HMS Beagle
Ship's Company & Passenger List
John Woram
This table is based on lists in Volume II (pp. 19-21) of FitzRoy's Narrative …, plus supplementary information found elsewhere. FitzRoy notes that “ … when the Beagle sailed from England, [there were] seventy-four persons.” However, he may have counted Syms Covington twice― once (incorrectly) as Darwin's servant, and again as one of the six un-named boys. If so, there were actually seventy-three persons aboard at departure. But see the table in the “Notes” section at the bottom of the page for the names of five additional men who seem to have been otherwise overlooked by both FitzRoy and Darwin.—JW.
| Name | 1831: On Departure | 1836: On Return |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Fitz-Roy | Commander and Surveyor | Captain and Surveyor |
| [Basket, Fuegia] | (One of) Three Fuegians | Jan. 1833: remained in Tierra del Fuego |
| [Button, Jemmy] | (One of) Three Fuegians | Jan. 1833: remained in Tierra del Fuego |
| Bynoe, Benjamin | Assistant Surgeon | Surgeon (Acting) |
| Chaffers, Edward Main | Master | Master |
| [Covington, Syms] | Mr. Darwin's servant * | Mr. Darwin's servant |
| Darwin, Charles | Naturalist | [Naturalist] |
| Derbishire, Alexander | Mate | April, 1832: returned to England |
| — Dring, John Edward | joined later(?), date unknown | June, 1834: apppointed Purser (Acting) |
| Earle, Augustus | Draughtsman | August, 1832: left ship |
| — Forsyth, Charles | joined later(?), date unknown | Midshipman |
| [Fuller, Harry] | My own steward | My steward |
| — Hamond, Robert N. § | 27 Nov, 1832: (Mate) | 2 May, 1833: returned to England |
| Hellyer, Edward H. | Clerk | March, 1833: died |
| — Johnson, Charles Richardson | April, 1832: (Midshipman) | Mate |
| — Kent, William | 7 December, 1833 | Assistant Surgeon |
| King, Philip Gidley | Midshipman | February, 1836: remained in Australia |
| Mac-Cormick, Robert | Surgeon | April, 1832: returned to England |
| — Martens, Conrad | 7 December, 1833: (Draughtsman) | 27 September, 1834: left ship |
| Matthews, Richard | [Missionary] | December, 1835: remained in Australia |
| May, Jonathan | Carpenter | Carpenter |
| Mellersh, Arthur | Midshipman | Mate |
| Musters, Charles | Volunteer 1st Class | 19 May, 1832: died |
| Rowlett, George | Purser | June, 1834: died |
| [Sorrell, Thomas] | acting boatswain | Boatswain (Acting) |
| Stebbing, George James | Instrument Maker | [Instrument Maker] |
| Stewart, Peter Benson | Mate | Mate |
| Stokes, John Lort | Mate and Assistant Surveyor | Mate and Assistant Surveyor |
| Sulivan, Bartholomew James | Lieutenant | Lieutenant |
| Usborne, Alexander Burns | Master's Assistant | Master's Assistant |
| Wickham, John Clements | Lieutenant | Lieutenant |
| [York Minster] | (One of) Three Fuegians | Jan. 1833: remained in Tierra del Fuego |
| Sergeant of Marines | unidentified ‡ | unidentified |
| Seven Privates † | unidentified ‡ | unidentified |
| Six Boys | unidentified ‡ | unidentified |
| Thirty-four seamen | unidentified ‡ | unidentified |
|
Captain's name at top of list, with other names here listed alphabetically. [Name] Person not identified by name. FitzRoy's description in second column. [other details] based on information found elsewhere in FitzRoy's Narrative. Date followed by details based on information in FitzRoy's Narrative or Darwin's Diary. — Person joined ship's company on indicated date. * At departure, Covington was actually Fiddler & Boy to poop cabin. Became Darwin's servant in May, 1833. † FitzRoy's list cites 7 privates, but in his Narrative, (II, pp. 282 & 302) he mentions the death of a Corporal Williams. ‡ See Darwin's list in the table below for the names of those men unidentified by FitzRoy. § Joined, Chapter VI; Left, Chapter XIII. Was Mate (FitzRoy, Narrative) or Midshipman (Darwin, Diary) on H. M. S. Druid. | ||
Charles Darwin
In his Diary entry for July 24th, 1832, Darwin copies the name and rank or title of all those listed on the ship's “Watch Bill.” In Nora Barlow's 1933 edition, and R. D. Keynes' 1988 edition of Darwin's Diary, the list appears within a single paragraph, which is difficult to read. Therefore, a line break is inserted here at the conclusion of the list of men in each category. In the Keynes list, three styles are found within the paragraph:
- Title, comma, name(s) with comma, semi-colon or colon after each, semi-colon, colon or period after last name. Some names are followed by an additional descriptor (ropemaker, sailmaker, etc.)
