Anne
Anne, also recorded as Ann, was a Spanish-built sailing ship captured by the British in 1799 and subsequently used for a convict-transport voyage to New South Wales and a voyage under the British East India Company.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Anne was an eighteenth-century Spanish-built sailing vessel whose documented British career began after her capture in 1799 during the French Revolutionary Wars. She was originally known by names including Nostra Senora da Luzet Santa Anna, Luz St Anne, and Luz St Anna. British vessels Dover and Cecilia captured her, after which the Admiralty sold the ship. British records and Lloyd's Register subsequently listed her under forms of the name Anne or Ann, with the spelling Lucy St Anna also appearing in the 1799 register. The British Navy Board engaged Anne in April 1799 for one licensed voyage transporting convicts from Ireland to the penal colony of New South Wales. James Stewart served as master. For the voyage the vessel was fitted with 12 guns and carried a crew of 42, including additional seamen who could serve as guards. The War Office rejected a request to place Marines aboard, apparently because of the cost and logistical burden associated with the continuing war with France. Anne sailed from Cork on 26 June 1800 with 147 male and 24 female convicts. During the passage, on 29 July, the crew suppressed a mutiny. One convict was killed and others were wounded. Stewart ordered the alleged ringleader, Marcus Sheehy of Limerick, to be shot after consultation with his officers. The episode was later reviewed by a Vice-Admiralty Court, which honourably acquitted Stewart and the chief mate. Another participant received 250 lashes. The incident is a significant part of the vessel's surviving historical record because it reflects both the coercive conditions of convict transportation and the legal scrutiny applied to conduct at sea. The ship was also associated with a naval and commercial convoy action on 4 August 1800. Anne was accompanying East India Company vessels when French frigates attacked the convoy. HMS Belliqueux and the East Indiaman Exeter captured the French frigates Concorde and Médée. Anne was present in the convoy but did not take part in the fighting. She reached Rio de Janeiro on 22 August, continued to the Cape of Good Hope, and took on eight additional sailors and soldiers at Cape Town. After a 240-day passage, she arrived at Port Jackson on 21 February 1801 with 127 male and 24 female convicts; 20 male convicts had died during the voyage. Anne departed Port Jackson on 9 July 1801 for China. Under Stewart, she later operated on a voyage for the British East India Company. Records place the vessel at Calcutta on 19 November 1801, passing Saugor on 1 January 1802, reaching St Helena on 20 April, and arriving at Gravesend on 25 June. Some later references appear to attribute a second East India Company voyage to an Ann, but the available historical discussion indicates that this may concern a different vessel, including the Ann that transported convicts in 1809–1810. Anne should therefore be distinguished from other ships with similar names. The surviving material does not establish her later ownership, service, or fate.
History
Anne was a Spanish-built sailing ship dating from the 1790s. Her original name is variously recorded as Nostra Senora da Luzet Santa Anna, Luz St Anne, or Luz St Anna. During the French Revolutionary Wars, the British vessels Dover and Cecilia captured her in 1799. The Admiralty subsequently sold the vessel, which entered British commercial and government records under several variant names, including Anne, Ann, and Lucy St Anna. Lloyd's Register for 1799 listed a version of the name with Whitford as master, Barnett as owner, and a London–Botany Bay trade. On 9 April 1799, the British Navy Board engaged Anne for a single convict-transport voyage from Ireland to New South Wales. James Stewart was appointed master. The ship carried 12 guns and a crew of 42, with some additional seamen designated to act as guards. A request for Marines was refused by the War Office because of the expense and burden during the war with France. Anne sailed from Cork on 26 June 1800 with 171 convicts: 147 men and 24 women. The voyage included a serious mutiny on 29 July. The crew suppressed the uprising, during which one convict was killed and others were injured. Marcus Sheehy, identified as the ringleader and a United Irishman from Limerick, was shot after Stewart consulted his officers. Another convict was subjected to 250 lashes. The master and chief mate were later tried by a Vice-Admiralty Court and honourably acquitted. This event remains one of the best-documented episodes in the ship's history. Anne travelled in a convoy that encountered a French squadron on 4 August 1800. HMS Belliqueux and the East India Company ship Exeter captured the French frigates Concorde and Médée. Anne was present during the action but did not participate in the fighting. She reached Rio de Janeiro on 22 August, then proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope, where eight sailors and soldiers joined the vessel. She arrived at Port Jackson on 21 February 1801 after 240 days at sea, carrying 127 male and 24 female convicts. Twenty male convicts had died during the passage. On 9 July 1801 Anne left Port Jackson for China. She subsequently undertook a voyage associated with the British East India Company under Stewart. The ship was recorded at Calcutta on 19 November 1801, passed Saugor on 1 January 1802, reached St Helena on 20 April, and arrived at Gravesend on 25 June. Later references to a second East India Company voyage by an Ann may involve another vessel, especially the Ann connected with convict transportation in 1809–1810. The available record does not establish Anne's later career or final fate.
- 1802
Return from an East India Company voyage
[1]The vessel completed a voyage recorded through Calcutta, Saugor, St Helena, and Gravesend.
- 1801
Arrival at Port Jackson
[1]Anne reached Port Jackson on 21 February with 151 surviving convicts after a 240-day passage.
- 1800
Convict-transport voyage begins
[1]Anne sailed from Cork on 26 June with 147 male and 24 female convicts bound for New South Wales.
- 1800
Mutiny suppressed at sea
[1]A mutiny was put down on 29 July. The subsequent legal proceedings acquitted the master and chief mate.
- 1799
Captured and entered British records
[1]British vessels Dover and Cecilia captured the ship during the French Revolutionary Wars. After its sale by the Admiralty, it appeared in British records under names including Anne and Lucy St Anna.
- 1790
Spanish construction
[1]Anne was built in Spain during the 1790s, although the precise construction year and location are not established in the available record.
Products and positioning
Historical sailing vessel used for military-era transport, convict transportation, and commercial service.
Brand decisions
1799
Engagement as a convict transportStrategyBackground
The British Navy Board required a vessel to transport convicts from Ireland to the penal colony of New South Wales during wartime.
Action taken
Anne was engaged and licensed in London for a single convict-transport voyage, fitted with guns, and provided with additional seamen who could act as guards.
Aftermath
The ship sailed from Cork in June 1800 and delivered surviving convicts to Port Jackson in February 1801.
Recent events
- 1802
Anne completes an East India Company voyage[1]
Other
After leaving Port Jackson for China, the ship was recorded at Calcutta, Saugor, St Helena, and Gravesend during a voyage associated with the British East India Company.
- 1801
Anne reaches Port Jackson after transporting convicts[1]
Other
Anne arrived at Port Jackson on 21 February 1801 with 151 surviving convicts after a 240-day voyage from Ireland.
- 1800
Anne departs Cork with convicts bound for New South Wales[1]
Other
The vessel sailed from Cork on 26 June 1800 carrying 147 male and 24 female convicts under the command of James Stewart.
- 1800
Mutiny suppressed aboard Anne during convict voyage[1]
Other
A mutiny was suppressed on 29 July. One convict was killed, Marcus Sheehy was executed by firing squad, and another participant was flogged. A later Vice-Admiralty Court honourably acquitted the master and chief mate.
Sources3 sources
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