English covered goblet made in 1820 to commemorate the first voyage of the ship Woodford, estimate £3000-5000 at Bishop & Miller.
The ship played an important role in the early settlement of Van Dieman’s Land (Tasmania).
The 554-ton, three-masted wooden ship with 35 crew was built by Hillhouse in Bristol and launched in 1819. First chartered by the East India Company to Madras, she made her first convict voyage to Van Dieman’s Land in 1826, arriving in Hobart with 99 prisoners on November 22.
She made a second voyage in 1828 with 184 male convicts but after delivering her cargo foundered some 500 miles off the coast of Madagascar on February 14, 1829.
Engraved on the bowl of the goblet are the words: May the good ship Woodford and her companions reach the desired port in safety. To the opposite side are the initials AC, probably for the ship’s first captain Alfred Chapman.
The estimate on August 30 is £3000-5000.
