The Skeleton Closet

Java

A square rigged ship with three masts and being 1175 ton built at Calcutta in 1811 by Blackmore & Company, the Java was somewhat infamous in her history, being the last of the East Indiamen.

Dimensions

length - 159' 2"
beam - 40' 6"
depth of hold - not recorded
between decks - 6' 1"
tonnage - 1175 ton om 1275 ton nm

The Story of the Java

There have been some excellent accounts of the doings of this ship published, including Java - The Melancholy True Story of the EastIndiaman Java by by Stephen Barrett. In this account of the Java, Barrett writes of the infamous trip to Adelaide from London and Plymouth between October 1839 and February 1840 during which some 50 of the 500 passengers on board starved to death. These included cabin and intermediate passengers, as well as assisted emigrants. A Royal Commission into the affair was held, and her owners, Scott & Co. of London were ordered not to be paid.

There was also a Medical Board inquiry held by the Government of South Australia into the Java incident.

In another account of this voyage, the number of passengers on the Java is given thus - "with 464 passengers; approximately 30 additional passengers had died on the passage".

But regardless of the variation in information about Java, she did come to Adelaide and she did bring passengers. She arrived here on 6 February 1849 from London and Plymouth carrying between 426 ad 500 passengers. Between 30 and 50 perished from starvation on the voyage which began in London on 12 September 1839 under command of Captain Alexander Duthie. Her surgeon superintendant was H.C.Martin, and ship's surgeon Mr J. Smith.[List]

Passengers on the Java

Atkinson, Jane
Axford, Richard - wife & 4 children
Baddockby, Mr
Barlow, Mrs E.
Bassett, William - wife & 4 children
Bastian, Elizabeth
Bastian, Jane
Bastian, Samson Jnr
Bastian, Samson - wife & 7 children
Bates, Jas & - wife
Bryden, Elizabeth - a child
Burnard, E.
Burnard, R.
Burnard, Robert - wife & 6 children
Candy, William - wife
Carbin, Mahaloe
Carbin, Thomas - wife
Carbin, Thomas - wife
Cardin, Thomas
Chanter, John - wife & 1 child Chisholm, John
Chivell, Joseph
Chivell, William
Coad, James - wife & 3 children
Coad, John
Cocking, Eliza
Cocking, George - wife
Cocking, Rebekah - 4 children
Cole, Eliza
Cole, Nicholas - wife & 1 child
Cotter, Ellen
Coulls, Daniel
Coulls, Jane
Coulls, John - wife & 2 children
Crabb, Richard - wife & 2 children
Crabb, William
Crabb, William - wife & 4 children
Crowle, James - wife
Crowle, Thomason
Dennis, Anna
Direll, T. Jas. - wife & 1 child
Donoughue, Thomas - wife & 1 child
Downing, John - wife & 1 child
Downs, Mrs S
Dunstan, Robert - wife & 5 children
Dutch, Mary
Edwards, Elizabeth
Edwards, James - wife & 5 children
Edwards, William - wife & 2 children
Elvery, James - wife & 1 child
England, Stephen - wife
Francis, H.F.
Francis, William - wife & 4 children
Gahan, Benjamin - wife & 3 children
Gately, Joseph - wife & 3 children
George, Jmaes - wife & 2 children
Germain, Ann
Germain, John - wife
Giles, Richard - wife
Gillard, Eliza
Gillard, Grace - 2 children
Gillard, John
Gillard, Joseph
Gillard, Mary
Gillard, Sally
Goyan, John
Greig, Bernard
Greig, Charlotte
Greig, Mary
Grigg, John
Haines, George Jnr.
Haines, George - wife & 2 children
Hales, Constance
Hamlyn, Elizabeth
Hannigan, Thomas
Harford, George
Harris, Edward - wife & 2 children
Harris, James - wife & 1 child
Harris, William N. - wife
Hawke, William - wife & 3 children
Hill, Mary Ann
Hill, William - wife & 2 children
Hinigan, Thomas
Humberstone, William - wife & 1 child
Hunt, George
Huxtable, John - wife & 5 children
Isbel, Robert
Jemmell, George R.H. - wife & 5 children
Johns, Bennett
Johnston, Alexander - wife & 1 child
Jose, Mary Jane
Kellock, John - wife & 3 children
Lavin, James
Lightfoot, William - wife & 4 children
Low, Charles - wife & 5 children
Low, R.L.
Magor, Thomas - wife & 2 children
Mallett, Henry - wife
McCarthy, Mary (nee Burnard)
McKissock, Andrew - wife
McLeod, Mr
Mitchell, John
Mitchell, William - wife & 2 children
Moore, Harriet
Moore, John - wife & 1 child
Moore, William - wife
Mundy, Sarah
Mundy, William - wife & 1 child Neville, Margaret
Odgers, Josiah - wife
Orrock, James - wife & 5 children
Paine, W.H.J. - wife & 1 child
Parsons, Richard - wife & 2 children
Pearce, James - wife & 2 children
Pengilley, Josiah - wife
Perkins, R - wife & 1 child
Philip, William - wife & 2 children
Player, Nicholas - wife & 5 children
Please, John - wife & 2 children
Polkinghorne, Isaac - wife & 1 child
Polkinghorne, Thomas
Porter, George - wife & 1 child
Porter, George William - wife
Porter, Henry John - 2 children
Porter, William H.
Randall, Wilmott
Randell, John
Reynolds, William - wife
Richards, George
Richards, William - wife & 5 children
Roberts, John
Rowe, J.W. - wife & 4 children
Rowe, Peter - wife
Rundle, Elizabeth
Rundle, Jane
Rundle, John
Rundle, John Robins
Rundle, John - wife & 6 children
Rundle, Mary
Shakes, James - wife & 1 child
Sleep, James - wife & 2 children
Stanton, Josiah (Joseph) - wife & 2 children
Stewart, Helen
Stewart, Jemima
Stewart, William
Taylor, John H.
Taylor, William H.
Thomas, Mrs Sarah
Tonkin, Amelia
Tonkin, Charles
Tonkin, Enoch - wife & 6 children
Tonkin, William H.
Tonkins, William
Tracy, Mary
Trangman, Mary Ann
Trankiman, James
Tregeagle, John - wife & 4 children
Treleggan, Frederick - wife & 3 children
Treleggan, William - wife
Veall, Luke - wife & 1 child
Walls, Thomas - wife & 2 children
Ward, Elizabeth - a child
Welch, William - wife & 2 children
Williams, Grace
Williams, Honor - wife
Williams, Robe Thomas - wife & 3 children
Williams, Sally
Williams, William
Wills, John - wife & 2 children