Scindian is widely considered the first convict ship to transport convicts to Western Australia. She was launched in 1844 and sank in 1880.
Career Scindian was constructed at Sunderland, England, in 1844 and named after the Indian Scindia dynasty. She appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1844 with J.Terry, master, J. Allan, owner, and trade London-India.LR (1844), Seq.№S263. Lloyd's Register for 1850 showed her master as J. Cammell. Her owner was still Allan, but her trade was simply given as "London".
Scindian was driven ashore at the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Colony before 23 June 1849. She was refloated with the assistance of the steamship Phoenix.
Scindian left Portsmouth on 4 March 1850 under the command of Captain James Cammell and surgeon-superintendent John Gibson, and docked at Fremantle on 1 June 1850 after a voyage of 89 days. The vessel carried 275 people to Western Australia including 75 male convicts and 163 military pensioners. All the convicts survived the voyage. Among the passengers were a number of officials including Comptroller General of Convicts Edmund Henderson and Superintendent of Convicts Thomas Hill Dixon. Also on board was 10-year-old George Throssell, a son of a pensioner, who later became the second Premier of Western Australia.
The arrival of the convicts was a surprise to many of the Swan River Colony settlers, as Western Australia had petitioned for convicts but had not yet received a reply when Scindian arrived. As no preparations had been made for their arrival, the colony had no jail capable of housing so many convicts. This had been anticipated, and only convicts with a record of good behaviour had been sent. The convicts were initially housed in the warehouse premises of the harbourmaster, which is now the Esplanade Hotel. Shortly after the arrival, work began on the building of a Convict Establishment prison, now Fremantle Prison. After the pensioners arrived, the governor of the colony inducted 100 of them into an armed constabulary force; one of their first tasks was building the prison. The second convict transport to Western Australia was , which arrived on 25 October.
Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes 1851 J.Cammell J. Allan London–Saint Helena LR 1855 J. Allan London LR 1860 Not listed in LR 1865 Not listed in LR 1870 Not listed in LR 1875 J.H. Allan London LRLR (1775), Seq.№S366. 1880 Wilson & Co. London LR; annotation "Wrecked"LR (1880), Seq.№S71.
Fate Scindian sank off the cost of Rio Marina, Elba, Italy on 3 November 1880. Captain Lawrenson and five other men drowned; eight crewmen were rescued.
List of Scindian passengers Scindian is widely considered the first convict ship to arrive in Western Australia, because she was the first to arrive after Western Australia became a penal colony. A number of ships did bring Parkhurst apprentices to Western Australia between 1842 and 1849, and while these were not considered convict ships by the Western Australian authorities, they were classified as such in English records.
Passengers on Scindian included Thomas Hill Dixon, Edmund Henderson and George Throssell. A full list is provided below.
Convicts +Convicts Name Convict number Age when sentenced Crime Trial place Trial date SentenceWilliam Bailey7521House breakingCentral Criminal Court184814 yearsJames Baker4848Stealing fowlsExeter184714 yearsGeorge Barker3923Pick pocketYorkshire Assizes6 March 184715 yearsJames Baxter3225Violence & striking superior officer (Army)Corfu184714 yearsFrancis Best7332House breakingWorcester184715 yearsJohn Bradbury6624RapeChester184820 yearsSamuel Brakes2635BurglaryPeterborough184815 yearsWilliam Branson333Sheep stealingLeicester184815 yearsArthur Bristow5131Grievous bodily harmKingston upon Thames184815 yearsReginald Bristow5027Grievous bodily