Greathead's Party

Main reference The Settler Handbook by MD Nash

The aim of this project is to link profiles on Geni to the names in the list, and to expand notes about individuals - mostly on the Profile page in the "About Me" field, or here if no profile exists.

To take part in any project

- you do need to first be a collaborator - so join the project. See the discussion Project Help: How to add Text to a Project - Starter Kit to get you going!

How to Participate

• Please add only the profiles of members of this party to this project (not their descendants)! This is easily done from the profile page using the Add to project link.
• If you have any queries related to these settlers please start a discussion linked to this project. (See the menu top right).
• Please add related projects to the menu on the right.
• If you have links to related web pages that would be of interest to others please add them in the relevant section at the bottom of the page. In order to do this use the drop down menu at the top left of the screen and Join the Project. If this option is not available to you then contact a collaborator and ask to be added to the project. As a collaborator you will be able to edit this page.
• Add any documents of interest using the menu at the top right of the page, and then add a link to the document in the text under the heading below. If you do not know how to do this please contact one of the other collaborators to assist you.

How to add a link is explained in the attached document - Adding links to Geni profiles in projects.

Party Details

• Leader James Greathead
• Number 20
• Area Party originated from Worcestershire
• Area Allocated to the Party Tivia Dale, on the Bush River
• 1820 Settler Ship Kennersley Castle
• Dates

• Departure Bristol, 10 January 1820
• Arrival Table Bay, Cape Town - 29 March 1820
• Final Port Algoa Bay, Port Elizabeth, 29 April 1820

(Other parties on this voyage - Bradshaw, Holder, Philipps, Southey)

M.D. Nash 1987 - Settler Handbook

"No 22 on the Colonial Department list, led by James henry Greathead, a land surveyor of Dudley, Worcestershire. This was initially a proprietary party consisting of Greathead and his indentured servants, all recruited in Worcestershire, but it was joined at a late stage by John Hartell, an independent settler who piad his own deposit. Hartell was from Priestfield, near Bilston in Staffordshire, which lies within a 10-mile radius of both Dudley and Birmingham. His name had been included in the first list of the of the Birmingham parish overseers to lead a party of his own; they described him as a 'substantial yeoman' who was entitled to 'the full benefit and advantages offered by the 'emigration': a grant of land in his own name. Hartell was recommended to the Colonial Department by the Hon. Edward Moncton, son of Viscount Galway (and brother-in-law of another party leader, Major George Pigot). Hartell's arrangements to emigrate as leader of his own party fell through at the last minute, and he joined Greathead's party in the place of a man who had dropped out.

Deposits were paid for 10 men, and the party sailed in the Kennersley Castle which left Bristol on 10 January 1820 and reached table Bay on 29 March and Algoa Bay on 29 April. A daughter, Sarah, was born at sea to the wife of Josiah Davies. Greathead and Hartell's heavy baggage was shipped in the Sir George Osborn, but through oversight it was not off-loaded at Algoa bay and had to be re-freighted from England to the Cape in another vessel.

Greathead's party was located on an arm of the Bush Rver and its location was named Tivia Dale".

Members of Greathead's Party

[Bold links are to Geni profiles; other links are to other biographical notes]

• Bate, William 20. Navigator
• Brown, William 22. Gardener
• Collins, William 25. Farmer
• Davies, Josiah 33. Sawyer. Wife Sophia 24.
• Children

• Daniel Davies. 3
• Sarah Davies (born at Sea)

• Greathead, James Henry 24. Land surveyor. Wife Martha Hewitt

Child

• James Henry Greathead

• Greathead, William 20, Farmer
• Hartell, John 54. Farmer and vartnish maker. Wife Mary 40

Children

• John Hartell 13
• Emma Hartell 8

• Law, John 24 Farmer.
• Simmons, William 37. Weaver and army pensioner

NOTE: According to Special Commissioner Hayward's notes (Cape Archives CO 8541) William Simmons, who is listed in the Agent's Return as a member of Greathead's party, was an unofficial emigrant who was found on board the Kennersley Castle after she sailed, and attached himself to Bradshaw's party.

• Wilks, Samuel 25. Farmer
• Pickman, Charles James. Brewer

NOTE: Charles James Pickman, a brewer, who appears in colonial records as a member of Greathead's party, was not included in the Agent's Return, and may have been employed by Greathead after the party was located.

Main source for party list

• Agent of Transports' Return of settlers under the direction of james Greathead (Cape Archives CO 6138/2,65).

Further Reading

Philipps, 1820 Settler, ed A Keppel-Jones (Pietermaritzburg, Shutter and Shooter, 1960) contains a description of the Kennersley Castle's voyage.

Return to:

• 1820 British settlers
• WELKOM CUZZINS: Geni SA Projects' Main Site Index & Help Page