Summary
Personal Information
Voyage
Transportation
Benjamin Blackford was transported on the Calcutta, departing 31st Jan 1803 and arriving 4th Oct 1803 with 305 passengers.
HMS Calcutta was the East Indiaman Warley (1795), converted to a Royal Navy ship. This ship of the line served for a time as an armed transport. She also transported convicts to Australia. The French Magnanime captured Calcutta in 1805. In 1809, after she ran aground during the Battle of the Basque Roads and her crew had abandoned her, a British boarding party burned her. In 1803 the Calcutta sailed into Port Phillip bay where at least 4 convicts escaped , in Sydney in April 1804 it was reported that 8 had died on the trip. Of the four known escapees one was shot on escape, 2 turned back after 2 days to reattach to the group at the camp in bay before the boat left , one continued on ...into Australia's history books. At least 13 convicts were transferred on to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), Australia.The ship also carried officers, wives and free settlers.
Calcutta (generic)References
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 87, Class and Piece Number HO11/1, Page Number 336 |
| Source Description | This record is one of the entries in the British convict transportation registers 1787-1867 database compiled by State Library of Queensland from British Home Office (HO) records which are available on microfilm as part of the Australian Joint Copying Pro |
| Original Source | Great Britain. Home Office |
| Compiled By | State Library of Queensland |
| Database Source | British convict transportation registers 1787-1867 database |
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Convict Notes
Tasmanian Records: https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON22-1-1_0062 Per Calcutta 1804 Ocean to VDL. Benjamin Blackford, Tried Kent G.D. 4 Aug 1802, 7 years. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Knopwood’s Diary. The Rev. Robert Knopwood sailed from England, on the Calcutta in 1803, and landed in Port Phillip with the prisoners. He later became the first chaplain appointed in Van Diemen’s Land, and was also appointed a Magistrate. He kept a diary, from 1805 -1808, which can be downloaded by following the links: https://eprints.utas.edu.au/13550/ https://eprints.utas.edu.au/13563/ Entry for Friday April 24 1807. am. The day very cold. 8 pm. A party of the Patrole went across the river to take the bush rangers but Blackford gave them information of their coming. Saturday 25 April. am. the morning very cold Afterwards I sat on the bench and tried Coller, Blackford Cammel 3 of the Boats Crews who went and gave information to the bushrangers the Eve before that they were after them. ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Sheep Stealing.- Benjamin Blackford and Joseph Powell, two young men, but old offenders, particularly the latter, who has been the Chief of a desperate gang in this county for many years; were tried and found guilty on a capital charge for sheep-stealing, at Lewisham.— ... English Chronicle, 7 Aug 1802. Benjamin Blackford and Powell, for sheep-stealing, in company with R. Parsons, who has already been executed for the offence; Hampshire Chronicle, 16 Aug 1802.