Immigrant Ships
Transcribers Guild

Henry & Francis of New Castle

Ship "Henry and Francis" of New Castle, departed from the port of Leith, September 5, 1685, arrived at Perth Amboy, New Jersey, in the middle of December, 1685. Three hundred and fifty tons, twenty great guns, Richard Hutton, master.

Perth Amboy. In 1685, George Scot, Laird of Pitlochie, was given his liberty in Scotland provided he transported to East Jersey many of the Covenanters who had refused to take the oath of allegiance to a tyrannical and profligate ruler. Thus authorized, he proceeded to gather his company from those confined in the tolbooth of Leith. He had to give security to land them there prior to September, 1686, and the penalty was to be five hundred merks in case of failure in any instance. In May, 1685, Scot chartered the Henry and Francis of New Castle, a ship of three hundred and fifty tons and twenty great guns, with Richard Hutton as master. On the eve of their banishment, twenty-eight of them signed the following conjunct testimony; bearing:
"That, now to leave their own native and Covenanted land by an unjust sentence of banishment for owning truth and. standing by duty, studying to keep their Covenants engagements and baptismal vows, whereby they stand obliged to resist and testify against all that is contrary to the Word of God and their Covenants; and that their sentence of banishment ran chiefly because they refused the oath of allegiance which in conscience they could not take, because in so doing they thought utterly declined the Lord Jesus Christ from having any power in His own house, and practically would; by taking it, sat, "He was not King and Head of His Church and over them consciences. And, on the contrary, this was to take and put in His room a man whose breath is in his nostrils; yea, a man who is a sworn enemy to religion; an avowed papist, whom, by our Covenants; we are bound to withstand and disown, and that agreeably to Scripture: When thou art come unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a King over me, like as all the nations that are about me, thou shalt in any wise set him King over thee, whom the Lord thy God shalt choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set King over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. Deut. 17: 14-15. They then bore their testimony against the defections of the day, and for preaching in the fields and homes, and then signed their names.

    
Names
  1	Adam, Robert
  2	Aisdale, William Rev.
  3	Arbuckle, John
  4	Athernie, Lady
  5	Black, John
  6	Bovan, Katharine
  7	Brown, George
  8	Campbell, Daivd
  9	Campbell, John
 10	Campbell, Robert
 11	Campbell, William
 12	Casson, John
 13	Cavie, Christian
 14	Corbet, Andrew
 15	Corbet, John
 16	Corhead, Agnes
 17	Cowan, Barbara
 18	Cowan, Marjory
 19	Crichton, John
 20	Cuningham, Patrick
 21	Cunningham, William
 22	Douglas, Charles
 23	Douglas, William
 24	Durie, Isabel
 25	Ferguson, Elspeth
 26	Ferguson, Janet
 27	Ferret, Mary
 28	Finlater, Thomas
 29	Ford, John
 30	Foreman, John
 31	Forsythe, James
 32	Frazer, John
 33	Gamble, Grisel
 34	Ged, William
 35	Gilchrist, Robert
 36	Gilfillan, John
 37	Gordon, Annabel
 38	Gordon, Bessie
 39	Graham, Thomas
 40	Gray, John
 41	Gray, Thomas
 42	Grier, Fergus
 43	Grier, James
 44	Harris, John
 45	Harvie, John
 46	Henderson, John
 47	Hodge, John
 48	Honyall, Charles
 49	Hood, Adam
 50	Hutchinson, John
 51	Jackson, Thomas
 52	Jackson, William
 53	Johnston, George
 54	Johnstone, John
 55	Junk, James
 56	Kellie, John
 57	Kellie, Katherine
 58	Kennie, John
 59	Kincaid, John
 60	King, John
 61	Kippan, John
 62	Kirkwood, James
 63	Kirkwood, John
 64	Leslie, Margaret
 65	Linthron, Janet
 66	Lockhart, Gawen
 67	Marshall, John
 68	Marshall, Michael
 69	Martin, John
 70	MccCalmont, William
 71	McEwen, John
 72	McEwen, Robert
 73	McEwen, Walter
 74	McGhie, John
 75	McKenman, John
 76	McLellan, Andrew
 77	McLellan, Margaret
 78	McLellan, Robert
 79	McMillan, William
 80	McQueen, John
 81	Miller, Margaret
 82	Moffat, Jean
 83	Monorg, Gilbert
 84	Muir, George
 85	Muirhead, James
 86	Muirhead, John
 87	Nevin, William
 88	Oliphant, William
 89	Patterson, Andrew
 90	Pollock, John
 91	Ramn, John
 92	Rennie, Marian
 93	Renwick, John
 94	Reston, James
 95	Riddell, Archibald
 96	Riddell, Archibald Rev.
 97	Rigg, William
 98	Russell, Peter
 99	Russell, Thomas
100	Scot, Eupham
101	Scot, George
102	Scot, Margaret
103	Seton, John
104	Shelston, Thomas
105	Sittingtown, James
106	Smith, John
107	Sprat, William
108	Sproull, William
109	Stevens, Agnes
110	Strang, Christian
111	Swinton, John
112	Symington, Janet
113	Targat, John
114	Turnbull, William
115	Turpine, John
116	Urie, Patrick
117	Vernor, John
118	Vernor, Mrs.
119	Walker, Patrick
120	Wardrope, James
121	Watt, John
122	Whitelaw, Elizabeth
123	Wilson, William
124	Witherspoon, Grizel
125     Young, Robert 

