FrancisRidley's channel

Researching the Francis Ridley

Question
SM asks: I have a bill of sale for a vessel called Francis Ridley. It is clearly very old; it was given to my brother by our father. Ive tried researching the Francis Ridley on the internet and have discovered she transported immigrants from Plymouth to Australia during 1839(ish). Do you have any tips on helping me find out more information regarding this vessel or the commission of sale for it?

Answer
A Francis Ridley is listed in Lloyds Register of Shipping, from 1848-58, but is not listed thereafter. She is listed as being built in 1847 at Southampton; a 635 ton ship; owned by F. Ridley, and registered at London. Her first voyage was from Southampton to Bombay, and after survey in 1849 she was bound from London to Sydney. Somewhere between 1854 and 1855, F. Ridley sold her to H. Mather, of London, by whom she was employed as an emigrant ship to Australia for several years. Symes Shipping Arrivals and Departures : Victorian Ports lists arrivals at Melbourne

• 12/2/49 [London (9/11/48) for China]
• 27/8/50 [Adelaide (22/8/50) for Sydney (9/9/50)]
• 10/7/53 [London (18/3/53) for London (26/1/54)]
• 6/3/55 [London (26/11/54) for Callao (16/4/55)]

The Mercantile Navy List, for 1857, gives her Official Number as 15842; and the Signal Letters L.V.B.D. However, despite being a relatively new ship, according to Lloyds she was last surveyed in 1856, prior to a voyage from London to Australia. She then disappears from the records, and was probably lost during that voyage.

There is a painting of her in the National Library of Australia

http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an5913972

http://www.nmmc.co.uk/index.php?page=Research&type=&id=193&choiceid=131

http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1964003

http://members.iinet.net.au/~perthdps/shipping/mig-vic.htm

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