Summary
Personal Information
Crime
Voyage
Transportation
Stephen Spratt was transported on the Claudine, departing 19th Aug 1829 and arriving 6th Dec 1829 with 180 passengers.
The 'Claudine' was an East Indiaman built in Calcutta in 1811 from teak wood with a tonnage of 452 tons. In 1820 she ran from London to Hobart Town, Sydney, Batavia and back to England. After leaving Sydney on 10 May 1820 under the command of John Welsh, she discovered the Claudine Reef in the Coral Sea, before making her way past Murray Island in Torres Strait on her way to Batavia. The Claudine made two voyages to Australia as a convict transport. Departing Woolwich 24 August 1821 mastered by John Crabtree with Henry Ryan as ship's surgeon. She arrived in Port Dalrymple, van Diemen's Land after a passage of 113 days via Teneriffe, on 15 December, landing 40 convicts. She then sailed on to Hobart Town and landed the remaining 119 male convicts, one prisoner having died en route . On 24 August 1829 the Claudine departed London, arriving in Sydney on 6 December 1829 after a voyage of 104 days; her Master was William Heathorne, the surgeon William H Trotman. On this voyage she sailed with 180 prisoners and their guard; two prisoners died en route. she then sailed on to Madras on 30 December. The Claudine returned to merchant service and on Monday 21-22 November 1840 under the command of captain Brewer was deliberately beached with another East Indiaman 'Westminster' during a storm off the Kent coast near Margate. This stranding was the subject of a famous engraving by William Henry Bartlett and a pencil and chalk sketch by J.M.W. Turner. The 'Westminster' successfully unloaded 6000 chests of tea into two steamers which delivered it to the East India Docks and was refloated on 7 December. 'Claudine' which was beached onshore unloaded into 200 carts the following day 23rd November and was then refloated on a spring tide after 7 December. Both ships having been dismasted in the storm, were repaired and put back into the trade. The Claudine appears to have been sent to the wreckers in 1849.
Claudine (generic)References
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 89, Class and Piece Number HO11/7, Page Number 172 |
| 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
Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 05 August 2022), April 1829, trial of STEPHEN SPRATT MARTHA SPRATT MARTHA SPRATT (t18290409-139). STEPHEN SPRATT, MARTHA SPRATT, MARTHA SPRATT, Theft > receiving, 9th April 1829. 818. STEPHEN SPRATT and MARTHA (HIS WIFE ) were indicted for feloniously receiving, on the 24th of February , of a certain evil disposed person, 3lbs, weight of sugar, value 1s. 6d; 1 1/2 oz. weight of ginger, value 1d.; 2 ozs. of washing blue, value 2d., and 3lbs. weight of cheese, value 1s. 6d., the goods of James Harwood , which had been lately before stolen, they well knowing the same to have been stolen ; against the Statute, &c. JAMES HARWOOD . I keep a grocer's and cheesemonger's shop , in Gravel-lane. In the month of February last, I missed candles, soap, and other things; I could not comprehend how it went - the male prisoner is a barber , and used to shave me three times a week; he lived at the corner of Sarah-street . On the 23d of February, I bought a number of articles of Mr. Harrison, among the rest were twenty Dutch cheeses - I missed one of them on Tuesday morning, the 24th; the prisoner had not been in my house that day, but I went to him in the afternoon - I said I had lost a great many articles, and asked if my daughter hadever brought any property there; she is fourteen years of age - the prisoner's wife said No, she had only been there once to warm herself; the man was sitting there by the fire, with his head down - I then went out and got a warrant for my daughter, on suspicion of taking this cheese; I went to the house, and the female prisoner said I was very welcome to search the house - it is a shop; there is a bed-room behind it - my daughter was not with me at that time; I did not see the female prisoner move - my daughter went to the house with the officer next morning. BOYD SILVESTER . I am an officer. In consequence of information from the daughter, I went to the prisoner's house; I saw them both, and said, "Where is the cheese Mr. Harwood's daughter brought here on Tuesday?" Spratt said, "She brought no cheese here," and I was welcome to search - his wife then came into the shop, and said I might search; I followed her quickly into the backroom, and saw the blankets of the bed move; she ran to a closet - I said, "The cheese must be some where about here;" I got a candle, and down inside the lining of the wainscot, in the closet, I found this half of a cheese; I said, "Here is the very thing I want: this is Harwood's cheese;" the man said, "Yes, that is Harwood's cheese;" I asked how he came to take it in - he said the daughter complained of being very hungry, as her father would not allow her enough to eat, and the cheese was brought there that she might have a bit whenever she went over to their house -I asked when she brought it; he said, "About a fortnight ago;" his wife said, "No, my dear, as it has come to this. tell the truth - it was brought in last Tuesday;" I asked him again when it was brought in; he said, "About a fortnight ago;" his wife again said it was on the Tuesday; I desired her to hold her tongue, as I did not want to take her - I then took the man to the office, went back to their house, and asked if there was any tea there; a boy, who was there, said "Yes, an ounce;" I looked, and found this paper of tea and canister of tea, a caddy full of sugar, and some other sugar; I searched further, and found this ginger and blue; the female prisoner came in, and I asked if she had any tea - she said she bought two ounces of a person who called; she afterwards acknowledged that the girl brought the tea, sugar, and blue, and said she gave her a cup of coffee now and then, and some tea, when she wanted it. WILLIAM MANSFIELD . I know Mr. Spratt's house. On the Tuesday in question I saw Martha Harwood run past my house, and turn as if she was going down Sarah-street; she had her apron turned up, as if there was something under it. MARTHA HARWOOD . I am the prosecutor's daughter. I used to take this property from time to time to the prisoner's house, without my father's knowledge; Mr. Spratt used to give me some halfpence in the morning, and promised to give me a row of beads, as I was to bring him all I could; I took tea there, sugar, blue, and cheese -Mrs. Spratt took the tea; her husband was there at the time; they were both present when I took the sugar - I cannot exactly say which took it in; I passed Mansfield's house with the cheese; I rolled it into the prisoner's house, but I did not go in; this was on the Tuesday morning - the prisoners knew that it was my father's property. MARTHA SPRATT 's Defence. I had this tea of a tallyman, who called once a fortnight; the sugar I had of a sailor - I never said I had the tea of a girl; she said she threw the cheese into my passage, but I did not see it; it was a dark morning; I took a light, and found this piece of cheese in the passage; I told my husband of it at breakfast time; the girl came in, and said her mother-in-law did not give her victuals enough, and she was going to look after a place - she came in perished with cold; she then said she had thrown the cheese into the passage, and meant to have it as she wanted it; she said she had had a pint of boiling water thrown over her, and shewed me some bruises on her arm - having four children of my own, I felt grieved to think this girl was so ill-used, and I used to give her victuals from time to time; she was there one morning, and her father came in, and she seemed confounded at seeing him. JAMES HARWOOD . I did find her there one morning, and told her to go home; we never starved the girl; she was so fed up by these people, that she would scarcely take any thing at home. MARTHA HARWOOD . My father and mother gave me the best of victuals at all times; and when I went home, home was ready for me. STEPHEN SPRATT - GUILTY . Aged 34. Transported for Fourteen Years . MARTHA SPRATT - NOT GUILTY .
ADM 101/17/5/3 Folios 21-22: Copy of the daily sick book for the Claudine Male Convict Ship Stephen Spratt, aged 21, Convict; disease or hurt, inflammatio. Put on sick list, 5 November 1829. Discharged 24 November 1829