''Cressy'' was one of the "
First Four Ships" in 1850 to carry
emigrants from
England to the new
colony of
Canterbury in New Zealand. ''Cressy'' was the last to arrive on 27 December. The other ships were ''
Charlotte Jane'', , and ''
Randolph Randolph may refer to:
Places In the United States
* Randolph, Alabama, an unincorporated community
* Randolph, Arizona, a populated place
* Randolph, California, a village merged into the city of Brea
* Randolph, Illinois, an unincorporated commun ...
''.
The passengers aboard these four ships were referred to as the "Canterbury Pilgrims" of
Christchurch.
Their names are inscribed on a
marble plaque in Cathedral Square in the centre of Christchurch.
The ship is remembered in the name of a road, Cressy Terrace, in the port town of
Lyttelton.
Voyage from England to New Zealand
On the morning of 4 September 1850. the barque ''Cressy'', J. D. Bell, master, left Gravesend, and was towed down the river. After sailing down the Channel and nearly becalmed off the Isle of Wight, she did not drop anchor in Plymouth Sound until after 3 AM on 7 September. At midnight she left Plymouth, and initially had a run in light air until the end of the month but then encountered breezes from the south and east for almost a month forcing the ship to sail more westward before commenced a good run. From 9 November to 5 December the ship sailed 100 degrees of longitude east between parallels of 37. 30 and 40 S. On 21 December she was in lat. 47. 30 S., 162.48 E. but experienced bad weather. Land was sighted land on the evening of 23 December and the next day she turned to the north for Banks' Peninsula, and at last dropping anchor in Port Victoria before noon on 27 December. Her passage was 110 days from Plymouth Sound. The long passage was put down to fore-topsail being reefed whenever the breeze freshened, as the fore-top-mast had been badly sprung South of the Cape of Good Hope and no confidence could be placed in it taking a heavy load. There was one birth and two deaths, both sickly children. The captain consulted the passengers about their ''health and comfort'' and did not run further south, where a shorter passage might have been made, but in colder latitudes.
Notable passengers
*
Harry Allwright (1836/1837 – 1892), Member of Parliament for the Lyttelton electorate 1879–1887
*
Frances Caverhill
Hannah Rebecca Frances Caverhill (; 22 November 1834 – 11 August 1897) was a New Zealand diarist and homemaker. She was born in England, and emigrated to New Zealand with her family at age 16, where she began keeping a diary of her daily acti ...
(1834–1897), diarist and homemaker
*
Arthur Dudley Dobson
Sir Arthur Dudley Dobson (9 September 1841 – 5 March 1934) was a New Zealand surveyor, engineer and explorer. Born in London, he came to Lyttelton, New Zealand, in 1850 on one of the First Four Ships. He is best known for taking the first part ...
(1841–1934), pioneer surveyor and engineer, son of Edward Dobson
*
Edward Dobson
Edward Dobson (1816/17? – 19 September 1908) was Provincial Engineer for Canterbury Province, New Zealand from 1854 to 1868.
Early life
Edward Dobson was born in London, probably in 1816 or 1817. His parents were John Dobson, a merchant, and E ...
(1816–1908), Provincial Engineer
*
George Dobson (1840–1866), surveyor and murder victim (son of Edward Dobson)
*
Benjamin Dudley (1805–1892), Anglican priest
*
Michael Hart (1814? – 1878), Mayor of Christchurch 1874–1875
*
James Townsend (1788–1866), pioneer settler
*
Mary Townsend Mary Townsend may refer to:
* Mary Townsend (entomologist) (1814–1851), American abolitionist and entomologist
* Mary Townsend (artist) (1822–1869), New Zealand artist
* Mary Ashley Townsend (1836–1901), American poet
* Mary Elizabeth Towns ...
(1822–1869), artist (daughter of James Townsend)
References
External links
Electronic version of a Lyttelton Times article describing the voyage of Cressy
{{First Four Ships
Canterbury Association
History of Christchurch
Barques
1843 ships
Ships built on the River Wear
1850s in Christchurch
Migrant ships to New Zealand