The charge for transportation was five pounds sterling for each adult and to each of those who were unable to pay for their passage was promised twenty-five acres of land and a suit of new clothes on the completion of four years of service; for children under twelve years of age, fifty shillings; sucking children free; one ton of goods, forty shillings. These have been known in American History as "Redemptioners." Many of these passengers had endured much suffering. After some delay, the ship sailed from the town of Leith, September 5, 1685. We hear of no untoward event until after they had turned the Land's End," when a fever began to prevail with virulence, particularly among the prisoners who had been confined in the great vault of Dunnotter. Many were sick when they came aboard, and the health of the others was endangered by the condition of the provisions laid in by the Captain.
The meat began to putrefy and was not eatable, In a month the fever assumed a malignant type. Few escaped its ravages, and three or four bodies were cast overboard every day. Most of the ship's crew, except the Captain and boatswain, died. Pitlochie, who had freighted the ship, with his lady, died likewise, and so enjoyed nothing of the gain of nearly one hundred prisoners gifted him by the Council, and upwards of seventy persons died at sea.
Death and unwholesome food were not the only evils the unfortunate Covenanters had to encounter; the master of the ship was most cruel to the prisoners. Those who were placed under deck were not allowed to go about worship, and when they attempted it the Captain would throw down great planks of timber to disturb them and endanger their lives. The ship sprang a leak twice, and frequent storms added to their anxiety, After the death of Pitlochie, the prisoners fell into the hands of John Johnstone, his son-in-law Captain Hutton began to tamper with Mr. Johnstone, and urged him to carry the prisoners to Virginia or Jamaica, either places presenting better opportunity for disposing of them than New Jersey, and offered as an inducement to charge himself with the disposal of the prisoners and to account to him for them in the productions of the country. But the wind changed and they were forced to sail straight for New Jersey. They landed at Perth Amboy, New Jersey, in the middle of December, 1685, having been about fifteen weeks at sea.. Before going ashore, Johnstone endeavored to stop them by urging them to sign an agreement to serve four years at that place in consideration of the expense incurred by the departed Scot. This they would not agree to, but joined in another protest against their banishment and recounted their harsh treatment during the voyage. When they came ashore, the people who lived on the coast and had not the gospel preached to them, were inhospitable and showed them no kindness. A little way up in the country, however, there was a town (supposed to be Woodbridge), and a minister settled, and the inhabitants were very kind to them. When they learned who the prisoners were and their circumstances, they invited all who were able to travel to come and live with them, and sent horses far the rest, and entertained them freely and liberally that winter. In the following spring, John Johnstone pursued them and had them all cited before a legal tribunal of the Province. Alter hearing both sides, the Governor called a jury to sit and cognosce upon the affair, who found that the pannels had not of their own accord come to that ship, nor bargained with Pitlochie for money or service, and therefore, according to the laws of the country, they were assoiled. Those who had so agreed had their suits come before the Court of Common Rights, and Captain Hutton was remunerated. The prisoners then scattered throughout Eastern Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut, where they were kindly entertained and found employment according to their different trades. At different times the persecuted Covenanters were banished to New Jersey, Delaware and South Carolina, but in the latter part of the seventeenth century this cruelty ceased. At this time no organized society of Covenanters has an existence in New Jersey.