- The Royal Marines listing gives one name and rank (sergeant), followed by eight names, with no rank given. Since FitzRoy clearly states there were only seven privates aboard, the eighth name—Prior, (midshipmen's steward)—should be considered as a separate listing, and not as one of the marines.
- The sequence is reversed for the last seven entries (Hellyar through FitzRoy), beginning with the person's name followed by a comma, title followed by period or semi-colon.
A dash (—) appears at the end of some, but not all, listings.
Although Darwin concludes by noting there were “76 souls on board,” his actual count is 75—actually 73, because one Carpenter (J. May) and one Maintop Man (D. Johns) are listed twice. The duplicate names are indicated in italics below.
The list is followed by a table listing the same information, sorted by name (which may be easier to read). Minor spelling variations in Richard Darwin Keynes' Beagle Diary are given in parentheses in the table.—JW.
“I procured this evening a Watch-bill & as most likely our crew will for rest of the voyage remain the same, I will copy it.—
Boatswains mates, J. Smith & W. Williams:—
Quarter-Masters, J. Peterson, White, Bennett & Henderson:—
Forecastle Men, J. Davis; Heard: Bosworthick (ropemaker); Tanner; Harper (sailmaker); Wills (armourer);—
Foretop men, Evans; Rensfrey; Door; Wright; Robinson; MacCurdy; Hare; Clarke;—
Main top-men Phipps; J. Blight; Moore; Hughes; Johns B.; Sloane; Chadwick; Johns; Williams; Blight, B.; Childs;—
Carpenter's crew, Rogers; Rowe; J. May; James;
Idlers, Stebbing (instrument mender); Ash gunroom steward; Fuller, Captain's do; R. Davis, boy do; Matthews, missionary; E Davis, Officers cook; G Phillips, ships cook; Lester, cooper; Covington, fiddler & boy to Poop-cabin; Billet, gunroom boy;
Royal Marines.—Beazeley, sergeant; Williams, Jones, Burgess, Bute, Doyle, Martin, Middleton,
Prior, (midshipmen's steward);—
Boatswain, Mr. Sorrell;
Carpenter, Mr. May;
Midshipmen, Mrss. Stewart, Usborne, Johnson, Stokes, Mellersh, King, Forsyth.—
Hellyar, Captain's clerk.—
Mr Bino, [sic, Bynoe] acting surgeon—
Mr Rowlett, purser.—
Mr Chaffers, Master.—
Mr Sulivan, 2d Lieutenant;
Mr Wickham, 1st Lieutenant;
R. FitzRoy, Commander.—
“There are (including Earl [sic, Earle], the Fuegians & myself) 76 souls on board the Beagle.”
