Passengers to Natal: 1861

On 7 September 1861 the 329 t barque William Ackers arrived at Port Natal. According to the immigration register she had sailed from London on 1 June. Length of voyage from England to Natal varied considerably during the 1860s, partly because sailing vessels didn’t take anything resembling a straight course but tacked all over the ocean in pursuit of favourable winds. The clipper ships such as Priscilla and Verulam of the White Cross Line, built for speed, could do the trip in under two months. Priscilla set a record from Natal to England in November 1863 - 52 days – but that was exceptional.

William Ackers carried 64 emigrants, including Henry Dongworth, one of the Redhill reformatory boys mentioned in the recent series of posts on this blog.

Full list of passengers:

Abbott, Christopher
Beard, James R
Beard, Mary Ann
Beard, Mary Ann (dau)
Beard, James E
Crosse, Robert F
Crosse, Emeline
Crosse, Cecilia
Crosse, Frederick
Crosse, Bertie
Crosse, Claude
Dunn, Georgina
Jones, John T
Jones, Amy
Nimmo, Jane
Palmer, Thomas
Shearbridge/Shewbridge, Charles
Turpin, Emma
Andrews, John
Algers, George
Algers, Susannah
Bailey, Alfred
Candill, Joseph
Candill, Isabella
Candill, John
Candill, James
Chadwick, William
Clarke, William
Dongworth/Dougworth, Henry
Edwards, Edward
Ellenor, David
Frammer (?), William
Hick, Joseph
Harris, Henry
Hall, Thomas
Hoffman, Christian
Jordan, Margaret
Lyth, Thomas
Leech, William
Leech, Sarah
Massey, Matthew
Pastell, John
Teasdale, Mary
Teasdale, William
Teasdale, Helen
Teasdale, Robert
Thaxted(?), George
Waters, Hannah
Wood, Robert
Wheeler, Robert
Woodhouse, William
Oppenheimer, Alfred
Woodhouse, Jane
Woodhouse, Thomas
Woodhouse, William
Woodhouse, George
Woodhouse, Frederick
Woodhouse, James

Added at the foot of the list:
Charles Waters
Child Townsend

There is a slight disparity between the number of passengers supposed to have been on board and the actual number listed. This is not unusual in passenger registers.

The ship departed Natal for Mauritius on 3 November, 1861.

The 1861 voyage was a once-off visit to Natal by the William Ackers. More about this vessel at http://www.mightyseas.co.uk/marhist/maryport/william_ackers.htm