No. 11 on the Colonial Department list, led by Major George Pigot, a retired officer of dragoons and gentleman farmer of Chieveley, near Newbury, Berkshire. As the acknowledged natural son of Lord Pigot of Patshull, Pigot was both wealthy and well-connected, and was recommended to the Colonial Department by the Members of Parliament for Berkshire and Staffordshire. In his application to emigrate he asked to be given some public office in the colony, since 'a person of education would feel very awkwardly situated as an emigrant without some authority under government'. Although his request was not immediatley granted, he was in fact made a Special Heemraad for Albany soon after his arrival at the Cape.
This was a proprietary party, consisting of Major Pigot and his family - including his young wife whom he married ten days before embarkation - and indentured servants recruited in Chieveley, which he described as 'a very populous village and the poor rates very high'. Deposits were paid for 20 men, and the party embarked at Deptford in the Northampton after approval had been obtained from the Colonial Department for last minute changes to be made to the official list of names. One man, William Gibbs, and his family deserted the party at Gravesend shortly before the ship sailed on 13 December 1819.
The Northampton reached Table Bay on 26 March 1820 and Algoa Bay on 30 April. Two children, Sarah Marshall and William Goddard, and one woman, Mary Quince, died of smallpox during the voyage. Major Pigot was granted land on the left bank of Blaauwkrantz River which he named Pigot Park.
LIST OF PIGOT'S PARTY
BOUCHER, Amos 24. Farmer.
BOUCHER, John 20. Farmer.
BOUCHER, Priesthood 14.
BOUCHER, Richard 22. Farmer.
BROOKS, Henry 30. Farmer. w Sarah 25. c Caroline 4, William 3, Ellen 1.
COMLEY, William 26. Gardener. w Elizabeth 24. c John 2.
GODDARD, James 39. Farmer. w Mary 35. c Harriet 10, Mary 6, Jane 4, William 1 (died at sea), a child born at sea.
GRUBB, Charles 22. Carpenter.
HISCOCK, James 23. Farmer.
HUTTON, John 22. Farmer.
HYDE, John 34. Mason.
INNIS, William 20. Mason.
MARSHALL, Charles 23. Farmer. w Charlotte 23. c Charles 6, Sarah 3 (died at sea), William 2.
PIGOT, George 47. Gentleman farmer and retired Major of Dragoons. w Elizabeth 32. c Catherine 17, Eliza Sophia 15.
PRATT, George 35. Shoemaker. w Hannah 20.
QUINCE, John 25. Farmer. w Mary 20 (died at sea).
SMITH, John 20. w Jane 22.
TAYLOR, Thomas 17.
WEBB, Charles 19 Wheelwright.
Main source for party list
Agent of Transports' List of persons belonging to Mr Pigot's party embarked on board the Northampton (Cape Archives CO 136). This list should be comparatively reliable, as Pigot obtained permission from the Colonial Deparment at the time of embarkation to make alterations to the earlier list he had submitted.
Further reading
The Journals of Sophia Pigot, ed Margaret Rainier (Cape Town, AA Balkema 1974).
from THE SETTLER HANDBOOK by MD Nash page 106
