Transportation of Thomas Atkins

Here is the Transportation register of the ship Surry, 1822, William and Thomas Atkins are on the 2nd page with the following information:

William Atkins, alias Clouke
Thomas Atkins, alias Clouke

Convicted Somerset Assizes,  30/3/1822, sentenced 7 years.

Here is how the arrival was reported in the press in Sydney:

The ship the Surry was built at Harwich in 1811 a square-rigged transport ship of 443 tons and copper lined she had two decks with a height between decks of 5 ft. 8 ins. In 1818, she had a major refit increasing the decks (and convict carrying capacity) to three. She was owned by the London firm of F. & C.F. Mangles.

This picture is taken from TROVE - it is a 1962, English, Art work edition: The arrival of the convict ship Surry in Sydney Harbour [picture] / Geoffrey C. Ingleton. Ingleton, Geoffrey C. (Geoffrey Chapman), 1908-1998. 

The following extract is from: The Australian Town and Country Journal of Sat 27 Jul 189, Page 3.

The " Surry " Tombstones.

.................  The Surrey, or, as she is named in the old records, the "Surry," was one of the oldest traders, or, rather convict transports, to Port Jack-son; and between 1814 and 1840 made no less than eighteen voyages, most of which were from England to New South Wales and back. The bare record of these eighteen voyages is in itself of sufficient interest to include in this article, and it is a pity that the old ship's subsequent history after transportation ceased cannot be traced.

Here, then, are the dates of   her arrival in Port Jackson:-July 27, 1814 December 20, 1816; February 4, 1819; Sep-tember 17, 1820; December 6, 1821; June 2 1822; March 6, 1823; January 22, 1824; Oc-tober 13, 1829; March 19, 1830; November 26, 1831; May . 2, 1833; August 17, 1834; March 28, 1835; September 24, 1835; May 17, 1836; July 13, 1840.

Her first voyage to Sydney was a very terrible one. Early in. the month of July,   in the year 1814, the ship Broxbornebury, while sailing up the southern coast, off   Shoalhaven, fell in with a large ship that looked like a transport lying-to, with her sails in great disorder, and flying signals of distress. A boat was lowered from the Broxbornebury, and on coming under the stern of the distressed ship she was found to be the Surry, from Spithead, with 200 male and 139 female convicts on board, and a detachment of 25 soldiers belonging to the 45th and 46th Regiments. Conta-gious fever had broken out on board not only among the unfortunate convicts but among the officers and crew. The cap-tain of the Surry informed the master of the Broxhornebury that thirty-eight of the male convicts, two soldiers, the chief offi-cer, and two of the ship's company had been carried off by the disease; while he and the remainder of his officers' and crew were still suffering severely, as were also many of the soldiers and convicts. He besought the master of the Broxbornebury to assist him in getting into port, otherwise, hesaid he despaired of ever bringing his fever-stricken ship into Port Jackson.

The scene on board, as witnessed by the boat's crew from the Broxbornebury, was a very affecting one, and appealed strongly to their humanity; but naturally enough no one dared to board the floating pest-house till one of the boat's crew, turning to his captain, said that he could navigate, and was willing to go on board the Surry, and try and bring her into Port Jackson. He did board her, and succeeded in bringing her into port, Captain Paterson being in a dying state. The name of this truly heroic seaman has, unfortunately, not been preserved; but as no mention is made of his death, it is presumed he did not suffer by his gallant deed.

The Surry sailed into Port Jackson on the evening of July 27, the date of the month of this week's paper, and the news of the disaster, that, had befallen those on board was at once communicated to the Governor by the naval officer in charge of the port, who had in the meantime wisely interdicted any communication between   the plague ship and boats from the shore or from any other ships.

The Governor confirmed this prohibition, and gave directions that the nature of the prevailing malady should be ascertained 'n the best manner that the circumstances of the case would permit. Accordingly the principal naval and military surgeons and other medical officers from some of the convict transports, lying in port went seve-ral times alongside, and reported finally that the fears entertained of the contagious nature of the distemper (sic) were justified.   

The Surry was accordingly brought up, and anchored in a convenient position "near the North Shore," where her-people were landed, .and placed in tents, etc., until the danger of their nearer approach to the settlement should disappear. The official report of the time goes on to say:- "The   benefit of a free circulation of air on shore, and the exercise, which the still suffering   patients may become progressively capable of enjoying in this salubrious climate, to which the present season is, perhaps, far from being unfavorable, will, it is hoped most fervently, very shortly put an end to the pestilential terrors, and render the   "restraint no longer necessary."

Subsequently we learn that on the 31st August, the symptoms of fever having dis-appeared, the encampment on the North Shore was broken up, and the whole of the people brought into Sydney.

It will thus appear likely that the tomb-stones just unearthed at North Shore ....................

The Surry would seem to have been an unfortunate ship, for two voyages later, in 1819, when she was under the command of Captain Raine, "the only surviving officer" of the voyage of 1814, she   arrived in Sydney on February 4 with a  cargo of male convicts, and her commander reported that a deadly epidemic of influenza had broken out on board during   the voyage, and caused many deaths. The   Surry continued under the command of   Captain Raine till 1823, her subsequent captains being Dacre, Kemp, Veale, and Sinclair.

Surry Tombstones

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