People, Soldiers and Victualling Book of the Kitty Transport era from Norfolk Island 1793

It’s well documented that there were major embarkations from Norfolk Island in the latter years of the Island’s first Settlement, notably from 1807 to 1814, as the inhabitation of Island was being wound down for its closure. However, there were some substantial embarkations in early years that have not been fully documented as a contextual group study.

The earliest of these large embarkations that of the Kitty to Port Jackson departing Norfolk Island 9 March 1793. This was not for a winding down of the settlement but rather a changeover of military personnel, settlers leaving the Island, transfer of some time expired convicts to Port Jackson and a small number of troublesome persons being returned to the mainland.

This publication focuses on the  161 passengers aboard the Kitty from Norfolk Island to Port Jackson (some of whom are not listed in the 1792 – 1796 Victualling Book) including a detachment of NSW Corps, departing settlers, time expired convicts and a small number of troublesome convicts being returned to the mainland. The research and findings of the Kitty March 1793 research emphasise that the 1792 – 1796 Norfolk Island Victualling Book cannot be consulted as a standalone document to establish the identity and movements of all persons on the island nor to obtain a full shipping list of arrivals and departures, due to persons being off store, as well as errors and omissions. The book features many anomalies in the 1792-96 Norfolk Island Victualling Book.

With appendices of some other passengers lists of the Philadelphia  to Norfolk Island Dec 1792, to China Jan 1793 , Kitty to Norfolk Island Feb 1793, Chesterfield to Port Jackson Mar 1793, to Norfolk Island Apr 1793, to England May 1793, Kitty to England arriving Feb 1794.

The opportunity has also been taken to debut some newly found records including the discharge dates for Marine Settlers as reported to Plymouth Headquarters in the 1791 Marine records. These records were discovered at the National Archives in England and have been extracted – published for the first time.  There is also much new material and clarification of NSW Corps personnel from a range of Military service and pension records which have only become available in recent years.

There are also new findings regarding previously unknown exact locations of lands allocated to those settlers on Norfolk Island who handed them in prior to the departure of Kitty in March 1793, including Marine settlers Thomas Bishop, William Tunks, William Mitchell, and expired convict settlers George Banister, Robert Forrester and John Ryan.

A4, 68 pages includes index and detailed bibliography, cost $35.00 includes Australian postage.