White Cross Line to Natal 1860 and the Burton Stather

In 1860 the first advertisements began to appear in the newspapers regarding the White Cross Line, established by Samuel BULLARD and Daniel KING. The first clipper of the Line to arrive at Natal had been the barque Priscilla, and later when a regular service was established came the Verulam, the Isabella Hartley, the Silvery Wave and the Burton Stather.

The Priscilla is stated as having made the fastest passage from Natal to England at that time, 52 days, in November 1863. The Isabella Hartley made the round trip in a record 6 and a half months.

With John T Rennie's Aberdeen clippers, those of Bullard King and Co. had a monopoly of the direct trade with Natal and the two firms had a close co-operation. By June 1869, the White Cross Line name was dispensed with and Bullard King's ships operated jointly but alternately with Rennie's in the Aberdeen Line.

A passage to Durban, first class, was obtainable for 25 guineas, or 16 guineas in steerage and many Natal colonists came out on Zulu, Panda, Sinquasi, Empress of India, Durban, Isipingo, Umzinto, Palala and others.

It wasn't until 1879 that Bullard King's first steamer appeared, the Pongola (see article on The Natal Direct Line) but the combined service continued with both steam and sailing vessels for some years, and Durban Bay still saw the old clippers of Bullard King at anchor.

Burton Stather

BURTON STATHER

The Burton Stather was launched on 3 January 1866 at the shipyard at Burton Stather, North Lincolnshire, England. This shipyard was in operation from 1788-1892, when it closed.
The half model used by the yard to get the lines for build still exists and in the local parish council office an original drawing of the state cabins is framed and hanging on the wall.

At the right hand lower corner of the drawing are the names of Bullard King & Co. as well as Handley & Dixon.

The drawing and an advertisement for John Wray & Sons, Shipbuilders are shown below.

Information kindly provided by Alan Irons of Burton Stather, Lincolnshire who has been researching the history of the shipyard for many years. 

Souvenir Saturday: Captain George Brown of the Priscilla

This photograph shows Captain George Brown and his wife Frances ca 1870.

Brown commanded the clipper barque Priscilla which brought my great great grandfather, Thomas Gadsden, to Natal in June 1863. The Priscilla, one of the earliest of the White Cross clippers (others were the Silvery Wave, the Verulam, Isabella Hartley and Burton Stather) was a frequent visitor to the Colony during the 1860s and 70s.

Advertisements in The Natal Mercury reveal that the Priscilla in November 1863 made the fastest passage then on record from Natal to England, i.e. 52 days.

The card mount mentions C Bunting & Sons: Bunting, Charles, photographer, 72 Nelson Street, South Bank near Middlesbrough is listed in Bulmer’s Directory 1890. Bunting had a studio there from at least 1884. [Source: The Cleveland, North Yorkshire and South Durham Family History Society.]

SOUTH BANK, formerly called Tees Tilery, is a rapidly increasing and populous market town in this township, having a station on the Darlington and Saltburn line of the North Eastern railway, and is distant three miles from Middlesbrough. (Bulmer's History and Directory of North Yorkshire (1890).

The Natal Mercury, 12 April 1861

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