Mary
Mary was an 1811 British sailing ship that traded with Australia and Asia before completing five convict-transport voyages to Australia.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Mary was a British sailing vessel launched at Ipswich in 1811. Although the supplied input classifies the subject as a Spanish consumer-staples brand, the authoritative Wikipedia entity is a historical ship, not a food company or commercial brand. Mary therefore belongs to the history of British merchant shipping, East India Company commerce, colonial transport, and the Australian convict transportation system. The vessel entered service during the early nineteenth century, when British shipping connected Europe with India, Southeast Asia, Australia, and West Africa. Her first documented voyage was undertaken for the British East India Company. Under Captain Lauchlan, also recorded in some sources as Laughlin, Mary left Portsmouth on 26 November 1811 for New South Wales and Bengal. She called at Madeira and Rio de Janeiro before reaching Port Jackson on 2 May 1812 with stores. After leaving New South Wales in August, she proceeded through the waters east of Australia, Malacca, and Bengal, reaching Diamond Harbour and Calcutta. Her return voyage took her through Point de Galle and St Helena before she arrived at The Downs on 10 August 1813. Mary subsequently operated in general merchant and transport trades. Lloyd's and other shipping registers associated her with routes linking London to Botany Bay, New South Wales, Sierra Leone, and other destinations. A substantial repair was recorded in 1819, and another major repair was noted in 1827. These interventions indicate that the vessel remained commercially useful over an extended period despite the demanding conditions of long-distance sailing. Mary's most historically significant role was as a convict transport. Between 1823 and 1835 she made five voyages carrying prisoners from Britain to Australian colonies. Her first convict voyage, under Captain J. F. Steele, carried female convicts from London to Hobart and then Port Jackson in 1823. The following voyage, under Captain Alexander Jamieson, transported male convicts to Hobart in 1830. Three further voyages carried women or men to Hobart and Sydney in 1831, 1833, and 1835. Across these voyages, the ship embarked several hundred people under the British penal transportation system; some deaths occurred during the passages, and the numbers landed were lower than the numbers embarked. The fifth convict voyage was completed in 1835 under Captain William Ascough. Mary departed London on 16 April and reached Sydney on 6 September with female convicts. By this stage, Lloyd's Register recorded Ascough as both master and owner, although the vessel's ownership and registration later changed in Australia. Mary was sold in Sydney in 1836 and continued under Australian registration with several successive owners. Her later career ended on 24 May 1845, when she was totally wrecked on a reef northwest of Flinders Island in Bass Strait while sailing from Sydney toward London. Seventeen people died in the wreck. Mary is thus best understood as an individual historical vessel rather than a surviving brand. Her significance derives from the routes she served, her participation in East India Company trade, her five convict voyages, and her final loss in Bass Strait.
History
Mary was launched at Ipswich in 1811 and entered the British merchant fleet during a period of expanding maritime connections between Britain, India, Southeast Asia, Australia, and West Africa. Lloyd's Register listed her with Lauchlan as master and M. Boyd as owner, with a London–Botany Bay trade. Her first major voyage was made for the British East India Company. She sailed from Portsmouth in November 1811, reached Port Jackson in May 1812, and then continued to Bengal, calling at Malacca, Diamond Harbour, and Calcutta before returning to Britain in August 1813. During the following decade, Mary shifted among commercial routes and transport duties. Registers associated her with London–New South Wales and London–Sierra Leone services, and recorded substantial repairs in 1819 and 1827. These repairs helped keep the ship in service as a long-distance sailing vessel. Mary made five convict voyages to Australia. In 1823 she carried female convicts from London to Hobart and Port Jackson. In 1829–1830 she transported male convicts to Hobart. Further voyages followed in 1831, 1832–1833, and 1835, carrying female or male convicts to Hobart and Sydney. The voyages were part of the British government's penal transportation system, which relocated convicted prisoners to Australian colonies. The recorded embarkation and disembarkation figures show deaths during some passages, including one death on the 1829–1830 voyage, two on the 1831 voyage, two on the 1832–1833 voyage, and two on the 1835 voyage, with possible differences caused by people being left behind or re-landed before departure. After the 1835 voyage, Mary was sold in Sydney in 1836 and re-registered under Australian ownership. J. T. Hughes and J. Hosking were among the early post-sale owners, while later records associate the vessel with Alexander Fotheringham, John H. Challis, and Robert Campbell. Lloyd's Register continued to list the vessel through 1841, although it no longer appeared after that year. Mary was ultimately wrecked on 24 May 1845 on a reef northwest of Flinders Island in Bass Strait during a voyage from Sydney toward London. The wreck was total and caused the loss of seventeen lives.
- 1845
Wrecked in Bass Strait
[1]Mary was totally wrecked on a reef northwest of Flinders Island, with seventeen lives lost.
- 1836
Sold in Sydney
[1]Mary was sold and re-registered in Sydney under Australian ownership.
- 1835
Fifth convict voyage
[1]Mary transported female convicts from London to Sydney under Captain William Ascough.
- 1833
Fourth convict voyage completed
[1]Mary arrived at Sydney with male convicts after departing London in September 1832.
- 1831
Third convict voyage
[1]The vessel carried female convicts from London to Hobart.
- 1829
Second convict voyage begins
[1]Mary left London with male convicts and reached Hobart in April 1830.
- 1823
First convict voyage
[1]Mary transported female convicts from Britain to Hobart and Port Jackson.
- 1819
Major repair recorded
[1]Shipping registers recorded a substantial repair to the vessel.
- 1813
Returns to Britain
[1]After visiting Port Jackson, Malacca, Bengal, Point de Galle, and St Helena, Mary arrived at The Downs.
- 1811
Launched at Ipswich
[1]Mary was launched at Ipswich and entered service as a British sailing merchant vessel.
Products and positioning
Historical British merchant and convict-transport vessel
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/mary · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled