The Royal Charter - A Famous Shipwreck Forgotten Part 4

While this particular post may not be of the highest interest to many readers since it contains the list of names of passengers on the Royal Charter, it was the most difficult to transcribe.  I'm not just talking about making mistakes when transcribing names (and I'm sure I did so please forgive them!), but it was incredibly difficult to put the names with the people that died...or didn't die.  I don't say "saved" in this instance, because some were fortunate enough to disembark in Cork, Ireland a few hours before the ship was struck by the hurricane force winds that caused the wreck.

When you read someone's name in a list like this, it can by all means bring about emotion in the reader.  When this far detached from the time of the tragedy, however, they are just names to most.  Many will just scan the list (names, names, names, yep, nothing to see here), and proceed to the rest of the article at the end which is fine, but when you are forced to transcribe it, you really do feel the impact of each name.  You see their children and you see who were fortunate enough to escape such a horrible fate.  You see the names of the "saved" mixed right in next to those that perished and it really is quite the emotional contrast.

Even knowing that my 3rd great grandfather was on board this ship, as I was typing along and came across his name it caused me to pause my typing.  As if somehow this was shocking defies any sort of explanation.  To see his name sandwiched between two others that were saved (although understanding this did not effect his chances of survival) is also stunning.  I was privileged about a month ago to see my grandfather's name between the "saved" about a month ago, when Chris Holden emailed me the image as I purchased a copy of his book, "Life and Death on the Royal Charter" which I am currently reading.  Thank you, Chris, for everything!

One of these days I will compare the list derived from this article with other ships lists and try to see how accurate it truly is.  You can see if you read the list/article that even the article wasn't completely certain of the spelling of some of the names.  I want to see if those that boarded the ship at it's last stop were included in this list or whether it was the list from its departure in Australia.  So much still to do.  I'll certainly be using the site "Index to Outward Passengers to Interstate, U.K. and Foreign Ports, 1852-1908" which was shared with me by Aillin from "Australian Genealogy Journeys" (thanks, Aillin!) after my first post in this series.  Perhaps it's a good goal for the next anniversary.

Until my next (and most likely last) post on this series, here is the final part of the very long article from the January 9, 1860 edition of the South Australian Advertiser:

"By the arrival of a vessel from Australia about a fortnight after the wreck, Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, and Co. obtained the following full list of the passengers who sailed by the Royal Charter.  It will be observed that the survivors are specially noted in the list: -

SALOON. - Hugh Bethune, Mr. and Mrs. Bruce, infant, and servant, W. Beamer, jun., Mr. and Mrs. Davis, two daughters and two sons, Mr., Mrs., and two Miss Fowlers and servant, Mrs. Fenwick and four children, Mrs. Foster, Mr. J. and Mrs. Grove, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner (Mr. Gardiner landed at Cork), Mr. Gundry (saved), F.T. Hutton, Rev. Charles Hodge, Dr. Hatch, J.S. Henry, Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins and five sons, Walter Lafargue, Mr. J. B., Mrs., Miss, and Master Murray, Josephy McEvoy (landed at Cork), Mr. Mellor, Mr. Molineaux, W. H. Morse (saved), R. F. Macgeorge, Mrs. Nahmer and child (landed at Cork), Mr. W. H. and Mrs Pitcher, two children, and servant, Mr. Rufford, Mrs. Tweedale, Mr. Henry E. Taylor, child, and servant (Mr. Taylor saved), Mr. Welsh, Captain Withers, Mrs. Woodruff and child, Mr. G Watson.

