Name/TitleShortland cup and saucer
About this objectCoffee cup and saucer from the Chamberlain’s Worcester factory painted in a fresh looking pattern with ears of barley bound by a gilt bow, and bearing the Shortland family crest featuring a seahorse. Believed to have been owned by John Shortland, Agent for the Transports of the First Fleet.
John Shortland (senior) was born in 1739, and died in 1803. He served in the Royal Navy 1755-190, and in 1786 was appointed naval agent to the transports of the planned First Fleet at Portsmouth, responsible for preparing and distributing the stores and convicts aboard the 11 vessels of the fleet. John Shortland Snr was a senior officer on board ALEXANDER, a convict ship with 210 men on board. His son, John Shortland (junior), was born in 1769 and accompanied his father as Master’s Mate on HMS SIRIUS, which was captained by John Hunter and carried Governor Philip. John Shortland (junior) later went on to found the settlement of Newcastle.
On 14 July 1788, ALEXANDER under the command of Lieutenant John Shortland (senior) left Sydney for England making its way around the east of New Guinea, and across present day Indonesia to Batavia (present day Jakarta). Ravaged by scurvy and illness, by the time they researched the coast of Borneo only a single crew member was fit for duty aloft other than the officers and ALEXANDER finally limped into Batavia on 19 November 1788 with the assistance of the Dutch authorities.
MakerRoyal Worcester
Maker RoleMaker
Date Madec1795
Period18th century
Place MadeWorcester, England
Medium and MaterialsCeramic
Inscription and MarksBears family crest of Commander John Shortland
TechniqueCeramic
Object TypeCeramics and Pottery
Object numberSF001373
Copyright Licence
Attribution - Non-commercial - No Derivatives (cc)
Explore by category
Maps and Charts
Date range: 1541-1836
Ship Models
Date range: 1629-1890
Maritime Paintings
Date range: 1793-1849
Manuscripts and Ephemera
Date range: 1768-c1850
Medallions & Convict Tokens
Date range: 1619-1880
Indigenous History
Date range: c1800-1959
Landscapes
Date range: 1768-c1850
Books
Date range: 1694-c1850
Currency and Shares
Date range: 1624-1823
Printed Material
Date range: 1541-1836
Maritime Archaeology
Date range: 1629-1854
Curator's corner
New acquisitions, staff favourites and curios
The mug is decorated with an underglaze and a blue transfer print. On the body, it is titled ‘Emigrants to Australia’. This type of body and glaze was discontinued by 1840. Comparison of the handle shape and the profile of the foot, point to the attribution of manufacture by the Davenport Factory.
Delta was a ship-rigged vessel with two decks and three masts. It was built in Dordrecht, Netherlands in 1839 at the shipyard of Jan Schouten and registered in the same port. Its hull was constructed of oak and sheathed in ‘yellow metal’. Delta was owned by H. van der Sande at the time of its loss and was engaged as a cargo trader.
The Delta carried 29 crew and passengers, while sailing from Melbourne to Batavia in ballast when wrecked at Kenn Reefs on 30 May 1854 whilst under the command of Captain J.G. Kunst. This vessel loss supports the pattern of shipwrecks located on a well-travelled shipping route that was poorly charted until the mid-nineteenth century. The crew of the Delta could see four other shipwrecks at Kenn Reefs at the time of their vessel’s loss.
Important image of a ship associated with Matthew Flinders, that would shortly become one of the most famous early shipwrecks in eastern Australian waters. This is a fine ship’s portrait, by one of the great exponents of the art