Summary
Personal Information
Voyage
Transportation
John Clarke 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 334 |
| 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 |
Claims
"My 4 x great grandfather. Received land grants and resided in Tea Tree, near Richmond, Tasmania. His home Rosewood still stand today. Calcutta convicts are first fleet for Tasmania"
Photos
No photos have been added for John Clarke.
Convict Notes
Australia, Convict Index, 1788-1868 Name John Clarke Age 30 Birth Year abt 1773 Arrival Year 1803 Arrival State Sorrento Status Married Ship Calcutta Occupation Clerk © 1997-2025 Ancestry
https://records-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=INDEX2368949&context=L&vid=61SRA&lang=en_US&search_scope=Everything&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=default_tab&query=any,contains,James%20Ballance,AND&query=any,contains,Calcutta,AND&mode=advanced&offset=0 On list of convicts to receive conditional pardons or emancipations at the Derwent, Date 1/2/1813. 21. John Clarke, per HMS Calcutta, Life, Derby G.D. 13 Mar 1802.
At Derby Assizes, J. Gadsby (alias John the Maltster), J. Clark, and S. Tomlinson, for sheep stealing; T. Dawkins, and Joseph Johnson, for horse-stealing and T. Page, for a highway robbery, received sentence of death. Star, 22 March 1802
Tasmanian Records https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON22-1-1_0164 Per Calcutta & Ocean 1804, John Clarke, tried Derbyshire J.D., 13 March 1802, Life. (Added later) C.P. No 173. 25 July 1813.
His occupation at time of conviction was Fettler. His dau Mary Lowen (nee Clarke) arrived in VDL in 1826 and married convict Henry Phillips. Lived at Tea Tree on Rosewood Cottage farm.