SECOND CLASS. - Mr. Allen and two children (landed at Cork), Captain Adams, Mr. Barratt [sic Barrett] and child (son), Charles Callis, Mr. and Mrs. Dodd and two children, Miss F. Davis, Mr. Eidowes, - Bird, Edward Gates, T.F. Gapper (saved), Mrs. Glover, John Friffiths, Mr. Henderson, William Harfden or Horder, John Loone (saved), - Lethlaine, L.E. Mention (saved), John Maule, Mr. M'Nab, T. Macready, - Nicholas, Mrs. Norman and two children, Mr. Portnay, Mr. Perry, Edmund Pearce, Mrs. R. Rose, Mr. and Mrs. Russell and two children (Mr. Russell saved), Mr. and Mrs. Smith and three children, Solomon Samuel, Mr. Lausan or Sanson, Julius Stirko or Stirks (landed at Cork), Miss Elizabeth Ward, Miss Mary Ellen Wrigley, Edwd. Watson, John Wilks, Mr. Watson, John Bradbury (saved), Mr. Lyons and family (wife and three children) two sons aged 10 and 12, J. Trusteman and family (two children), Henry Burns and child (landed at Cork), Nathaniel Nathan, Alice newton, Jos. Churton, John and Catherine Drygan or Yaggan (landed at Cork), John Judge (saved), Maurice Boyle (my ancestor), James Dean (saved), Wright Lockwood, Jos. Moss, Mr. Faulkner and child, Robert Jeffery, P. De la Lands, David Thompson, Mrs. Kennedy and family (two children), Thomas Willis, J. Wickett and party, C. Jakeman, Messrs. Jones and Rice, C. Kisterman, Messrs. Culina, Surt, and Lyon; Charles Conway, Mr. Kirkbride and two sons, Mr. Kennedy and family (wife and three children), William Banks, David Thomas, C. R. Ross, W. S. Fenis (saved), J. McCappin (saved), T. Taylor, Robert Thomas Fawcett.  William Boden (saved), James Ring [King], Denis Collins, William and T. Murray, John [sic] Buchanan, Coll. M'Phall (saved), Jos. Robinson, Alex. Pottinger, R. Oliver and party, P. Hogarth and family (one child), Wm. Ford, C. Shanahan, David Bell, William Wilson, George Smith, Michael Frawley, Messrs. Derose and Kenny, John Fainby, R. Laystff, Frank Webber, Geo. Watson, Mr. Holland and family (three children), Issac Stephenson, Mrs. Athey and child, T. Newton, Agett Richards, James Stanard (saved), Edmister and Ellis, Mr. Terril, Jessie Thomden, Baptists Phillipine, Batca and Rosely, James Johnston, James Pardy, Jos. Spyaglio, George Chesney, Thomas Byrne, John Grice, Matthew Scott, Houghton and Thomson, T. Wood, Thomson and Milliken, Noah Lyons, William Green, Robert Tuck, Joseph Gibson, John Wetherspoon, John Lynch, charles Anderson, P. Thomson, E. Fowler, H. Ivey, L. Forut, Michael Kavanagh, Antonio Albergath, [Drithin] and Rolis, Morelli and Cavagns, John and P. Martin, George Leithu, Henry Lawton, George Taylor, Samuel Greufell (saved), E. Allen, John Anderson, S. Dalton, William Storey, W. Crowley, Mrs. Ross and family (two children, one an infant), d. Travers, T. Wyatt, James Sulllivan, James Turner, Mr. Cartney and family (three children), B. Bladier, Mr. Paderitte, William Bishop, Mrs. Willis and family (two children), John Gillespie, Thomas Kelly, Mr. Mitchell and wife, William Flemming, John Scott, John Muhlmann, Charles Parkinson, John Parkinson (or Ranston), James Pamplin, Miss Davidson, henry Sims, John Manion, Samuel Mosely Wade, Nicolis Le Page, Mr. M'Leod and family (two children), William Tany, John Inglis, Richard Davis, Joseph Potts, Frank Hoyland, E. Willray, Miss Susannah Morton, John Mason, T. Bakewell, James Black, Beratti Vingenga

THOSE OF THE CREW WHO WERE SAVED - Wm. Foster, carpenter, George Swalcar, boatswain's mate, Edward Williams, ditto, Thomas Cormick, steward, John Stanfard, ditto, Thomas Ellis, storekeeper, Owen Williams, quartermaster, Walter Hughes, apprentice, David Strongman, second quartermaster, tom Tims, seaman, Patrick Devine, rigger, James White, ditto, John H. Richards, ditto, Thomas Cunningham, ditto, William Barton, ditto, W. Dreaper, seaman, John O'Brien, ditto, Joseph Rogers, ditto, Henry Evans, ditto, Thomas Griffiths, ditto, William M'Carther, Edward Wilson, ditto, G. Girvin, ditto - 23.

The scene of the wreck is Moelfra, about nine miles from Beaumaris, and three or four miles from where the Rothsay Castle was lost many years ago.  Red Wharf Bay is situated about three miles to the westward of Puffin Island, Menai Straits, and six or seven miles to the north-west of Beaumaris.  With the exception of the bay, which is very sandy and shallow, the coast is rocky and bold.

Just on the eve of the dreadful disaster the passengers, believing their voyage at an end, had presented Captain Taylor with a piece of plate in testimony of their appreciation of his ability and kindness.  On the day of the wreck the captain's wife and his two daughters were awaiting him on the North Landing Stage at Liverpool.

It will be readily imagined that the wreck of the Royal charter was a topic impressively dwelt upon from many a pulpit on the following Sunday.  Not the least impressive discourse which referred to it was that of the Rev. Mr. Binney, who, had his wife not desired to make the journey overland, might possibly have sailed for England in the ill-fated ship.  A statement was lately published to the effect that Mr. Binney had, at one time, positively determined to take his passage in the Royal Charter, and had been prevented by the merest accident from doing so.  At a meeting, however, of his friends and congregation, held some evenings ago at the London Tavern for the purpose of giving him a 'welcome home,' Mr. Binney said: - 'The fact was, that he had a desire to return by Cap Horn; but Mrs. Binney had decided three months previous to their return, to come overland.  If, however, they had not decided to come overland, they would most probably have come by the Royal Charter, as she lay in Melbourne at the time.'"

Interesting to note that the servants, women and children aren't listed by name, but not at all surprising for the time.