A barque similar in construction to the Countess of Seafield

Countess of Seafield - Index

Owner and captain - Herbert Ellis Danvers 1834 - 1883, brother of my great-grandfather Alfred Thornton Danvers 1838 - 1917.

On a voyage from London bound for Lyttelton, New Zealand. The Countess of Seafield arrived at Hobart on the 1st June 1864 in a most deplorable condition. During a hurricane on the 27th of April, when approximately halfway between South Africa and Tasmania just northeast of Kerguelen Island the new close-reefed maintopsail were blown to ribbons; the foresail, foretopsail, maintrysail, misen and foretopmast stays blew away. The following day the barque was swept by a huge wave that washed ten men overboard. She lost her deckhouse, galley, bulwarks, companion hatch, wheel, binnacle, etc. After the incident the barque took another four weeks to reach Hobart where it underwent repairs for three months before to continuing its voyage to Lyttelton, arriving there on 25 Aug 1864. The Captain at the time was Herbert Ellis Danvers. In 1862 he married Augusta, daughter of Captain Robert Horton who commissioned a painting to commemorate the event.

The transcription of the note attached to the back of the painting.

A detailed account of the disastrous events which lead to the commissioning of the painting.

The history of the Countess of Seafield by Jack Loney

Shipping routes taken by emmigrant ships to NZ.

Cargo manifest from the Countess of Seafield on arrival in NZ in 1864.

C of S mentioned in the book White Wings containing articles about emmigrant ships to NZ.

Malcolm and Lynne Watson's site about the C of S.Contains the history of the barque, including details of the barque with the same name and many other interesting details.

Updated 17 Dec 2008              (C) Gary Danvers                   Opened 24 Sep 2002