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THE SETTLER HANDBOOK by MD Nash
TURVEY'S PARTY No. 55 on the Colonial Department list, led by Edward Ford Turvey, a drawing master of 32 Southampton Road, Strand, London. Turvey was initially a member of the party led by Thomas Mahony, whose application to emigrate was accepted on the recommendation of the Dowager Countess of Liverpool, Turvey's pupil and patron (see Mahony's Party). Mahony then attempted to drop Turvey from the party; Turvey, in high indignation, applied to take out a separate party of his own, again invoking the Dowager Countess's patronage to lend weight to his application. A large proportion of Turvey's new party consisted of his own relatives and family connections. They included his aged father, John Turvey; two of his wife's sons by a former marriage, William and Benjamin Wright; his brother-in-law Peter Clarke Daniel, and Daniel's brother Sampson. A farm manager from Burwash in Sussex, John Burgis and a surgeon, Peter Campbell (who subsequently dropped out to join Bailie's party) were also enrolled, and Turvey proposed to hire farm labourers from Burwash to make up a total of 14 men altogether. It is not clear how many men on the final sailing list were either Turvey's, Burgis' or PC Daniel's indentured servants, nor where they were recruited, although at least one of them, John Kemp was a Burwash man and had his deposit paid by that parish. He signed an agreement with Turvey binding himself to five years' service in return for an annual wage of £20, a cottage and an acre of garden ground, and the promise of 5 acres of his own at the end of his term of service. A late addition to the party, Thomas Willy was a Londonder from the Old Kent Road who had applied unsuccessfully to emigrate at the head of a small party of his own. There were frequent changes in the make-up of the party, and Turvey's lists are confused and inconsistent, with considerable variation in the given ages of some of the members. Benjamin Wright, for instance, is entered as 22 on the first party list and 17 - entailing a saving of £5 in deposit money - on the final sailing list. Turvey's artistic talents were undoubtedly superior to his organising ability, and it is to be regretted that only one example of his professional work is known to survive. Deposits were paid for 14 men altogether, and the party embarked at Deptford in the Sir George Osborn which sailed from the Downs on 16 March 1820, reaching Simon's Bay on 17 June. Ellen Burgis, wife of John Burgis, died at sea, and two babies, Mary Keevey and Isabella Daniel, were born. The settlers reached Algoa Bay early in July, with PC Daniel temporarily in charge after Turvey had been inadvertently left behind at Simon's Town. The party was located on the road to Trompetter's Drift Post. LIST OF TURVEY'S PARTY
BURGIS, John 38. Farm manager. w Ellen 34 (died at sea). c John 10, William 8, Mary 6, Frances 4, Josiah 2,
Main sources for party list
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