Fifeshire

Fifeshire
Ship: 557 Tons
Captain: Harford Arnold
Surgeon Superintendent: William Spence
Sailed London 17th September 1841 & Downs 2nd October 1841 - arrived Nelson February 1st 1842

Fifeshire was one of the first four ships to Nelson and on her maiden voyage when bringing out settlers of the New Zealand Company to Nelson. Lord Auckland, Mary Ann, Lloyds all set out on the same day, the Fifeshire being the first to arrive. These four ships brought out 764 people to Nelson. The Fifeshire was an unlucky boat from the start. During the voyage fever broke out and 17 passengers died, their bodies being buried at sea. Until the scourge began to abate the passengers were in a most melancholy state, as they did not know where it was going to end. When navigating Cook Strait the ship nearly came to grief. The pilot took her between Stephen's Island and the mainland and, the wind failing at a critical moment, it looked as though she would go ashore, but Captain Arnold sent away a boat with a kedge, which dropped in the nick of time and the ship hauled of into safety.

Referring to the Fifeshire's arrival the Nelson "Examiner" said that as the ladies (cabin passenger) dressed in the London fashions of the 1841, were carried ashore from the ship's boats the Maori broke into loud   exclamations of wonder and delight. "Kapai!" "Kapai te wahine!" Kapai te piccaninny!"said the natives, who though familiar enough with white men, had never before seen the prevailing European fashions for women and children..

Fifeshire on Arrow Reef

After disembarking passengers and discharging cargo the ship was cleared for China but unfortunately never made it out of Nelson Harbour. On the morning of 27th February, in charge of an acting Pilot (Captain F. G. Moore-the regular Pilot was unwell), she got under way. She had nearly passed through the narrow channel entrance when the wind failed, and the tide carried her on Arrow Reef.

Strenuous efforts were made to get her off, but it was useless and at low water she was lying nearly high and dry. Her hull could not stand the strain and her back was badly broken. She was condemned and sold for breaking up.
Source: White wings. Sir Henry Brett

Our thanks to Peter Dillon of Christchurch for providing the births and deaths on boad Fifeshire