Contributor's Note:
This list has been alphabetized and numbered by me and is not on the original.

Correspondence July 18, 2002 passenger #54 JOHNSTONE
Dr. John Johnstone was on the Henry and Francis in 1685.  Any other 
links would be appreciated.  He is my 8th great grandfather.
Tom Tremmel

Correspondence May 10, 2003 passenger #100 SCOT/SCOTT 
Ancestor Eupham Scott married Edinburgh pharmacist John Johnston.
Her Mother Margaret Rig Scott is descendant of Robert te Brus.
Barb Brandon

Correspondence 05/30/2004 passengers #85 & 86 MUIRHEAD
Among the passengers on this vessel were James and John Muirhead - both 
Coventanters who were imprisoned in the dungeons of Dunnottar Castle, 
near Stonehaven, Scotland.  They  were ordered to be transported as 
slaves [ indentured servants] to the Caribbean refused to take the oath 
of allegiance to King  Charles II  because they were convinced that he 
was secretly trying to return Scotland to the Roman Catholic religion.
Thence they  were force-marched via Dundee across the Rivers Tay  and 
Forth to Edinburgh and lodged in the Tolbooth there before being taken 
to Leith to board that infamous ship. 

John Muirhead, after the star crossed vessel landed at Perth Amboy, 
went to Long Island married Rebecca Bayless of Jamaica, Queens County, 
New York. They subsequently moved their family to Ewing in Mercer County, New 
Jersey. 

John Muirhead/Muirheid became the first Sheriff of Hunterdon County, 
New Jersey.  A grandson, Jonathon, is reputed to have shown General 
George Washington the best site along the west bank of the Delaware 
from which to launch his  successful attack on  the British forces  
at the Battle of Trenton.

Amongst John's descendants were three governors of Kentucky -  Charles 
Slaughter Morehead , James Turner Morehead, and Simon Bolivar Buckner,  
a second cousin once removed of the latter.  
Also a  two-term governor of North Carolina - John Motley Morehead -  a
younger brother of the afore-mentioned James Turner Morehead -was another  
of his descendants  
General Simon Bolivar Bucker, Jr., -  the only four star general to be 
killed in combat - Okinawa 1945 - during the Second World War was, of 
course a distant relative]
Brian K Muirhead, the engineer named 'Engineer of the Year - 1997' for 
successfully placing the Rover vehicle on the planet Mars.
Others descendants have made many contributions to our nation.

Little is known of the fate of John's brother, James Muirhead.  He was 
reported to have moved to Virginia.  
[I think that he may have settled on the island of Barbadoes in the 
Caribbean.] Please visit the website Muirhead Clan Society 
David Grossett

Correspondence February 19, 2009 passenger #89 PATTERSON
Andrew Patterson was from Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland and he arrived in 1685 
in what is now New Jersey.  Andrew is my 6th grandfather. He entered the USA on the 
ship Henry & Francis.  
If anyone can link with Andrew please contact me. EJ Bromwich

History of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in America,
by W. Melancthon Glasgow, Baltimore, MD., 1888, pages 228-234.