Hardy

Posted by Tim Oakley on Wednesday 8th of November 2023 15:00

9 Oct 1810 It is reported from Cadiz that Lieutenant Nops has been Court Martialled on charges of tyranny, oppression, and embezzlement of stores. He was sentenced to be mulcted (ie fined) 6 months pay, put at the bottom of the list of lieutenants and dismissed the command of the Hardy

Posted by Susan Lorraine Mills on Friday 20th of August 2021 18:53

I have a very nice watercolour of a hulk prison ship dated 1896. It is in the same position as where the Hardy would have been as a hospital/convict ship between 1825-1835 at Tipner. This isn't the Hardy but another old hulk used for prisoners.

Posted by Deborah Voigt on Monday 15th of June 2020 02:49

My ancestor Reuben Lester was sent from Newgate Prison to the Hardy on 13 Feb. 1835. He was then sent to the Mangles, and on to Tasmania.

Posted by jJohn Gibbons on Wednesday 10th of December 2014 13:52

Seems likely the 'Hardy' was used as a convict hospital ship as my great, great grandfather - John Sell - was transferred from Cheltenham gaol to the prison hulk 'York' on 30th May 1829 and, then, on the same day to the 'Hardy'. Both were in Portsmouth.

Posted by Ted Aldo on Sunday 8th of July 2012 03:34

The Hardy is listed in the report dated 1825, to the House of Commons on prisons as being at Tipnor/Tipner, Portsmouth as do reports of the same title after this date. This indicates that she was a convict prison hulk by 1825.

Contradicting these reports are the 1828 & 1834 Navy List under "Ships and their Present Station" which shows the Hardy as being a “Convict Hospital Ship, Portsmouth.

Various other sources such as books and internet sites list her as being a storeship in 1816, transferring cattle from the Cape to St Helena in 1820 and a "Convict Hospital Ship" in 1821 until 1831 which were probably sourced from the Naval list.

At the time the Hardy was supposedly a convict hospital ship the Racoon is listed in various Government reports and this site as being a convict hospital ship at Portsea, Portsmouth. The Racoon is not listed in the reports to the House of Commons on prisons.

Given the above it would be likely that the Hardy was earmarked as a hospital ship in 1821 but it never happened. For whatever reason she ended up becoming a prison hulk tucked away in the backwaters of Portsmouth at Tipnor.