Gorey Family History
![James Gorey](img/male.jpg)
James Gorey
![Male](img/tng_male.gif)
Barque Middlesex
James and Elizabeth Gorey arrived in Australia aboard the barque Middlesex on 1 October 1841.
James and Elizabeth Gorey arrived in Melbourne, known then as Port Phillip, aboard the barque Middlesex on 1 October 1841.
The introduction of the bounty system enabled many people from Ireland, as well as from England and Scotland, to migrate to Australia. During the 1830s and 1840s almost half of all assisted migrants were of Irish origin.
The vessel of 560 tons carried 263 government-assisted bounty immigrants.
![Barque Middlesex](https://gorey.com.au/img/middlesexb.jpg)
The Middlesex sailed from London and Plymouth on 9 June 1841 under its master John Salmon.
Bounty passengers were counted as number of couples, adults with children, sons and daughters, boys under 18 and girls under 15, husbands, wives, single males and single females.
Bounties paid per individual were 19 pounds for each adult, 15 for males aged 15-18, 10 for children aged 7-15, and 5 for children aged 1-7. Infants were not included. Girls over 14 are included as single females, costing 19 pounds each.
There were several Gorey passengers aboard, mostly spellt Gorry. It's not clear if they were related, and many gave different places of origin, but the coincidence of so many people sharing an uncommon surname is noteworthy.
The eldest child of James and Elizabeth, Michael Gorey, was born at sea a week before the Middlesex arrived in Melbourne, on 24 September 1841.
The picture is a poor scan of an original watercolour by RH Shadlow. If anyone has a better reproduction, please let me know.
Linked to | Port Phillip Patriot; James Gorey; Michael Gorey; Elizabeth Hanly |