From A Letter By Charles Bowen, Senior To His Brother In England, 1851

We have, this moment—June 25th—received a shock at hearing that Ward and his brother Henry have been drowned. Their bodies have not been found, but from the circunv stances I fear the probability of their loss is but too well grounded. Ward had selected his land on Quail Island, about a mile from Port Lyttelton, nearly opposite the harbour, and had just gone to live there with his two brothers. Yesterday Wortley, with one or two others, went over to see them, and on arrival found poor Hamilton Ward and their servants in much alarm. They stated that the day before (Monday) Edward and Henry had gone off in a row boat to the bottom of the bay to take off some firewood. Towards evening they began to look anxiously for their return, but fancied they must have lost the tide and could not get off. Yesterday morning, however, there was no sign of them, and they had no other boat in the Island to go in search. On hearing this, Wortley set out with Hamilton and two of his men for the shore, and soon discovered the boat some distance from the land—keel up. One oar was stuck in the boat, but there was no means of judging how the event had occurred. Search was made, but not even a hat, coat, or any vestige has been found. They had a water dog with them, which is not forthcoming. The shore was strewed with the firewood with which they had evidently loaded the boat. We feel deeply grieved at this sad event. In Ward we lose one of the best of our brother colonists. I shall add any further accounts. Charles is off on the search.

In a later part of the letter, dated July 1st, he writes:

Charles and Croasdaile have just come home from Lyttelton, after consigning to the dust the remains of poor page 202Edward Ward. Charles has been out in a boat, buffeting the waves, for the last four days, and on Sunday he, with Mr Maunsell and Ward's men, brought in the body, which had been thrown on the beach by the last tide. The other body has not been, and will now probably never be, found. No telling how the event occurred. Probably they had too much timber in the boat, or that not having fixed well it may have shifted. They were both good hands in a boat and both strong swimmers.

From The 'lyttelton Times' June 28Th 1851

We have to record this week the saddest event which has occurred, or perhaps can ever occur in the colony. It is the loss by drowning of Mr Ward, and his brother Mr Henry Ward, of Quail Island. It appears they started from the Island on Monday morning, for the purpose of bringing home a cargo of firewood from the shore, near the head of the bay. Nothing was heard of them afterwards. On Tuesday, a party went over to Quail Island in a boat, which the youngest Mr Ward borrowed, for the purpose of seeking his brothers. He took two men with him: they found one oar near the place where the firewood had been apparently taken in—about a quarter of a mile further up the harbour, the boat was found on the beach, bottom upwards. A quantity of firewood was drifting about the bay. On Wednesday morning, the dog which went with them, returned to the Island, having run round the end of the bay.

As we are sending this to the press, intelligence has arrived that one of the bodies has been found.

This sad event has thrown an indescribable gloom over the whole settlement.

Mr Ward was one of the first colonists who declared his intention of joining the body of settlers, he laboured for a long time as Secretary to the Society of Colonists, who used to meet in the Adelphi Terrace, before sailing from England. He sailed with his two brothers and the families he was taking with him in the Charlotte Jane and was one of the first to land in the settlement. He was esteemed by all, and was beloved as much as he was esteemed. Not only his friends and family, but the colony has suffered an irreparable loss, both in himself and in his brother.

From A Letter By Mrs Godley, 1851.

We have had, since I wrote, a very sad accident here which has thrown a great damp over everything, I told you of Mr Ward having gone over to live in Quail Island. He used to come over two or three days a week to bring his butter to market and do his business at the Bank, Churchwarden, &c., for he was Trustee for all kinds of things and looked up to by everyone for his innumerable good qualities. We made up a party one day to go there and see the Island, and were to cook our own dinner on the beach. Mr Wortley was to take us in his little boat which just held myself, Arthur and Powles, Mr FitzGerald and his little brother, Mr Wortley and Mr Maunsell as rowers, and a clothes basket of food. It was Francis' birthday which I wanted to keep and they were all in favour of keeping the day (though it turned out rough and cold), so we went over and were to get Mr Ward to come over for the rest of the party in his larger boat, which he had said he would do any day. When we arrived there we heard he was not at home. He had gone over for firewood with his next brother to the land up the harbour, but several miles from here, and said he would be back to dinner on the Monday; and this was Tuesday and they had no news of them.

