Ship Edwin Fox
Immigrants destined for Canterbury, New Zealand. Arrived Port Lyttleton, 1873. To Lyttelton from Brest, France (for repairs) arriving 27th. June 1873 with 140 passengers.History of Voyage
1873 January 24 Sailed from London. She had on board 95 passengers
destined for Canterbury and 95 destined for Otago.
The weather was miserable and the ship had difficulty
even getting out of the English Channel. (Six days
previously the Northfleet, a ship similar to Edwin Fox
and previously in the same ownership, with a load of
emigrants destined for Tasmania, had while anchored
off Dungeness, been rammed by a Spanish steamer.
Sixty were saved, 290 were lost).
1873 February 2 Heavy seas effected serious damage to the ship,
including the rudder. There were many injuries and
a few were killed. The crew managed to get at some
cases of spirits, and were nearly all drunk, so the
passengers had to turn to, man the pumps, and do what
they could to save the ship.
"She suffered a crew too drunk to man the pumps in a
gale and had to hoist aloft ladies’ Red petticoats to
indicate her distress at sea. Emigrants usually had
more than the usual discomforts’ to put up with on
board her, yet, on her arriving in Wellington it was
once reported that there was not a cleaner or more
comfortable ship entering New Zealand waters, her
‘tween decks in the pink of order and cleanliness and
in a manner to indicate the superior character of her
passengers. Perhaps the reporter had broached the
cargo of spirits."
1873 February 3 In the morning another ship, the American vessel
Copernicus, managed with great difficulty and with
what must have been outstanding seamanship, to take
the Edwin Fox in tow and brought her into the French
harbour of Brest. The local British Consul, along
with other interested personnel, managed to arrange
for repairs at the French Naval Shipyard so as to
expedite her repairs ahead of many other ships that
had been driven into the harbour by the storm, instead
of forcing 'her to return to Britain. The passengers
were moved ashore and repair work began. 23 passengers
declined to continue the voyage and were returned to
Southhampton.
1873 March 5 The ship got underway once again after a delay of
about a month. The balance of the voyage was relatively
uneventful, except for the deaths on board of four
passengers, from fever and consumption. However there
was further disatisfaction amongst the passengers and
the sentence "I do complain of the wet" appears in the
emigrant log.
1873 June 27 Arrived at Lyttelton, 114 days out from Brest, with
140 passengers. Captain Johnston, who was in command,
reported that on the voyage there had been six deaths;
Dr. Langley, an Able-seaman, who was killed when the
Bay of Biscay was being crossed, three adults from fever,
and one infant. When the ship arrived at Lyttelton she
was placed in quarantine for two days, as four of the
deaths reported were from fever.
Of the 95 assisted emigrants bound for the Canterbury Association's
settlement on the largest of the fair isles of Oceania, eighty-five made
it to the promised land. Most of the adults were in their early twenties
and half had come from Ireland.
