Ford's Party

1820 Settlers

All Party members have been linked to Geni Profiles! Congratulations!

Main reference The Settler Handbook by MD Nash

See also eGGSA - The 1820 Settler Correspondence and Return of Settlers - Ford's Party

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Party Details

• Leader Edward Ford
• Number 42 (40 Listed below)
• Area Party originated from Wiltshire
• Area Allocated to the Party Lynedoch River - now Ford's Party
• 1820 Settler Ship

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RETURN of SETTLERS proceeding to the CAPE OF GOOD HOPE under the Direction of Edward FORD of Deverill Longbridge, Warminster, Wilts.

• Total Number of the Men 10
• Total Number of the Women 9
• Total Number of Persons above Fourteen Years of Age 5
• Total Number of Children under Fourteen Years of Age 18
• Total Number of the Whole Party 42

Total Amount of Deposit Money for the Whole Party £132:10

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, Gurney, Hyman, James, Menezes, Osler, Parkin)

M.D. Nash 1987 - Settler Handbook

"No. 25 on the Colonial Department list, led by Edward Ford, a labourer of Deverill Longbridge, near Warminster, Wiltshire, an area hard hit by unemployment. The parish authorities were anxious to assist emigration and probably advanced the party's deposit money; the returns were compiled and the deposits submitted by the vicar of Deverill, the Rev Henry Goddard. Changes occurred in the party list almost up to the time of sailing; Goddard ascribed the desertions to the 'dread of a sea voyage and the apprehension of being devoured by wild beasts', which alarmed the women in particular.

This was a joint-stock party consisting of labourers from Deverill Longbridge and a late addition from nearby Erlestoke, a weaver named Robert Miles. (The Miles, Dicks and Ralph families were all related.) The emigrants had difficulty finding the means to bridge the waiting period before they were allowed to board their ship, as Ford complained in mid-December 1819: 'Having sold all that we had to sell and given notice to quit our houses and given up our labour we are distressed very much at present and shall be a great deal more so if we cannot be moved soon.' The Colonial Department was able to respond sympathetically to this appeal, because although HM Store Ship Weymouth, lying at Portsmouth, was not yet ready to receive her passengers, the party could be temporarily accommodated on board the three-decker hulk that served as her tender.

While in Portsmouth James Jennings fell ill and was taken to the Portsmouth Naval Hospital where he subsequently died. His wife and 3-year-old son sailed with the rest of the party.

The Weymouth left Portsmouth on 7 January 1820, arriving in Table Bay on 26 April. Three children of the party died during the voyage, and Ephraim Dicks senior died on the day the ship reached Table Bay. James Dicks' wife Jane died on 3 May.

The Weymouth reached Algoa Bay on 15 May. After being located, Ford's party was moved twice before finally being assigned land on the right bank of the Lynedoch River. It stayed together under Ford's leadership until 1824, when acrimony about the division of land resulted in a petition for his removal. It is interesting to note that the three parties of Wiltshire labourers (Ford's, Hyman's and James') were the only settler parties to remain virtually intact under their original leaders during the settlement's first three years".

Members of Ford's Party

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

Richard Crouch 29. Labourer.

Wife Sarah Smith 30.
Child :

• John Crouch 1 (died at sea).
  

Note - two other children are listed at eGGSA in the Returns but are not listed in MD Nash's book. These have been included based on this return - however if information comes to light that they did not sail they can be noted as such.

• Jane Crouch 12
  
• Richard Crouch 5
  

Ephraim Dicks 38. Labourer, widower. (Ephraim died in Table Bay).

Children :

• Ephraim Dicks 16. (Later married Elizabeth Purcell of Wait's Party.)
  
• Joseph Dicks 5.
  

James Dicks 23, Labourer

Wife Dinah Ford 22,
child :

• John Dicks
  

James Dicks 38, Labourer.

Wife Jane Hall 39 (died at sea).
Children :

• Uriah Dicks 14
  
• James Dicks 12
  
• Joseph Dicks 10
  
• Jonah Dicks 8
  
• Eliza Dicks 6
  

Edward Ford 38, Labourer.

Wife Jane Murray 39.
Children :

• James Ford 17,
  
• John Ford 16,
  
• Patience Ford 13. Later married Richard Freemantle Jr of Mahoney's Party on Northampton.
  
• Elizabeth Ford 11.
  

Robert Harris 17 (in the care of his uncle James Dicks Snr).

James Jennings 28. Labourer (died at Portsmouth).

Wife. Mary 30. Mary later Joseph King of Bradshaw's Party
Child :

• James Jennings 3. (Later married Sarah Sanders of Cock's Party.)
  

Robert Miles 27, weaver.

Wife Ann Dicks 20.
Child :

• William Miles 2 (died at sea).
  

Elijah Payne 25. Labourer

Wife Mary Ann Hall 22.
Child :

• Mary Payne 1
  

Joseph Ralph 27, Labourer and naval pensioner.

Wife Elizabeth Curtis 28.
Children :

• Joseph Ralph 3
  
• Mary Ralph (died at sea).
  

Richard Ralph 29, Labourer.

Wife Elizabeth Mills 28.
Children :

• Harriet Ralph 4,
  
• Samuel Ralph 1
  

The following were on the original sailing list in 1819 but did not emigrate in 1820:

George DICKS (27) with wife Sarah and children Ann (2) and Thomas (1)

James CURTIS (24) with wife Susannah and children George and Patience (5) and Dinah (1)

William DICKS (38) with wife Diana and children Mary (14) James (13) Sophia (12) William (11) and Patience (8)

James CROFTS (25) with wife Hannah and children Joseph (3) and Harry (1).

It is believed that James DICKS Senior (whose first wife was Jane CROFTS) had a sister who married a James CROFTS.

http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-27674.html

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Main sources for party list

Return of settlers under the direction of Edward Ford (Cape Archives CO 6138/1,74); Muster-roll and Log of HM Store Ship Weymouth (Public Record Office, London); Special Commissioner William Hayward's notes (Cape Archives CO 8542).

Robert Harris (17), a nephew of James Dicks senior, was entered in the official return as Robert Dicks.

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