The youngest brother (who is a very nice young boy of sixteen) came to meet us and said they were worried, and they were very glad to take our boat and go and see after them. We were very little alarmed, for people are constantly missing here for a day or two.

Our dinner party was rather small and it was very cold, but we sat under shelter near our fire and got a few shells on the beach; and then began to wonder they did not come back. It was very rough for our little boat—die wind, too, against page 205us for going home; and I, who never like going in one if I can help it, was getting a little unhappy about ourselves, when just as it was getting dark, they came, the poor boy crying and the men, who were extremely fond of their master, almost as bad. They had found nothing but the boat (the same that won the race here) thrown on the beach bottom, upwards and the oars—one near and one half a mile off—and the firewood strewn about. It had evidently been upset. One cannot account for the fact that though both could swim besides having the boat to cling to, yet that neither should be saved. Yet so it was.

I brought Hamilton, the young brother, home with us, borrowing the larger boat, which we were the first to use since the accident. And I was very thankful to feel myself safe on shore for it was quite a rough evening.

There were boats out searching for two or three days in vain, but on Friday we got word that the body of the eldest was washed on shore at the head of the harbour, and a boat started to fetch it but such a fearful storm came on and lasted all Saturday, that the boat could get no further than the Island and we, in the Port, were half afraid that this boatful was lost too. It was a fearful night and day. Four vessels driven on shore and a little one—or rather had sunk. The large ones, "however, moved very little (and there is a Public Meeting today to petition the Government to establish moorings). Sunday was pretty fine and then the body was brought in. The other is not yet found.

On Monday there was an inquest and then a funeral. Almost every respectable person in the Settlement attended it, except two or three on the Plains who mistook the day. My husband walked with poor Hamilton, who is to live with us till he hears from home. John has also the sad task of writing to his father. It would not do for so young a boy to live with labourers on the Island, so he is to stay here and attend College lectures, &c., which begin on Monday. He is very anxious page 206that his father should consent to leave him out here. They are a family of sixteen and he says he has no prospects at home. It is fortunate for us that he is such a nice, tractable boy; he does not even yet show any signs of teasing Arthur.

Poor Mr Ward will be terribly missed both here and at home. He was the eldest son and had been for some time at the Irish bar. He was a good man of business, very sensible and very much liked by everyone. He used to sing with the Glee Club and Church practisings, dance with the young ladies, talk sensibly and laugh and smoke with the gentlemen, work with his labourers and was always good natured and full of spirits. You have no idea how much everyone feels his loss. We have thought of scarcely anything else lately and the very bad weather makes us all quite low. It is very cold.

E. R. Ward's Land Selection

Although land purchasers bought 'Land Orders' at £3 per acre from the Canterbury Association in England, where the order of priority in the choice of land was determined by a form of ballot, the actual selection of land could only be done in the colony. Consequently the first month or so in Canterbury was spent by the more enterprising settlers—of whom Edward Ward was one—in viewing as much as possible of the country before making their final choice.

Each order for fifty acres of rural land also entitled the purchaser to one town section of half an acre in the capital (Christchurch) or a quarter of an acre in the port (Lyttelton). Both Christchurch and Lyttelton were surveyed in quarter acres because at that time it was not finally decided which would be the capital. Town sections were chosen in the same order of priority as that decided in the ballot for rural land.

Rural Sections

Edward Ward chose his rural sections on February 17th and 18th, 1851, and they are recorded in the Lyttelton Times of March 8th and 15th, as follows:

• No. 23. E. R. Ward, 50 acres on the north-east portion of Quail Island, Port Victoria.
• No. 47. E. R. Ward. 50 acres on Quail Island, Port Victoria, adjoining section No. 23, and numbered 47 on the Chief Surveyor's map.
• No. 55. E. R. Ward. 100 acres in the Mandeville district, commencing at 19 miles 27½ chains on the road from Christchurch to Harewood by way of Kaiapoi; frontage along the road westwards 25 chains, then back in a south-ward direction 40 chains, then eastward 25 chains, and page 208then back again 40 chains to the starting point, and called Rangiora Wood and numbered 53 on the Chief Surveyor's map.

