One hundred and forty-six years ago…

I find old shipping lists very interesting – I may be alone on this! It’s the names, the combination of passengers, the stories I imagine, the fictional lives I create. However, this particular shipping news is interesting to me because my great-grandfather, Louis Walford is on the passenger manifest. He was born in Hobart, Tasmania in 1845; his parents returned to London in the 1860’s and as far as i knew, he stayed behind. There are plenty of reports of him in the Tasmanian newspapers of the time, acting as a shipping agent, negotiating cargoes, and selling imports. I hadn’t realised that he must have visited England, before he permanently returned home in the late 1870’s – to meet my great-grandmother, and have a family with her.

24th January 1871: ENGLISH SHIPPING

PASSENGERS FROM LONDON –

Per British Flag, for Sydney :

• Rev. G. and Mrs. Harris

Per Strathnaver, for Sydney:

• H. J. Beresford
• C. Walsh
• Louis Walford
• A. A. West
• Right Rev. T. O’Mahoney
• M. Kelly
• Abbé Schurr
• J. Kelly
• Miss Scannell
• Miss Spillar
• Mde de Schmidt
• Mr. M^cAlroy
• Mr. Dunne
• Right Rev. Dr. Murphy
• J. Davis.

Per Strathdon, for Sydney:

• and Mrs. Arm-strong and two infants
• Miss Coles
• W. S. Binge.

Per Cornwallis, for Sydney :

• Robert C. Brown
• Edgar Ormrod
• Thomas Newton
• Sarah Newton
• Caroline Newton
• T. Higginson
• J.Myerscough

Per Brucklay Castle, for Sydney:

• and Mrs. Burnell
• Atkinson
• and Mrs. Coster and three children
• and Mrs. Atwood and party.

Louis was in some interesting company; he was a Jew and there he is travelling with a lot of priests!

Five and a half weeks later:

by Submarine Telegraph, 06 March 1871

SYDNEY, SATURDAY

The ship Strathnaver, 1017 tons, Captain Davey, from London, arrived at Sydney on Saturday at noon. Among the cabin passengers were:

• H. J. Beresford
• C. Walsh
• Louis Walford
• A. A. West
• Right Rev. T. O’Mahonoy
• M. Kelly
• Abbé Schurr
• Rev, Jas. Kelly
• Miss Scannell
• Miss Spillar
• de Schmidt
• Mr. McAlroy
• Mr. Dunne
• Right Rev. Dr. Murphy
• J. Davis
• Right Rev. Jas. Quinn
• Right Rev. Matthew Quinn

The passenger list has gained two more priests, possibly brothers, or maybe cousins, or maybe just coincidentally with the same surname! In the same news item are three unrelated items:

• Mary Ann Considine, a dissipated prostitute, has been committed for manslaughter, she having caused the death of her child by neglect.
• The weather is fine.
• Markets remain unchanged.

Poor Mary Ann…