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James's Party
Main reference The Settler Handbook by MD Nash
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Party Details
- Leader Samuel James
- Number 60
- Area Party originated from Wiltshire
- Area Allocated to the Party Bethany on the Lynedoch River - the location being known early as Bethany.
- 1820 Settler Ship Weymouth
- Dates
- Departure 7 January 1820
- Arrival Table Bay, Cape Town - 16 April 1820
- Final Port - Algoa Bay, Port Elizabeth 15 May 1820
(Other parties on this voyage Biggar, Bowker, Duncan Campbell , Cock, Ford, Gurney, Hyman, Menezes, Osler, Parkin)
M.D. Nash 1987 - Settler Handbook
"No. 35 on the Colonial Department list, led by Samuel James, a carpenter of Westbury, Wiltshire. This was a joint-stock party, recommended and financially aided by the parish authorities and the 'gentlemen of Westbury', and was initially organised under the direction of Samuel Watson. James proposed that he should take over the direction of the party after Watson and several others decided not to emigrate, and the remainder of the group then amalgamated with the remainder of a party from Frome in the neighbouring county of Somersetshire. The Frome contingent - Bartlett, Hayward, Randall and Usher - belonged to a group organised at first under the leadership of Stephen Bourne, who was arrested for debt and replaced as leader by John Colston. Colston, an army pensioner, was recalled to his regiment when England was threatened with civil disturbances after Peterloo, and the party disintegrated. Another late addition who was absorbed by James' group was Philip Pinnock, who had planned to lead a party from Beckingham.
A philanthropic gentleman of Frome, T Bunn (his official standing in the parish, if any, is not clear) conducted most of the correspondence with the Colonial Department on the Frome emigrants' behalf. According to Bunn, many of the town's 10,000 inhabitants were unemployed and eager to emigrate; a local pensioner phrased it more vividly - 'This Town is all a tiptoe to go to the Cape of Good Hope'.
Deposits were paid for 12 men, and James travelled to Portsmouth to see his party aboard HM Store Ship Weymouth before returning to Westbury to fetch his wife, who had recently given birth to twin boys. She and one of the infants died on board the Weymouth before the ship left Portsmouth; the second infant died soon after putting to sea.
The Weymouth left Portsmouth on 7 January 1820, reaching Table Bay on 26 April. Four more children of the party died during the voyage: two children of Philip Hobbs (one an infant born at sea), a son of Philip Pinnock and a daughter of Robert Rogers. A daughter of James Usher, christened Eliza Weymouth, was born at sea on 10 March. The Weymouth reached Algoa Bay on 15 May and the party was located on an arm of the Lynedoch River, naming its location Bethany".
Members of James's Party
[Bold links are to Geni profiles; other links are to other biographical notes]
- Banks, William 23. Basket maker. wife Sarah 22.
Children
- Bartlett, William 22. Gardener. Married Selina Hayward (see below) in 1825
- Hayward, James 39. Labourer. wife Tabitha Pristow 37.
Children
- Samuel Hayward 17,
- John Hayward 13,
- Elizabeth Hayward11,
- Selina Hayward 9,
- William Hayward 4,
- Eliza Hayward 2.
- Hinton, Richard 39. Blacksmith. wife Sarah Viney 36.
Children
- Rebecca Hinton 10,
- George Hinton 7,
- Leonard 4,
- Jane.
- Hobbs, Phillip 26. Gardener. wife Charity Francis 25.
Children
- Daniel Hobbs 3, #
- Sarah Hobbs 1 (died at sea),
- another child (born and died at sea).
- James, Samuel Taylor 31. LEADER Carpenter. wife Elizabeth 33 (died at Portsmouth).
Children
- Edward James 8,
- Elizabeth James 5,
- Stephen James 2,
- Thomas James (died at Portsmouth),
- Samuel William James (died at sea).
- LANHAM, Thomas 30. Tiler and plasterer. wife Elizabeth 27. Child Mary Ann Lanham.
- PINNOCK, Philip 32. Farmer. wife Betsey 26.
Children
- Harriet 3,
- Joseph 1 (died at sea).
- Randall, James 44. Labourer. wife Rebecca Watts 33.
Children
- Mary 14,
- Jane Mary Randall 9,
- Elizabeth Randall 7,
- James Randall 3, (Private Profile)
- Sarah Randall 1. (Sarah Randall married Edward James above in 1839).
- ROGERS, Robert 25. Carpenter. wife Sarah 26.
Children
- Rebecca 4,
- Emma 1 (died at sea).
- James Usher 36. Bricklayer and carpenter. wife Sarah Holloway 36.
Children
- Elizabeth Usher 16,
- Joseph Thomas Usher 14,
- Ann Usher 11,
- Sophia Usher 9, Married William Pike from Calton's Party
- John Usher 7, Married Louisa Dugmore of Gardner's Party
- James Usher 5, Married Elizabeth Filmer of Gush's Division - Sephton's Party
- Frances "Fanny" Usher 2, Married Joseph Cawood of Hayhurst's Party
- Eliza Weymouth Usher (born at sea). Married Edward Hunt Dell of Thornhill's Party
- WARREN, Thomas 44. Cordwainer and gardener, late seaman. wife Mary 42. Child James 14.
Main sources for party list
Return of settlers under the direction of Samuel James (Cape Archives CO 6138/1,101); Muster-roll and Log of HMSS Weymouth (Public Record Office, London).