The Douglas Archives

A collection of historical and genalogical records

William Drydale - the 1st recorded "Drysdale" to arrive in Australia (1798)

Hi all

William Drysdale was one of the first British convict settlers in Australia.

It was only some 28 years earlier, in 1770, that Lieutenant James Cook, captain of HMB Endeavour, had claimed the eastern portion of the Australian continent for the British Crown, naming it New South Wales.

William Drydale [Drysdale] was convicted at Hants. Assizes, Hampshire, England on 01 March 1796 and sentenced for a term of 7 years.

He was subsequently transported on the convict ship "Barwell" leaving Portsmouth on 7 November 1797 & arriving 18 May 1798 in Port Jackson [Sydney] New South Wales.

There were 296 male convicts on the Barwell, nine convicts died during the voyage.

What happened to him after his arrival is currently unknown.

Ref: Indents from Early Fleet Ships 1786-1799 NRS 1150

Best regards

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Making conections

The more information you can give about the people you mention, the more chance there is of someone else connecting with your family.

Dates and places of births, deaths and marriages all help to place families.

Professions also help.

'My great-grandmother mother was a Douglas from Montrose' does not give many clues to follow up! But a bit of flesh on the bones makes further research possible. But if we are told who she married, what his profession was and where the children were baptised, then we can get to work.

Maybe it is time to update the information in your profile?


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