harmKingston upon Thames184815 yearsJoseph Brown4541Stealing oats & draperyBoston SessionsJune 184714 yearsCharles Burgess3834House breakingMaidstone184614 yearsSolomon Burkett1946BurglaryPeterborough184815 yearsWilliam Carter825Horse stealingWorcester184715 yearsJames Cox5338Stealing a watchDorset184715 yearsJohn Davies5232RapeSwansea184815 yearsRobert Dawes3528Sheep stealingSwaffham184714 yearsSamuel Diggle5839BurglaryLiverpool20 March 184715 yearsJohn Dobson3631Pick pocketStafford184714 yearsWilliam Drake4225House breaking & stealing moneyNewport184715 yearsRobert Eley1423Stealing a copper funnelDurham184814 yearsThomas Faulds2223Robbery with violenceGlasgow184714 yearsThomas Fletcher1824Robbery with violenceLancaster184815 yearsThomas Hargreaves3130Stealing crockeryPortsmouth184714 yearsThomas Hart5523BurglaryCambridge17 March 184815 yearsJames Hatton6929RapeLiverpool184720 yearsThomas Hirst1026House breakingYork184715 yearsRobert Holder4026RobberyPortsmouth184715 yearsSamuel Jackson1636Robbery with violenceChester015 yearsLuke Jeffry5626Stealing moneyCambridge184815 yearsJohn Jermyn624RapeNorwich184815 yearsWilliam Johnson7030Firing stacksStafford184720 yearsRichard Jones4138Warehouse breakingReading184715 yearsAllan Lancaster5735Breaking out of gaol & stealingKnutsford184814 yearsJohn Larcombe430House breakingDorchester184815 yearsWilliam Loveridge3429ArsonAylesbury184815 yearsAlexander Matthieson4428House breakingGlasgow184721 yearsJames Morris4943Counterfeiting coinCentral Criminal Court184715 yearsJohn Morris6724RapeWinchester184815 yearsGeorge Oliver6528Robbery with violenceChester184815 yearsJames Osborne6223House breakingWorcester184815 yearsJohn Osborne7230Horse stealingSleaford6 January 184815 yearsJohn Patience230BurglaryDorset184814 yearsGeorge Phillips3033Absent & violence to superior officer (Army)Bury184714 yearsMatthew Porteous2053TheftEdinburgh28 February 184814 yearsGeorge Postins1717House breakingWorcester020 yearsCharles Pye5928BurglaryChelmsford184715 yearsJames Rackham4348Receiving stolen goodsChelmsford184814 yearsThomas Rutledge Raine6324Pick pocketYork6 March 184715 yearsJohn Raison6424Assault & robberyLincoln6 March 184715 yearsJohn Rampling4627Striking superior officers (Army)Newcastle184714 yearsGeorge Richardson7139Attempting to strike superior officer (Army)BARBADOS184814 yearsThomas Robinson6824BurglaryMaidstone184714 yearsThomas Rodrigues2427ManslaughterLiverpool184715 yearsSamuel Scattergood136Sheep stealingLeicester9 March 184815 yearsJames Smith926House breakingWorcester184815 yearsJohn Smith3319ArsonChelmsford184815 yearsSamuel Smith3728House breakingWarwick184815 yearsWilliam Smith1325House breakingWorcester184815 yearsEdward Spillett1232ManslaughterMaidstone184815 yearsMartin Stone2524Horse stealingDorchester184715 yearsThomas Stubbs2120House breakingChester29 March 184814 yearsJames Sweeney1558Uttering counterfeit coinCaernarvon184715 yearsSeymour Taylor2835Stealing an oak beamIpswich184715 yearsJames Tetlow2356ManslaughterLiverpool184815 yearsAlexander Thomas6122ManslaughterSwansea184815 yearsGeorge Thompson726ManslaughterNewcastle184815 yearsThomas Trott1128Stealing & assaultLincoln Assizes184715 yearsFrederick Ward2930StealingBirmingham184715 yearsGeorge Watkins2732Stealing clothesDurham184814 yearsThomas Welsby526RobberyLiverpool184815 yearsFrancis Westmoreland4746Sheep stealingStafford184715 yearsEsau Wetherall5435Horse stealingTaunton184715 yearsGeorge Wilson7423ArsonChelmsford184815 yearsJohn Wilson6041Robbery with violenceNewcastle184815 years