Town Sections

Edward Ward chose all the town sections, to which he was entitled by Land Orders, in Christchurch. They were as follows:

• No.23. E. R. Ward. Christchurch. Sections 505 and 507. These were both quarter acre sections in Barbadoes Street between Oxford Terrace and Kilmore Street. In the early days when river communication was important land near this part of the Avon was eagerly sought.
• No. 47. E. R. Ward. Christchurch. Sections 577 and 578. These two quarter acre sections were on the corner of Armagh Street and Oxford Terrace, facing Market Place (now Victoria Square).
• No. 53. E. R. Ward. Christchurch. Sections 315, 316, 317 and 318. These four quarter acres sections comprised nearly all the block on the west side of the Avon, between Chester, Durham and Armagh Streets, now the site of the Supreme Court buildings.

Town sections were also auctioned, and at such a sale on April 16th, 1851, Edward Ward bought for £26 a quarter acre section, No. 274, at Lyttelton. This was on Godley Quay, between Voelas Road and Simeon Street and faced the waterfront of what was then called Dampier's Bay.

Records do not show what happened to Edward Ward's land on Quail Island although it was farmed by Crosbie and Hamilton Ward for about three years. It is recorded as a Crown grant to Mark Pringle Stoddart in April, 1858. He sold it to Thomas Henry Potts in 1874 and two years later it again became Crown land when the stock quarantine station was moved to the island from Camp Bay.

The 'charlotte Jane' Passenger List

Sailed from Plymouth, midnight, September 7th 1850. Arrived at Lyttelton, 10 a.m., December 16th 1850.

This is the list of passengers actually landed at Lyttelton, compiled by Dr A. C, Barker, the ship's surgeon. It is a correction of the embarkation list. The total number of passengers was 151 (Chief Cabin 27, Intermediate or Fore Cabin 19, Steerage 105). Of the total, 49 were children.

Chief Cabin Passengers

Barker,	Alfred Charles	age 31	Married
	Emma	30	Married
	Richard	4
	Samuel	2
	Arthur	1
Bishop,	Emma	23	Unmarried
	Mary Ann	17	Unmarried
Bowen,	Charles	45	Married
	Georgiana	40	Married
	Letitia	10
	Anne	44	Unmarried
Cholmondeley,	Charles	19	Unmarried
	Thomas	27	Unmarried
FitzGerald,	James Edward	32	Married
	Fanny Erskine	18	Married
Kingdon,	George (Rev.)	36	Married
	Sophia	18	Married
	Mountfort,	Benjamin	26	Married
	Emily	21	Married
	Charles Wheeler	24	Married
	Mary	21	Married
	Susanna	22	Unmarriedpage 210
Shrimpton,	John Ingram	17	Unmarried
Ward,	Edward Robert	25	Unmarried
	Henry	19	Unmarried
	Hamilton	16	Unmarried
Wortley,	James Stuart (Hon.)	18	Unmarried

