The Providence
The Providence sailed from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland on April 24, 1774 under master John Tinker and arrived in Halifax on June 1, 1774 with 71 passengers and 10 crew. The passengers included Robert Ripley, his wife Isabella (Isobel, Tobel in various transcriptions of the passenger list) and 6 of their children: Henry, Robert, John, Elizabeth (Elias), Jane, and Mary. Jane Calvert, a relative, also traveled with the family. Robert is listed as a 39 year old farmer from Battersby, a village in the parish of Ingleby-Greenhow. Our cousin Gord Ripley suggests that the Ripleys may have boarded at the nearby seaside town of Whitby.
Immigrant Charles Dixon had made almost the same journey two years earlier. We can only hope the Ripley family had a better first impression of Nova Scotia.
"We had a rough passage, none of us having been at sea before; much sea sickness prevailed. After six weeks and four days, we arrived at Halifax, the capital of the Province, and were received with much joy by the gentlemen in general, but were much discouraged by others, and the account we heard of Cumberland (the place of our destination) was enough to make the stoutest heart give way."
Charles Dixon, September 21, 1773
According to Lucille H. Campey in Planters, Paupers, and Pioneers, the crossing of the Providence was not recorded in the British customs register. However, a list of her passengers, known as the Legge List, was sent by Nova Scotia's Governor Legge to Lord Dartmouth. Passenger lists for the Providence and many other ships are available in the print and e-text versions of Campey's book in Appendix I. The passenger lists of the Providence and other ships that arrived around the same time have been transcribed by Gordon Ripley and are viewable online at the Yorkshire Emigration to Nova Scotia, 1772-1775 website.
In Appendix II and the Explanatory Notes for Appendices II-IV, Campey supplies more information about the Providence. It is designated as a 170 ton ship built in 1764 and registered at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Campey defines "ship" as having 3 square-rigged masts. The Lloyd's of London classification was E1 which meant it was a second-class vessel suitable for carrying passengers but not dry cargo. The "1" meant the ship was in satisfactory condition.
Immigrant Charles Dixon had made almost the same journey two years earlier. We can only hope the Ripley family had a better first impression of Nova Scotia.
"We had a rough passage, none of us having been at sea before; much sea sickness prevailed. After six weeks and four days, we arrived at Halifax, the capital of the Province, and were received with much joy by the gentlemen in general, but were much discouraged by others, and the account we heard of Cumberland (the place of our destination) was enough to make the stoutest heart give way."
Charles Dixon, September 21, 1773
According to Lucille H. Campey in Planters, Paupers, and Pioneers, the crossing of the Providence was not recorded in the British customs register. However, a list of her passengers, known as the Legge List, was sent by Nova Scotia's Governor Legge to Lord Dartmouth. Passenger lists for the Providence and many other ships are available in the print and e-text versions of Campey's book in Appendix I. The passenger lists of the Providence and other ships that arrived around the same time have been transcribed by Gordon Ripley and are viewable online at the Yorkshire Emigration to Nova Scotia, 1772-1775 website.
In Appendix II and the Explanatory Notes for Appendices II-IV, Campey supplies more information about the Providence. It is designated as a 170 ton ship built in 1764 and registered at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Campey defines "ship" as having 3 square-rigged masts. The Lloyd's of London classification was E1 which meant it was a second-class vessel suitable for carrying passengers but not dry cargo. The "1" meant the ship was in satisfactory condition.
Sources:
Campey, Lucille H. Planters, Paupers, and Pioneers, Toronto, Dundurn Press, 2010. Portions of this excellent book describing the settlement of eastern Canada are available for online viewing at Google Books.
Robinson, John and Rispin, Thomas. A Journey through Nova Scotia available online. Fascinating first-hand account of a voyage and trip to Nova Scotia circa 1774 describing the various townships, houses, clothing, farms, prices, etc.
Note: My source for the name of the Providence's captain is Planters, Paupers, and Pioneers, Appendix I, Yorkshire Passenger Lists, number 6, p. 302. [NSARM RG1 Vol. 44, doc. 37 (Governor Legge's List)].
Campey, Lucille H. Planters, Paupers, and Pioneers, Toronto, Dundurn Press, 2010. Portions of this excellent book describing the settlement of eastern Canada are available for online viewing at Google Books.
Robinson, John and Rispin, Thomas. A Journey through Nova Scotia available online. Fascinating first-hand account of a voyage and trip to Nova Scotia circa 1774 describing the various townships, houses, clothing, farms, prices, etc.
Note: My source for the name of the Providence's captain is Planters, Paupers, and Pioneers, Appendix I, Yorkshire Passenger Lists, number 6, p. 302. [NSARM RG1 Vol. 44, doc. 37 (Governor Legge's List)].