(Parkin): British 1820 Settlers to South Africa

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Party	Parkin
Leader	John Parkin
Number in the Party	30
Area Party originated from	Devonshire, England
Area allocated to the party	Kareiga River
1820 Settler Ship	Weymouth,
Surnames in party	Bright, Clogg, Harwood, Howard, Leach, Leathern, Mayho, Newcombe, Oxenham, Parkin, Unknown,
Other Information	A party of 30 from Devonshire led by John PARKIN sailed in "Weymouth". They were located on the Kariega River. Their location is called Devonshire Farm.
Settler Handbook Content:	No. 20 on the Colonial Department list, led by John Parkin, a carpenter and wheelwright of Lower North Street, Exeter, Devon. This was a joint-stock party made up of small tradesmen and husbandmen. Although Parkin was its nominal leader, the party was organised and most of the correspondence with the Colonial Department conducted by another of its members, Robert Newcombe of Coombe Street, Exeter, who claimed that 'any respectable tradesmen or inhabitants of Exeter' would vouch for his good character. Deposits were paid for 11 men, but two of them withdrew on grounds of ill-health early in December 1819. Newcombe paid the deposits for Cross, Dobson (neither of whom in the event emigrated) and William Leathern, and they may have entered into a service agreement with him. The party hired a vessel to transport themselves and their baggage by sea to Portsmouth where they were to board HM Store Ship *Weymouth. The Weymouth* sailed on 7 January 1820, reaching Table Bay on 26 April and Algoa Bay on 15 May. Parkin's party was first located at Rietfontein, and then moved with Menezes' party to the Kariega River. LIST OF PARKIN'S PARTY CLOGG, William 29. Gardener. w Maria 27. c William 3, Maria 1. HARWARD (or HARWOOD), Christopher. LEACH, Benjamin 30. Mason. w Ann 30. c Ann 3. LEATHERN, William 16 (in the care of Robert Newcombe). MAYHO, James 28. Farmer. w Jane 24. NEWCOMBE, Robert 31. Cooper. PARKIN, John 32. Carpenter. w Elizabeth 30. c William 9, John 6, Robert 2, Jane 1. *Main sources for party list* Return of settlers under the direction of John Parkin (Cape Archives CO 6138/1,64); Muster-roll and Log of HM Store Ship *Weymouth* (Public Record Office, London); Special Commissioner William Hayward's notes (Cape Archives CO 8543). There is a considerable discrepancy between the official Return of the party (which is annotated in pencil, 'Some of these have stayed behind. 7 or 8 only have come') and the names entered in the Muster-roll of the *Weymouth. Six men - more than half those listed in the Return - appear to have dropped out shortly before they were due to sail, and one of them was replaced by an unofficial substitute. Charles Canterbury and William Heresgood are known to have withdrawn because of illness; Richard Cross, James Dobson, George Parkin and John Sprague are not listed in the Muster-roll and are presumed to have remained in England. Christopher Harward, a servant of Newcombe, was smuggled on board Weymouth* to accompany the party in the place of Charles Canterbury (Cape Archives 1/AY 13/1). from THE SETTLER HANDBOOK by MD Nash page 104

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