Summary
Personal Information
Voyage
Transportation
James Mellor was transported on the Edwin Fox, departing 24th Aug 1858 and arriving 20th Nov 1858 with 284 passengers.
892 ton ship, built in Calcutta, India in 1853. Transported convicts, pensioner guard, soldiers and their families - from Plymouth, England to Western Australia - 1858. (Had been to Australia previously, in 1856, as a passenger ship.) (Later went on to service in the Crimean War.) Converted to be a passenger ship and carried immigrants to New Zealand. In 1880 converted, again, as a cool storage facility in Picton, New Zealand. Ship was in use until 1950 when abandoned. In 1965 she was bought by the 'Edwin Fox Society' and towed to Shakespeare Bay for restoration and then towed to Picton Harbour, New Zealand for display and is on the National Trust Registry, NZ. She is the second oldest surviving merchant ship.
Edwin FoxReferences
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 93, Class and Piece Number HO11/18, Page Number 298 |
| 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
James Mellor, born in Baildon, was convicted of the murder a farmer named Wood at Faweather, Baildon in March 1848. He was sentenced to hanging at York Castle but this was commuted at the last minute and he was transported to a prison hulk in Bermuda to work on building the harbour there. He was discharged on Sept 4 1856 and was returned to Portsmouth prison. 16 August 1858, he was removed to Western Australia.
In December 1857, James Mellor, a solicitor aged about 60 years, at Ashton-under-Lyne had forged trust deeds and absconded with £5,000. It was later reported that Manchester Detective Buckley had tracked the accused to Boston, New York and other towns in the USA before returning with him to stand trial in March 1858 at Ashton-under-Lyne. He received transportation for life. Although recorded at York Assizes, it is thought that this is the same James Mellor - see Scotsman newspaper 3 March 1858 p 3 on 'Apprehension of Alleged Forger'. See also McGowan, John (2022) Policing the Metropolis of Scotland, 1833-1861 (Edinburgh City Archives) Volume 1, p1679-1680.