Columns represent: Surname, Given Name, Residence, Age, Occupation
BASS William Wexford 23 Ploughman BEALE Thomas Cornwall 23 Labourer BRIGHT Sarah Devon 25 Servant BROWNE Wm. J. Donegal 23 Ploughman BRUNSDEN Thomas Berkshire 35 Labourer BRUNSDEN Anne Berkshire 33 BRUNSDEN William Berkshire 14 BRUNSDEN Caroline Berkshire 12 BRUNSDEN Thomas Berkshire 9 BRUNSDEN Anne Berkshire 3 BRUNSDEN Albert Berkshire 7mths BURKE William Donegal 23 Farm Labourer CHAPMAN Alfred Surrey 21 Farm Labourer CHAPMAN Sarah Surrey 21 CRAWFORD Robert Donegal 22 Ploughman CRAWFORD Sarah Jane Donegal 23 Servant CUMMINGS Cath Tipperary 18 Servant CUMMINGS Lizzie Tipperary 16 CUMMINGS Lucy Tipperary 15 CUMMINGS Margaret Tipperary 9 DAVISON Margaret Armagh 21 DEANE Margaret Derry 20 Housemaid DEANE Rebecca Derry 22 Housemaid DUNLOP Robert Ayrshire 16 Miller FRANCIS Anne Middlesex 22 Domestic FRIEL Daniel Donegal 27 Farm Labourer FREIL Catherine Donegal 21 GIMMETT Dniel Bucks 36 Labourer GIMMETT Anna Bucks 30 GIMMETT Nathan Bucks 11 GIMMETT George Bucks 8 GIMMETT Charles Bucks 6 GIMMETT Martha T.E. Bucks GIMMETT William Bucks 9mths GREENE Daniel Donegal 38 Farmer GREENE Mary Donegal 36 GREENE James Donegal 19 Farm Labourer HELAN Mary Middlesex 15 Servant KENNEDY John Tipperary 18 Farm Labourer LEGGE Jas. R. Berkshire 35 Labourer LEGGE Maria Berkshire 34 LEGGE Maria Berkshire 17 Housemaid LEGGE Ellen Berkshire 15 Servant LEGGE Frederick Berkshire 13 LEGGE Florence Berkshire 9 LEGGE Kate L. Berkshire 7 LEGGE Amy H. Berkshire 4 LEGGE Geo. Edwin Berkshire 2 LLOYD Francis Middlesex 22 Bricklayer LLOYD Emily Middlesex 21 Servant LLOYD Frederick Middlesex 19 Plumber LLOYD Mary Ann Middlesex 16 Servant LLOYD Walter Middlesex 14 LLOYD Margaret Flintshire 24 Servant LOMASNEY William Cork 35 Farm Labourer LOMASNEY Johanna Cork 34 LOMASNEY Ellen Cork 5 LOMASNEY James Cork 3 LOMASNEY Johanna Cork 1 ORR John Donegal 25 Farm Labourer ORR Alice Donegal 22 Servant ORR Catherine Donegal 20 Servant STEWART Seline Somerset 28 Matron on Voyage STEWART Blanche K. Somerset 6 THOMPSON Wm. B. Yorkshire 34 Shepherd THOMPSON Mary Jane Yorkshire 32 TRESTRAIN Martha Middlesex 45 TRESTRAIN Stephen Middlesex 11 TRESTRAIN James Middlesex 9 TRESTRAIN William Middlesex 6 WARBURTON George Somerset 12 WARBURTON Mary A. Glamorgan 19 Servant WARRELL Helen Donegal 27 Housemaid WELLS William Devon 22 Farm Labourer WHITE Elizabeth Cornwall 38 Servant WHITE Emily Cornwall 18 Servant WHITE Bessie Cornwall 16 Servant WIDOWSEN Thomas Notts. 30 Labourer WIDOWSEN Ann Notts. 29 WIDOWSEN Wm. T. Notts. 5 WIDOWSEN Henrietta Notts. 3 WIDOWSEN Georgina E. Notts. 10mths from the above list, the following proceeded to Timaru FRIEL Catherine FRIEL Daniel GREENE James HELAN Mary ORR John ORR Alice ORR Catherine
New Zealand National Archive Reference IM15 series
Some passenger list information relating to the ship "Edwin Fox" have been extracted from a booklet published by the "Edwin Fox Restoration Society Inc." They in turn have used a variety of sources (government, business and private) to bring the information together. The Society's mission is to restore the ship to it's original glory, after years of ravage from the elements.
For more information on the ship Edwin Fox and her proposed restoration,
please visit these sites or do a search on any search engine.
http://www.nzmaritime.co.nz/edwinfox.htm
http://www.geocities.com/~banksp/Events/EdwinFox/EdwinFox.html
http://www.bondstore.co.nz/nzhistoricships/qs/table/Edwin%20Fox.htm
Transcribed and Contributed by Sheila Tate for the
Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild
22 May 2002
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