| Name | Rank or other description |
|---|---|
| Ash | Gunroom Steward |
| Basket, Fuegia | Fuegian |
| Beareley (Beazeley in Keynes) | Sergeant, Royal Marines |
| Bennett | Quarter-Master |
| Billet | Gunroom Boy |
| Bino [sic, Bynoe] | Acting Surgeon |
| Blight, B. | Maintop Man |
| Blight, J. | Maintop Man |
| Bosworthick (ropemaker) | Forecastle Man |
| Burgess | Private, Royal Marines |
| Bute | Private, Royal Marines |
| Button, Jemmy | Fuegian |
| Chadwick | Maintop Man |
| Chaffers | Master |
| Childs | Maintop Man |
| Clarke | Foretop Man |
| Covington, Syms | Fiddler & Boy to Poop Cabin (from May, 1833, Darwin's servant) |
| Darwin, Charles | Naturalist |
| Davis, Elias | Officers' Cook [/31 lashes] |
| Davis, J. | Forecastle Man |
| Davis, R. | Captain's Boy |
| Door | Foretop Man |
| Doyle | Private, Royal Marines |
| Earl [sic, Earle, Augustus] | Artist |
| Evans | Foretop Man |
| FitzRoy, Robert | Commander |
| Forsyth | Midshipman |
| Fuller | Captain's Steward |
| Hare | Foretop Man |
| Harper (sailmaker) | Forecastle Man |
| Heard | Forecastle Man |
| Hellyar (Hellyer in FitzRoy list & Keynes) | Captain's Clerk |
| Henderson, Thomas | Quarter-Master [Bosun's Mate/Able Seaman] |
| Hughes | Maintop Man |
| James | Carpenter |
| Johns & Johns, D. | Maintop Man (duplicate listings) |
| Johnson | Midshipman |
| Jones | Private, Royal Marines |
| King | Midshipman |
| Lester, James | Cooper [Cooper/Landsman] |
| MacCurdy | Foretop Man |
| Martin | Private, Royal Marines |
| Matthews | Missionary |
| May & May, J. | Carpenter (duplicate listings) |
| Mellersh | Midshipman |
| Middleton | Private, Royal Marines |
| Moore | Maintop Man |
| Peterson, J. | Quarter-Master |
| Phillips, G. | Ships' Cook |
| Phipps, James | Maintop Man [/44 lashes] |
| Prior | Midshipmen's Steward |
| Rensfrey | Foretop Man |
| Robinson | Foretop Man |
| Rogers | Carpenter |
| Rowe | Carpenter |
| Rowlett | Purser |
| Sloane | Maintop Man |
| Smith, J. | Boatswain's Mate |
| Sorrell | Boatswain |
| Stebbing (instrument mender) | Idler (ie, supernumerary) |
| Stewart | Midshipman |
| Stokes | Midshipman |
| Sulivan | 2nd Lieutenant |
| Tanner | Forecastle Man |
| Usborne | Midshipman |
| White | Quarter-Master |
| Wickham | 1st Lieutenant |
| Williams | Private, Royal Marines |
| Williams | Maintop Man |
| Williams, W. | Boatswain's Mate |
| Wills (armourer) | Forecastle Man |
| Wright | Foretop Man |
| York Minster | Fuegian |
|
Thought to be one of the “34 seamen” cited but not named by FitzRoy. Only 33 seen here, because Morgan died (May 1832) before Darwin's Diary entry was written. | |
The following table lists each name found on FitzRoy's list or in Darwin's Diary. Names of the 33 seamen listed by Darwin (see table above) are not repeated here. The table also lists five of the nine names cited in the Captain's Log, but not otherwise mentioned by FitzRoy. For reasons unknown, these five names are also omitted in Darwin's Diary entry, although all were presumably on board at the time he wrote his list. See “Notes” section below for more details on these names.—JW.
| Master Ship's Company and Passenger List: HMS Beagle | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | 1831 | 1832 | 1833 | 1834 | 1835 | 1836 |
| Ash | ||||||
| Basket, Fuegia | ||||||
| Beazeley | ||||||
| Billet | ||||||
| Bruce, John ‡ | ? | |||||
| Bruce, William ‡ | ? | |||||
| Burgess | ||||||
| Bute, James Adolphus | ||||||
| Button, Jemmy | ||||||
| Bynoe, Benjamin | ||||||
| Chaffers, Edward Main | ||||||
| Chamberlaine, Stephen ‡ | ? | |||||
| Covington, Syms | ||||||
| Darwin, Charles | ||||||
| Davis, Elias | ||||||
| Davis, R. | ||||||
| Derbishire, Alexander | ||||||
| Doyle | ||||||
| Dring, John Edward * | ||||||
| Duff § | ||||||
| Earle, Augustus | ||||||
| FitzRoy, Robert | ||||||
| Forsyth, Charles | ||||||
| Fuller, Harry | ||||||
| Hamond, Robert N. | ||||||
| Hellyer, Edward H. | † | |||||
| Johnson | ||||||
| Jones | ||||||
| Jones [Boy] | † | |||||
| Kent, William | ||||||
| King, Philip Gidley | ||||||
| Lester, James | ||||||
| Mac-Cormick, Robert | ||||||
| Martens, Conrad | ||||||
| Martin | ||||||
| Matthews, Richard | ||||||
| May, Jonathan | ||||||
| Mellersh, Arthur | ||||||
| Middleton | ||||||
| Morgan | † | |||||
| Musters, Charles | † | |||||
| Phillips, G. | ||||||
| Prior | ||||||
