The Sir George Seymour was one of the first four ships in 1850 to carry emigrants from England to the new colony of Canterbury

Canterbury, New Zealand

The New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council - called Environment Canterbury - and the University of Canterbury.-...

 in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. The other three ships were Cressy

Cressy (ship)

The Cressy was one of the first four ships in 1850 to carry emigrants from England to the new colony of Canterbury in New Zealand. The Cressy was the last to arrive on 27 December. The other ships were Charlotte-Jane, Sir George Seymour and Randolph.The passengers aboard these four ships were...

, Charlotte-Jane

Charlotte-Jane

The Charlotte Jane was one of the First Four Ships in 1850 to carry emigrants from England to the new colony of Canterbury in New Zealand.-Arrival in Lyttelton:...

and Randolph

Randolph (ship)

Randolph was a 664-ton ship-rigged merchant vessel constructed in 1849 in Sunderland. She was one of the first four ships to settle Christchurch, New Zealand ....

.

Voyage

The Sir George Seymour left Plymouth Sound

Plymouth Sound

Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a bay at Plymouth in England.Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point on Devon, a distance of about 3 nautical miles . Its northern limit is Plymouth Hoe giving a north-south distance of nearly 3 nautical miles...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 around 11am on Sunday, 8 September 1850, with about 227 passengers. She arrived in Lyttelton

Lyttelton, New Zealand

Lyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour close to Banks Peninsula, a suburb of Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand....

 at 10am on Tuesday, 17 December 1850. The passengers aboard the first four ships were referred to as 'The Pilgrims'. Their names are inscribed on marble plaques in Cathedral Square

Cathedral Square, Christchurch

Cathedral Square, locally known simply as the Square, is the geographical centre and heart of Christchurch, New Zealand, where the city's Anglican cathedral, ChristChurch Cathedral is located...

 in the centre

Christchurch Central City

Christchurch Central City is the geographical centre and the heart of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is defined as the area within the four avenues and thus includes the densely built up central city, some less dense surrounding areas of residential, educational and industrial usage, and green...

 of Christchurch

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

.

Notable passengers

• John Anderson
  John Anderson (mayor)
  John Anderson was the second Mayor of Christchurch in New Zealand 1868–1869, and a successful businessman. He had a close connection with three buildings that have later received Category I heritage registrations by the...
  
   (1820–1897), second mayor of Christchurch

Ship

It is presumed that the ship was named for Sir George Francis Seymour (17 September 1787 - 20 January 1870), an Admiral who married Georgina Mary Berkeley, daughter of Admiral Sir George Cranfield Berkeley.