Ship's Mess

This picture shows the dining room or mess of an emigrant ship in the 1840’s, it was also where the emigrants slept: note the rows of bunks along the sides of the trestle tables. On many ships orderlies were elected from the passengers and it was their duty to collect provisions for the day from the Quartermaster and distribute them fairly amongst everyone – the general provisions such as flour, rice etc having been pooled as people boarded the ships. How comfortable and well managed the journey was very much down to the expertise of the manager and over-seer of the passengers. Some fared far better than others – and it is to hoped that Mary Ann and her family had a good manager.