• 1839 – Departed London 16 March 1839 under Captain Henry Naylor → Arrived 17 July 1839 in Hobart Town.vii The ship transported 240 male convicts to Van Diemen’s Land in 1839, with 7 deaths en route.
This marked a return to penal transport, indicating a possible downturn in commercial viability as a passenger ship.
In July 1841 also show the ship in service between Sydney, Madras, and Calcutta, identifying her as a trading and passenger vessel.viii Possibly with a stronger focus on trade rather than passengers
Assisted Immigration to Port Jackson (1840–1841)
1840-1841 – Departed Plymouth on 12 October, 1840 under Captain H. Carr, → Arrived late December 1841 in Port Jackson assisted immigrants, including my ancestor Thomas Crump and his wife Rebecca.ix
Return to convict voyages to Van Demons Land (1842)
• 1842 – Departed London 16 July 1842 under Captain John Biddle → Arrived 6 November 1842 in Hobart Townx
The return to convict transport after only one known assisted immigration voyage may reflect dissatisfaction with the ship’s suitability or economic pressures influencing its use.
Its 1842 return to convict transport suggests the 1841 immigrant experiment was short-lived, possibly due to colonial dissatisfaction or financial incentives.xi
Implications for Assisted Immigrants Travelling in 1841
Thomas Crump and Rebecca (née Underhill) embarked on the Marquis of Hastings in 1841 as assisted immigrants, part of a broader colonial effort to attract labourers under the bounty scheme. Their experience would have been shaped by the ship’s history, bureaucratic incentives, and their personal circumstances.
By 1841, colonial authorities were increasingly critical of bounty ships (Marquis of Hastings’ 1841 voyage likely fell under this scheme). Immigrants on repurposed convict ships faced stricter eligibility checks upon arrival, with higher rejection rates if conditions onboard were deemed inadequate.xii
The Marquis of Hastings’ dual history as a convict transport and passenger vessel suggests that accommodations during its 1841 assisted immigrant voyage were likely basic at best. While some parts of the ship may have been upgraded during its East India trade period, these improvements would not necessarily have extended to steerage-class passengers. The lingering influence of its convict-era design—combined with cost-cutting measures typical of assisted immigration schemes—likely resulted in cramped, uncomfortable conditions for most immigrants onboard.
Conclusion
The Marquis of Hastings underwent significant changes between its roles as a convict transport and passenger vessel. While it had been upgraded for East India trade by 1835, its return to convict transport in 1839 suggests that accommodations for assisted immigrants in 1841 were likely basic and utilitarian rather than luxurious. For Thomas and Rebecca Crump, this voyage would have been physically taxing but ultimately life-changing as they embarked on a new chapter in colonial Australia.
📚 Sources – Lloyd’s Register of Shipping
[Explanation: Lloyd’s Register is best known for its classifications and certification of ships, providing key technical and ownership details.]
Lloyd’s Register of Shipping (1840), HathiTrust Archive: Marquis of Hastings, 452 tons, Captain Nailor Page 357 [Explanation: Confirms this is the correct convict ship, despite the spelling variation in the captain’s surname from “Naylor” to “Nailor.”]
Lloyd’s Register of Shipping (1841): HathiTrust Archive: Marquis of Hastings, 452 tons Captain Carr, Page 388 Destined Voyage: Lond & TSds40 [Explanation: “Lond & TSds40” most likely indicates the vessel was listed for a voyage between London and Tasmania (Van Diemen’s Land), scheduled or recorded in 1840 and carried forward into the 1841 register.]
Lloyd’s Register of Shipping (1844): HathiTrust Archive: Marquis of Hastings, 452 tons Captain Biddle, Page 388 Destined Voyage: London Hob Tn [Explanation: Confirms this is the same convict ship, now listed on a voyage to Hobart Town.]
Lloyd’s Register of Shipping (1846): HathiTrust Archive: Marquis of Hastings, 452 tons Captain Biddle, Page 377 Destined Voyage: London to S Leone [Explanation: Shows the ship still in operation, but no longer voyaging to Australia; listed instead for a voyage to Sierra Leone.]
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Footnotes
i Free Settler of Felon: Convict and Colonial History website, Convict Ship Marquis of Hastings (1) – 1826 webpage (accessed https://freesettlerorfelon.com/convict_ship_marquis_of_hastings_1826.htm : 25 april 2025)
ii Free Settler of Felon: Convict and Colonial History website, Convict Ship Marquis of Hastings (2) – 1827 webpage (accessed https://freesettlerorfelon.com/convict_ship_marquis_of_hastings_1827.htm : 25 april 2025)
iii Free Settler of Felon: Convict and Colonial History website, Convict Ship Marquis of Hastings (3) – 1828 webpage (accessed https://freesettlerorfelon.com/convict_ship_marquis_of_hastings_1828.htm : 25 april 2025)
iv Ancestry.com. Tasmania, Australia, Passenger Arrivals, 1829-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Barque Marquis of Hastings entry page 370 in the Selected Immigration Books from the Archive Office of Tasmania. Tasmania, Australia: Archives Office of Tasmania.
v The Sydney Herald. (1833, June 17). The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), p. 2. Retrieved April 25, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12847024 [Explanation: gives the cost of sending individual convicts out on this vessel in 1828]
vi Advertising (1838, January 30). The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), p. 3. Retrieved April 14, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36854115) [Explanation: announcement that the ship has been refitted for the East India Trade]
vii Passengers in History 1836 website, Vessel Marquis of Hastings webpage, Vessel Marquis of Hastings – 1839, webpage (accessed https://passengers.history.sa.gov.au/node/1001668 : 25 april 2025)
viii FIBIS website, Bombay Times Newspapers, 21 July 1841, Arrivals to Indian ports listed in the Bombay Times in 1841:Marquis of Hastings from Embarked Madras from Sydney destination Calcutta,Transcribed by D Edge, J Birtles , J Alder, D Freer, A Hamblen, A Webb, D Moore, A Goodchild, and R Ryan (accessed at https://fibis.ourarchives.online/ : 25 April 2025)
ix Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007; Passenger record for Thomas Crump, who arrived on 4 February 1841 on the vessel Marquis of Hastings in New South Wales Australia from Goudhurst, Kent, Citing State Records Authority of New South Wales; Kingswood New South Wales, Australia; Entitlement certificates of persons on bounty ships; Series: 5314;Reel: 1333
x Passengers in History 1836 website, Vessel Marquis of Hastings webpage, Vessel Marquis of Hastings – 1842, webpage (accessed https://passengers.history.sa.gov.au/node/1001669 : 25 april 2025)
xi The Sydney Herald. (1833, June 17). The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), p. 2. Retrieved April 14, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12847024 [Explanation: confirming that In 1828 only charged £28 15s. 6d. as opposed to £24 9s. 6d, possibly indicating the quality of the vessels accomodations.]
xii Were Bounty Immigrants Good or Bad for the Colonies? Copyright © by Leone Huntsman from DESCENT, the Journal of the Society of Australian Genealogists: December 2001 - pp.174-179. Reprinted with permission (11 Aug. 2020) accessed at https://www.fairhall.id.au/resources/journey/good_or_bad.htm 14 April 2025)
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