Name		Age	Occupation
Cabin Passengers
Cotterill	J. Sylvanus	22	Surveyor
Cullen	William	23	Farmer
Durley	Clara Mrs	22
	Daughter	2
Drake		21	Surveyor
Duffey	Mrs	22	Wife of T. Duffy
Doulter	Cyrus	17	Printer
Jollie	Francis	25	Gentleman
Kerr	Alexander	14
Poynter	John	40	Barrister
	Mrs	27
Saunders	Alfred	21	Miller
Slater		20	Gentleman
Spence	William	36	Surgeon
Stephens	Sarah	30	Wife of S. Stephens
Trower		22	Gentleman
Wallace	Mrs	60
Wallace	Miss	19
White	Mr	28	Gentleman
	Mrs	21
Emmigrant Passengers
Allen	Edward William	35	Carpenter - Acted as School Teacher & Surgeon's Assistant during the voyage.
	Betsy	37
	John	15	Carpenter
	Joseph	11
	Elizabeth (Betsy)	9
	Eliza	7
Berry	Thomas Richard	25	Farm Labourer
	Rebecca Keysley	19
Bird	Reuben	28	Carpenter
	Ann	25
	Anne	1
	Female	Infant	Born on board 26/11/1841
Burton	John	28	Agricultural Labourer
	Maria	28
Carter	Robert	30	Agricultural Labourer
	Lucy	30
	Robert	2
	Emma	10 weeks	Died on board 06/10/1841 Diarrhoea
Clemens	Edward	30
Cleverly	Thomas	34	Smith and Farrier
	Hannah	29	Died on board 03/01/1842 Consumption
	Thomas James	4
	Theresa	3
	Louiza	Infant
	Male	Infant	Born on board 31/12/1841 Died in 6 hours
Dillon	Thomas	25	Carpenter
	Eleanor	22
	Ellen Jane	1
	Thomas Harford		Born on board 21/12/1841(12:30pm)
Dodson	George	19	Agricultural Labourer
Draper	James	28	Servant Died on board 26/11/1841 Inflammation of brain
Drummond	David	27	Agricultural Labourer
	Jane	24
	Robert	3	Died on board 29/11/1841 Disease of Mesentine gland
	George	1
Duncan	Joseph	28	Mason
	Rachell	28
	John	7
	James	4
	Ellen	10 months
Gardiner	Robert	34	Tailor
	Jane	35
	John	5
	Eliza	4
	Mary Jane	8 months
Gibson	John	37	Agricultural Labourer
	Elizabeth	31
	John	12
	Agnes	9
	Giles	7
	Elizabeth	5
	Amelia	2
	Male	Infant	Born on board 13/11/1841
Gillard	George	21	Servant
Harper	James Titcomb	38	Shoemaker & Agricultural Labourer
	Mary Ann	35	Died on board 16/10/1841 Abdominal inflammation
	Sarah	13
	Lebulan	12
Haynes	Elizabeth	58	Nurse
Hayter	Hannah	24	Servant
Hill	Isaac	25	Machine Fitter
James	Edward	37	Stone Mason Died on board 04/01/1842 Abdominal inflammation caused by a worm perforating small intestine.
	Sarah	45
	John	12
	Ellen	10
	Frances	8
	Edward	6
	Emma	3
	Francis	1	Died on board 25/12/1841 Fever
James	John	35	Agricultural Labourer
	Elizabeth	45
	Edward	8
	Arnie ?	4
Jones	William	30	Brickmaker
	Mary Ann	32
	Mary Ellen	8	Died on board 16/01/1842 Putrid sore throat
	Ellen	1	Died on board 22/10/1841 Water on the head
	Female	Infant	Born on board 13/01/1842 Died in 28 hours
Kerr	John	41	Agricultural Labourer
	Janet	42
	James	20	Agricultural Labourer
	David	18	Agricultural Labourer
	Peter	16	Agricultural Labourer
	John	12
	Walter	9
	William	7
King	John	27	Millwright and Engineer
	Betsy	21
McGregor	Robertson	27	Tin and Coppersmith
	Jesse	26
	Mary	8
	John	3
Margary	James	22	Agricultural Labourer
	Thomas	17	Agricultural Labourer
	Mary	21
	Elizabeth	2
	William	1
	Male	Infant	Born on board 18/11/1841
Meredith	Mary	14	Servant
Middleton	James	38	Blacksmith
	Elizabeth	36
	Alexander	16	Blacksmith
Moore	William	30	Agricultural Labourer
	Isabel	32
	Peter	12
	Mary	3
	Female	Infant	Born on board 05/12/1841
Nicol	Charles	25	Millwright
	Ann	27
	Margaret	11 months
Nowell	Maria	16	Sempstress (Sister to Mrs Dillon)
Painter	Richard	31	Agricultural Labourer
	Sarah	21
Palmer	Robert	21	Bricklayer
	Mary Ann	18
Parfit	Isaac	31	Sawyer
	Elizabeth	32
	Jane	8
	Hannah	2
	Henry John	10 weeks
Paton	John	28	Gardener
	Jane	28
Paton	Joseph	28	Agricultural Labourer
	Margaret	27
	John	3
	Elizabeth	2
	Jemima	Infant
Pennells	Richard	22	Agricultural Labourer
	Elizabeth	22
	Sarah	1	Died on board 10/11/1841 Water on the head
	Female	Infant	Born on board 18/01/1842
Pennells	William	27	Agricultural Labourer
	Ann	27
	Mary	7
	Sarah	5
	Thomas	3
	George	1	Died on board 14/10/1841 Diarrhoea
Piggot	Susannah	21	Sempstress
Richardson	William	36	Agricultural Labourer
	Nancy	33
	Female	7
	Male	5
	Female	1	Died on board 09/10/1841 Mesenteric Disease
	Male	Infant	Born on board 14/01/1842
Simmonds	Joseph	23	Carpenter
	Frances Livinia	22
	Fanny	Infant
Staple	John	28	Agricultural Labourer
	Fanny	23
	John	3
	Betsy	Infant
Sutton	Thomas	22	Agricultural Labourer
	Jargini	25
Thomlinson	Ann	17	Sempstress
Willings	Josiah	27	Tailor Died on board 17/12/1841 Fever
	Mary Ann	22	Died on board 22/12/1841 Fever
Wootton	David	28	Carpenter
	Ann	29
	Charles	10

Francis JOLLIE 1815 - 1870 Francis the eldest of the family (Edward, hisa brother, arrived in 1842 by the Brougham), had settled in Nelson before the Wairau affray, and well remembered the dismay cast upon the province by that event. For a short period he acted as resident agent for the NZ Company. He took a leading part in the demand for constitution and when the provinces were established (in 1853) he stood for superintendency of Nelson against Stafford but was defeated; Stafford 251 Saxton 206, Jollie 130. In 1853 Jollie moved to Canterbury and took up land at Peel Forest. In 1855 he paid a visit to the Old Country and returning in 1858, he married and lived for a short period in Christchurch. His interests being in South Canterbury, Jollie took up the cudgels on behalf of the out districts, demanding for the settlers the right to spend their own revenue on their own works. From 1861 -1866 he represented Timaru in Parliament, and from 1866 - 1870 he represented Gladstone. For a short while in 1866 he was Colonial Treasurer in the Stafford Ministry, but he retired on a reconstruction forced by Moorhouse, who declined office for himself. He was a quiet unassuming member of Parliament, always assertive for the rights of his district, and his efforts had much to do with serving for South Canterbury, The Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works, which controlled the expenditure of local revenues. In Nelson and in Timaru he did useful work as a leader writer for the "Nelson Examiner" and the "Timaru Herald" he had intended retiring from politics when his death occurred on 30th November 1870. Source : The Christchurch Press Saturday August 2nd 1930 (Our thanks to Beverly Evans)

