Name Charlotte Jane Launched 17 April 1848 Length 131 ft 8 in (40.13 m) | Builder Pattersons, Bristol Tons burthen 730 tons bm Beam 32 ft 4 in (9.86 m) | |
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The Charlotte Jane was one of the First Four Ships in 1850 to carry emigrants from England to the new colony of Canterbury in New Zealand.
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Arrival in Lyttelton
The Randolph, the Cressy, the Sir George Seymour and the Charlotte Jane together carried an estimated 790 passengers. In addition, about another 60 worked their passage on the ships or deserted and disembarked. The first of the vessels to arrive was the Charlotte Jane in Lyttelton on 16 December 1850 in the morning. The Randolph followed that afternoon. The Sir George Seymour arrived on 17 December, followed by the Cressy on 27 December. The Charlotte Jane carried the equipment for the production of the region's first newspaper, the Lyttelton Times, which was first published less than one month after the ship's arrival.
Passengers
The Charlotte Jane carried approximately 154 passengers. Exact numbers are not known because the surgeons' lists and the shipping lists do not match, and some young children were not counted.
The passengers aboard these four ships were referred to as "the Pilgrims". Their names are inscribed on marble plaques in Cathedral Square in the centre of Christchurch, where 157 passengers are listed.
Notable passengers
The first passenger who leapt onto the shore was James FitzGerald, who became an important politician in New Zealand. One of her most notable passengers was the architect Benjamin Mountfort. Charles Bowen was later Speaker of the New Zealand Legislative Council. James Stuart-Wortley was a member of the 1st New Zealand Parliament before he returned to England in 1855. James Temple Fisher was elected to Parliament in 1876. Edward Bishop was the 6th Mayor of Christchurch.
Harriet Simpson became the first nurse at Lyttelton Hospital.
Alfred Charles Barker was the surgeon on the voyage. He was Canterbury's first doctor.