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Samuel, Elizabeth and their five children left from Plymouth, England, on the 2 November 1841, on board the ship Timandra, bound for New Plymouth, New Zealand. On the voyage Elizabeth Joll was occupied with sewing garments for the New Zealand Company. The passengers were either steerage or cabin and there was ill feeling between the two. The language of the steerage emigrants was objected to and they in turn objected to the cabin passenger�s exclusive use of the awning poop deck, and also to their pretensions of organising the schoolroom but failure to work in it. According to the diary of D.M. Weekes, who was a passenger on the ship, the voyage was not a particularly happy one and long before they reached New Zealand dissatisfaction with the conditions had reached a critical stage. One reason for this was the regulation of the New Zealand Company that chloride of lime be sprinkled about the emigrants berths, considered necessary for the preservation of their health.
One morning towards the end of the voyage Samuel Joll endeavoured to stop the constable, Mr. Thompson, from sprinkling the chloride in his berth while his wife lay ill. The following are entries from the Ships Log. �Friday February 11th 1842. At 10am I went down below�the tween decks with Dr Forbes to see the chloride of lime sprinkled which some of the Emigrants said should not be done as it burned their clothes. I immediately took the bucket and�commenced sprinkling it over the deck when one of the Emigrants named Joll seized hold of my collar and threw me down onto deck in presence of Dr Forbes and assistant superintendant for which offence Captain Skinner had him put in irons on the poop for 24 hours as a prisoner until he thought proper to beg pardon and keep the peace for the remainder of the passage. Saturday February 12th 1842. Samuel Joll in irons on the poop. 8pm�Samuel Joll begged pardon and promised to keep the peace the remainder of the passage and therefore let him out of irons.� From family folklore passed down says Samuel Jolls version of events were; Mrs Joll was lying ill on the bed when a sailor, whose duty it was to deal with their cabin, told her to get up and when she failed to do so he went to pull the bedclothes off her. This was too much for Samuel, who being a powerful man smartly knocked the sailor down. The sailor then brought the chief officer to the scene and when Samuel was splashed with lime, he saw red and knocked him down too. A terrific struggle with several of the crew took place before he was restrained in irons as the captain ordered. Apparently the apology requested and given by Samuel was no more than a matter of policy for once Samuel was ashore he borrowed a canoe, paddled to the Timandra and advised the captain not to come ashore. There is no record of the captain�s reply. In this incident Samuel �Growler� Joll was described as a blacksmith, was a powerful man physically, and most obstinate and cross-grained in his mentality. The Timandra arrived at New Plymouth, New Zealand on 25 February 1842, also on board were the family of James and Betsy Wills, of Calstock, whose eldest son, Albert, was later to marry the eldest daughter, Ann, of Samuel and Elizabeth Joll.
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