They left Gravesend, in the southeast of England in September 1850.
Canterbury Museum
A reproduction of a painting showing the landing of the Canterbury Pilgrims in December 1850.
Life on the ships would have been hard. Those in steerage slept in cramped conditions, with only a curtain for privacy. Everything was always damp.
Sustenance came from biscuits, salted meat, rice and potatoes, while animals were kept for food and milk.
– arrived the following year as part of the Canterbury Association’s immigration scheme.
The legacy of those early European settlers lives on across the region today, in its people, institutions and place names.