| Rowlett, George * | † | |||||
| Russel, David ‡ | ? | |||||
| Sorrell | ||||||
| Stebbing, George James | ||||||
| Stewart, Peter Benson | ||||||
| Stokes, John Lort | ||||||
| Sulivan, Bartholomew James | ||||||
| Usborne, Alexander Burns | ||||||
| Wasterham, John ‡ | ? | |||||
| Wickham, John Clements | ||||||
| Williams | † | |||||
| York Minster | ||||||
| 1831 | 1832 | 1833 | 1834 | 1835 | 1836 | |
|
Boy Start, end & width of each colored bar indicate approximate time aboard the Beagle. Color indicates person's classification, mostly based on Darwin's 24 July Diary entry. Darwin lists Augustus Earle and himself at the bottom of the list, but without any classification. They are identified in the table above as idlers. * Dring appointed acting purser following death of Rowlett. Prior status, date of joining ship are unknown. Assumed here to have joined ship's company after Darwin's 24 July 1832 Diary entry. ** Forsyth appointed as Midshipman following the death of Musters in April, 1832. Prior status, date of joining ship are unknown. Assumed here to have joined ship's company after its departure from England, and before Darwin's 24 July 1832 Diary entry. § Darwin's 17 February 1836 Diary entry: “The Gun-room officers gave a passage to England to Mr. Duff of the 21st Reg” (21st Regiment of Foot, Royal North British Fusiliers). † Person died during voyage. ‡ Person cited in Captain's log (see Table below), 28 December, 1831, but not otherwise listed by FitzRoy or Darwin. | ||||||
Notes
A few questions about the above lists remain unanswered, pending further investigation. For example:
- Seaman aboard at departure: FitzRoy states there were 34 seamen aboard on departure, and Darwin lists 33 (one seaman—Morgan—had died before he prepared his list). In other words, FitzRoy and Darwin agree on the number aboard at departure. Yet, on 28 December, 1831 (immediately after departure from England), the Captain's Log lists nine seaman disciplined for various offenses (See table below). Five of these men's names do not appear on Darwin's list, nor is there any other indication that they were counted among the seamen, whose total would then have been 39. For the moment, the only satisfactory explanation would seem to be that they left the ship before Darwin wrote out his list, and that for reasons unknown neither man noted their departure, nor counted them among the 34 seamen.
| Captain's Log Excerpt, 28 December 1831: Disciplinary Actions Taken | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Offense | Disrated | Other Punishment |
| Bruce, John * | Drunkenness, Quarelling, Insolence | — | 25 lashes |
| Bruce, William * | Breaking Leave, Drunkenness, Fighting | Able Seaman to Landsman | — |
| Chamberlaine, Stephen * | Breaking Leave | Able Seaman to Landsman | — |
| Davis, Elias | Reported Neglect of Duty | — | 31 lashes |
| Henderson, Thomas | Breaking Leave, Drunkenness | Bosun's Mate to Able Seaman | — |
| Lester, James | Breaking Leave | Cooper to Landsman | — |
| Phipps, James | Breaking Leave, Drunkenness, Insolence | — | 44 lashes |
| Russel, David * | Breaking Leave, Disobedience of Orders | — | 34 lashes |
| Wasterham, John * | Breaking Leave | Capt. of Forecastle to Able Seaman | — |
|
* These five names do not appear in Darwin's 24 July 1832 Diary entry. Source: HMS Beagle Captain's Log. See FitzRoy, 1831-34. | |||
- John Edward Dring: As noted above, he was appointed as Acting Pursor, following the death of George Rowlett. Since his name does not appear on Darwin's list, this implies that he joined the ship's company at some later date—perhaps in Montevideo. Yet neither FitzRoy nor Darwin note his addition to the crew.
- Charles Forsyth: FitzRoy notes that he took the place of the deceased Mr. Musters in April, 1832. Yet his name is also omitted from Darwin's list, even though that list was prepared a few months after Forsyth's appointment.
-
The Six Boys of the Beagle: Unfortunately, there is no definitive list of their names. FitzRoy simply states there were “six boys” aboard at departure, and Darwin identifies one (Jones) in his 3 June Diary entry and three in his 24 July, 1832 entry:
- Jones: Identified as “Boy Jones” by Darwin when he died.
- Billet: Gunroom Boy
- Covington, Syms: Fiddler & Boy to Poop Cabin (and later, Darwin's servant)
- Davis, R.: Captain's Boy