GIBSON family: The GIBSON family went to New Zealand from Auchterarder, Perthshire, Scotland, though whether Giles was born there, I don't know. She was born in 1834, and came to New Zealand with her parents, John and Elizabeth, and her four siblings (five by the time they reached Nelson!) on board the "Fifeshire" in 1842. Also on board were Thomas and Rebecca BERRY, half-brother and half-sister in law of the man Giles was later to marry, John Thomas BERRY. The GIBSONs seem to have been very influential - the town where they eventual settled, now know as Kaituna, was called Gibsontown for many years. If you have a connection with this family or would like to learn more please contact David Lamb.

Thomas Richard BERRY: Thomas Richard BERRY was the only known child of his father's (Thomas BERRY) first marriage, to Sarah PALMER. He was born in Shoreditch, Middlesex, UK on 20 August 1815. Like his father, he was a brushmaker. He married Rebecca Keysley CARSTAIRS at St. Leonard's, Shoreditch on 22 August 1841. Rebecca Keysley CARSTAIRS, was born on 14 May 1822 at Holborn, Middlesex, UK. She was the daughter of one J. CARSTAIRS, who was a writing master, and had a book published in 1828 called "The Pen Man's Delight", which is said to include details of a system which appears to have been a forerunner of shorthand. They emigrated to New Zealand on board the "Fifeshire", which left London on 26 September 1841, arriving in New Zealand on 01 February 1842, giving his occupation as "farmer". (The "Fifeshire" was wrecked on Arrow Reef, leaving Nelson Harbour for the onward trip China.) On 06 February 1846 Thomas, obviously not put off matters maritime by the fate of the "Fifeshire", bought a vessel of his own, a 12-ton cutter, which he named "Sarah Berry", presumably in honour of either his mother or his eldest daughter. The idea was to use her (the ship, not the daughter!) for trade between the West Coast and North Island, but this did not last long, as she met with heavy weather on 27 June 1846, and went aground. No lives were lost, but the vessel was a write-off. Thomas later became a goldminer. He and Rebecca had ten children. Thomas died on 02 June 1868 at Nelson. Rebecca died on 22 May 1872. If you have a connection with this family or would like to learn more please contact David Lamb.

ALLEN family: Edward William ALLEN was born in Sheerness, Kent, England in July 1805. In 1841, with his wife Betsy and their four children, he emigrated to nelson, New Zealand on board the Fifeshire one of the initial emigrant ships to Nelson. During the voyage Edward, a humble carpenter, doubled as a School Teacher and Assistant to the Surgeon, William Spence One of the ALLEN family was responsible for the construction of St Matthews Church in Auckland in 1862 and it was here that Edward died in February 1885. If you have a connection with this family please e-mail Ian Rawnsley

DILLON family: Thomas DILLON was born on June 5th 1816 at Bath, Somersetshire, England. In 1838 he married Eleanor NOWELL at St Michaels in Bath. Eleanor, the daighter of Joseph and Maria NOWELL (nee CARNICK) was born c 1817, also at Bath. In September 1841 Thomas and Eleanor along with young daughter Ellen Jane and Eleanor's younger sister Maria NOWELL (born c 1825) emigrated to New Zealand on board the Fifeshire. During the voyage a son Thomas Harford DILLON was born on December 21st 1841, halfway across the Indian Ocean. He had been named after the ships Captain, Harford ARNOLD. In New Zealand Thomas and Eleanor were to have two more sons: Frederick Nelson DILLON born in Nelson in 1844 and Alfred Wellington DILLON born in Wellington in 11th August 1847. Thomas and Eleanor and the family returned to England and later again sailed for New Zealand on board the ship Cornwall, settling at Christchurch where their youngest child, Clara, was born. Thomas died in 1857 at the age of 41 years and in 1863 Eleanor re-married George ARBER. Thanks for the above to Peter Dillon the great, great grandson of Thomas and Eleanor DILLON. Peter has a large amount of research material on the DILLON family on board this ship.

Reference:
Archives New Zealand NZC 34/2 page 136