Intermediate or Fore Cabin Passengers

Streerage Passengers

Abernethy,	James	Labourer	age 18	Unmarried
Abraham,	Thomas	Stonemason	42	Married
		Marian	39	Married
	Marian		12
Adams,	William	Upholsterer	39	Unmarried
Allan,	George	Labourer	45	Married
	Ann		43	Married
	Ann	Elizabeth	9page 211
Allfrey,	George	Labourer	43	Married
	Arabella		36	Married
	Alfred		8
	Marian	Nurse	19	Unmarried
Bassett,	Jane		11
Caughey,	Henry	Labourer	22	Unmarried
Charlton,	Edward	Labourer	20	Unmarried
Dixon,	Joseph	Labourer	34	Married
	Mary		33	Married
	Ann		9
	Mary		8
	James		6
	Elizabeth		4
	Jane		2
	Joseph		Infant
Dowling,	Virginia	Domestic Servant	26	Unmarried
Derry,	William	Whitesmith	22	Married
	Hannah		20	Married
	John		1
Doutch,	Maria	Milliner	21	Unmarried
Fawcett,	Thomas	Shepherd	31	Married
	Mary		29	Married
Ferguson,	Margaret	Domestic Servant	26	Unmarried
Geddes,	Andrew	Carpenter	30	Married
Griffin,	Edward	Agent	23	Married
	Mary		21	Married
Grubb,	Mary		30
	Mary		6
	Jean		4
	Jessie		2
Heffenden,	Ann	Servant	29	Unmarried
Horrell,	John	Agricultural Machinist	28	Married
	Elizabeth		24	Married
	Samuel		Infant	page 212
Hill,	Joseph	Labourer	36	Married
	Ann		34	Married
	Edwin		11
	Henry		9
	Charles		7
	Ann		5
	Francis		3
	John		1
	Frances		Infant
Hughes,	Samuel	Labourer	26	Married
	Mary		26	Married
	Mary		Infant
Jeffs,	Benjamin	Labourer	24	Married
	Elizabeth		25	Married
	Richard		4
	Abbott		2
	Sarah		Infant
	Charles	Labourer	24	Married
	Mary		26	Married
	John		4
Larkham,	Philip	Agriculturist	16	Unmarried
Lewis,	Elizabeth	Servant Maid	17	Unmarried
McCormick,	William	Labourer	27	Married
	Jane		37	Married
Marley,	William	Carpenter	34	Married
	Mary		37	Married
	Elizabeth		3
	Mary Ann		Infant
Marriott,	Benjamin	Smith	28	Unmarried
Newnham,	William	Schoolmaster	36
	Frederick		10
Nippriss,	Henry	Labourer	28	Married
	Louisa Jane		22	Married
Padgen,	Silas	Labourer	19	Unmarriedpage 213
Payton,	Charles	Servant	26	Married
	Emma		24	Married
Sail,	James	Labourer	31	Unmarried
Simpson,	Joseph	Whitesmith	32	Married
	Harriett		27	Married
	Elizabeth		7
Sloane,	James	Labourer	24	Unmarried
	James	Labourer	22	Unmarried
Stout,	James	Agriculturist	27	Married
	Jean		23	Married
Taylor	Joseph	Stonemason	45	Married
	Charlotte		39	Married
	Virginia		7
	William		5
	George	Printer	20	Unmarried
Thornton,	Jabez	Carpenter	32	Unmarried
Turnbull,	John		26	Unmarried
Varyer,	John	Printer	39	Married
	Jane		30	Married
	Frances		13
	Eleanor		11
	John		9
Walter,	George	Farm Labourer	16
Wilson,	Robert	Labourer	35	Married
	Margaret		32	Married
	Samuel		6
	Sarah		4
	Thomas		Infant
Winchester,	Henry Printer		19	Unmarried

The 'charlotte Jane'

The Charlotte Jane, built in 1848, was a three-masted ship of 730 tons, 131 feet long, with a beam of 32 feet. Her launching is described in the following extract from the Bristol Mirror of 1848:

On Monday (April 17th) one of the finest launches which we have ever seen took place at Messrs Pattersons Dockyards in this City. The Ship, the finest of her Class ever built at Bristol, is of 730 tons Register (New Measurement) and calculated to carry about 900 tons burthen. She is built for Messrs James Thompson & Co. of London, and is intended for the East Indian trade. Nautical gentlemen present pronounced her to be as fine a model as they had ever seen, and were loud in their praises of the excellence of her materials and workmanship. Precisely as the clock struck One, Mrs Rigmaiden of London, the sponsor of the Ship, dashed a bottle of Wine against her bow, and having named her the Charlotte Jane, the dog/shore was knocked away, and the noble Vessel, which was gaily decorated with Flags of every description, descended slowly and majestically into her native element, amid the cheering of the assembled thousands.

On her voyage to Lyttelton she was commanded by Captain Alexander Lawrence. There were three deaths, one marriage and one birth during her ninety-nine day sea passage. The fastest day's run was 250 miles in twenty-four hours.

The Charlotte Jane arrived at Lyttelton at 10 a.m. on December 16th, 1850, followed by the Randolph (761 tons) at 3.30 p.m. the same day. The Sir George Seymour (850 tons) arrived at 10 a.m. the next day and the last of the First Four Ships to reach port was the Cressy (720 tons), December 27th, no days out. Only two of the ships, the Randolph and the Sir George Seymour, sighted each other on the voyage out. The Charlotte Jane remained in Lyttelton Harbour until January 7th, 1851, when she sailed for Sydney.

After a varied trading career in many parts of the world her British Registry was closed on October 25th, 1865, when page 215she was reported sold to a foreign company. Her history after that date is not known.

In his entry of March 31st, 1851, Edward Ward reports the arrival of the Travancore, another emigrant ship, which left England on December 8th, and remarks that she is a sister ship to the Charlotte Jane and belongs to the same company.