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Guardian 1790

The Convict Transport Guardian 1790
The HMS Guardian was not strictly a convict transport, she was a Store ship but she sailed from Spithead on 12 September 1789 with 25 specially selected male convicts on board. This ship has the dubious honour of being the first vessel carrying convicts to be wrecked on the passage to Australia. She carried 1003 tons of cargo, twentyfive convicts and the Reverend John Crowther, appointed as Assistant Chaplain for Sydney, a number of superintendents and ten year old Elizabeth Schaefer, daughter of one of the Superintendents. On 22 December 1789 the HMS Guardian struck an iceberg and began taking on water. On 21 February 1790 the crippled ship limped into False Bay on the coast of Africa and lay at anchor while efforts were made to rescue what cargo had not been jettisoned. On April 12 a fierce storm drove her from her moorings and wrecked her on the beach. She had twenty-one convicts on board when she landed at Africa, four having deserted following the iceberg incident. Of these twenty-one remaining convicts twenty made it to Australia, one died on the trip between Africa and Australia.
I have identified twenty of the HMS Guardian convicts
Name Status Crime Court Trial Date Sentence
Austin, George? Came free - Gardener
Barlow, John? Came Free - Superintendent of Convicts
Bloxwich, Joseph? Convict Highway Robbery Stafford 12 March 1788 Death commuted to Life
Bonnick, Thomas? Convict Burglary Bedford Assizes 6 March 1788 Death commuted to Life
Boulton, John? Convict Break, Enter & steal Cheshire Great Sessions 29 March 1788 Death commuted to Life
Careless, William? Convict Burglary Shrewsbury 4 August 1787 Death commuted to 7 years
Cheers, Richard? Convict Steal two geldings valued at £25 Kingston, Surrey 26 March 1788 Death commuted to Life
Clarke, Thomas? Came Free
Cone, Henry? Convict Burglary Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk 28 March 1787 Death commuted to Life
Cottiss, John? Convict Steal a black gelding Chelmsford, Essex 12 March 1787 Death commuted to 14 years
Crowther, John Came free - New South Wales Assistant Chaplain
Cubitt, Daniel? Convict Burglary Thetford, Norfolk Assizes 14 March 1788 Death commuted to Life
Curtis, William? Convict
Delove, John? Convict Steal a gelding valued at £5 Middlesex 31 May 1786 Death commuted to Life
Divine, Nicholas? Came free - Superintendant of Convicts
Dodge, William Thomas? Came free - Superintendent of Convicts
Fiske, Thomas? Convict Untraced crime Norfolk Assizes July 1787 untraced
Hughes, Robert? Convict Steal a black gelding Shrewsbury, Shropshire 15 March 1788 Death commuted to 7 years
Hume, Andrew Hamilton? Came free - Superintendent of Convicts
Lowe, Hugh? Convict Burglary Chester 29 March 1788 Death commuted to 14 years
Lowe, John? Convict Privately Stealing three bills of exchange worth £34 Stafford August 1787 Death commuted to 14 years
Mayrick, Thomas? Convict Steal 11 sheep from a field at Hallow Worcester Assizes 12 July 1788 Death commuted to 7 years
Morris, John? Convict Untraced crime Mold, Flint, Wales 28 March 1787 Death commuted to 14 years
Morris, John Chapman? Convict Steal 2 geldings valued at £25 each Reading, Berkshire 3 March 1788 Death commuted to Life
Page, Edward? Convict Highway robbery Maidstone, Kent 19 March 1787 Deat commuted to 14 years
Pass, Charles? Convict Highway Robbery Stafford Assizes 12 March 1788 Death commuted to Life
Rumble, Phillip? Convict Winchester 6 March 1787 7 years
Sansum, George? Convict Gloucester 11 March 1789 7 years
Schaeffer, Elizabeth Came free
Schaeffer, Philip? Came Free - Superintendent of Convicts
Skinner, William? Convict Steal a sheep Gloucester 11 March 1789 Death commuted to 7 years
Wade, William? Convict Highway Robbery Kingston, Surrey 2 April 1787 Death commuted to 14 years
Weavers, James? Convict Burglary Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk 28 March 1787 Death commuted to Life


This information has been prepared from multiple sources including the AJCP microfilms of Convict Indents and New South Wales Early Church Records. As with any work of this nature errors of omission or commission may be present. Information contained on this site is believed to be accurate at the time of publication. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the information is accurate, it is recommended that you confirm the information on these pages by checking it against primary source material. We cannot be held liable for any error or omission in this publication or for damages arising from its supply, performance or use and make no warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied in relation to this publication
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Created by ozgenie49905 points . Last Modification: Tuesday 30 of March, 2010 10:45:24 EST by ozgenie49905 points .

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