Pensioner guards +Pensioner guards Name Age NotesSamuel Annear private, sapper and miner wifeMary J. Annear2child, died on board three other childrenJohn Atkinson private, 2nd Queen's Dragoon GuardsAnn Atkinson wife two childrenGeorge Bagg32private, Royal MarinesCatharine Bagg31wifeSarah Bagg3childRobert Baker private, 34th Regiment wife and three childrenJohn Barrett46private, 61st RegimentAlice Barrett wifeCatharine Barrett2childMary A. Barrett9 monthschildJames Bond private, 17th RegimentHenry Burton44corporal, 54th RegimentHarriet Burton43wifeSamuel Butterworth acting corporal, Royal ArtilleryCatherine Butterworth wife three childrenJames Caldwell corporal, 57th Regiment wifeCharles Clark private, 40th RegimentGeorge Clark private, 9th Regiment one childJohn Coyle sergeant, 27th Regiment wife and one childHenry Davey35private, Royal MarinesJane Davey24wife infant childJohn Day private, 31st Regiment wife and childJohn Dulston private, 80th Regiment wifeSamuel Fairbrother private, 29th RegimentWilliam Finlay40private, 97th RegimentMarjory Finlay wife three children, including William Finlay jrJoseph Foot47private, 76th RegimentCatherine Foot42wife four childrenScindian Gibson Foot child, born at seaPatrick Gallagher private, 7th Battalion Royal Artillery wifeAndrew Gordon corporal, 40th RegimentMary Ann Gordon wifeThomas Hammond private, 80th RegimentJohn Harris38private, 97th RegimentCharlotte Harris wifeWilliam Harris childHenry Herbert50private, Royal African CorpAnn Herbert wifeHenry Herbert childJoseph Herbert child one other child (Agnes Herbert Daughter)John Hubble33private, 32nd RegimentJane Hubble20wifeWilliam Hubble37private, 32nd RegimentJames Hunt46private, Royal Marines wife and childJames Jones private, 38th Regiment, sapper and minerJohn Kingdon41private, 43rd Regiment wife and five childrenJohn Kirwan42sergeant, 30th RegimentJane Kirwan wife five childrenRobert Lindsay45private, 2nd Queen's RegimentJulia Lindsay wifeJulia Lindsay2childThomas McMullen42private, 4th Battalion Royal ArtilleryAnn McMullen wife two childrenHenry Morgan private, 10th Battalion Royal Artillery wife and three childrenJames Murphy private, 19th RegimentAnn Murphy wife four childrenPeter Murphy private, 31st Regiment wife and three childrenJoseph Nichols52drummer wifeJohn Nicholson private, 1st RegimentWilliam Oak35private, 46th RegimentDaniel O'Connell private, 6th Regiment wifeSarah O'Connell2child one other childJohn O'Connor private, British East India CompanySarah O'Connor wife two childrenMoses O'Keefe48private, 44th RegimentNorah O'Keefe wifeDennis O'Keefe childJohn Payne48private, 40th RegimentMichael Reddin sergeant, 61st RegimentJane Reddin wife four childrenRichard Roffey private, 59th RegimentJames Rourke private, 27th RegimentAnna Rourke wifeJames Rourke1child four other childrenJohn Skillen private, 2nd Regiment wife and childJames Stark32private, 9th RegimentJames Stevens49private, British East India CompanyJohanna Stevens wifeMichael Stokes50private, British East India Company (Artillery) wife and childSamuel Sutton39private, Royal MarinesAnn Sutton wifeFrances Sutton2child one other childJames Taylor private, 2nd Regiment(George) Michael Throssell42private, 7th Dragoon GuardsJane Ann Throssell wifeThomas Throssell14childGeorge Lionel Throssell10child one other childPeter Towers39private, Royal Marines wifeEmanuel Unwin sapper, Royal EngineersJohn Watkins33private, 94th RegimentElizabeth Watkins wife two childrenWilliam Watts sergeant, 21st Regiment wife and childJohn Winfield44private, Grenadier Guards wife and child
Other passengers +Other passengers Name Age NotesJohn Carr warder wifeThomas Hill Dixon Superintendent of Convicts common law wife and two children servantJohn Gibson surgeon superintendentEdmund Henderson Comptroller General of Convicts wife and child two servantsJames Manning36Clerk of WorksJane Manning wifeJames Manning child one other child servant employed by James MANNING corporal, Royal Engineers private, sapper, Royal Engineers private, sapper, Royal Engineers private, sapper, Royal Engineers
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