Bolton's Bendigo

The Bolton name could have easily have been erased from the annals of Bendigo during the treacherous sea journey that brought them from England. Benjamin, his wife and eight children (the youngest of whom was only three months old), boarded the “clipper” ship Ivanhoe on 17 July 1883 with little idea of what lay in store for them. Halfway through their 84-day journey the Ivanhoe found itself in the midst of an equinoxial gale. For two days and nights the ship was battered by huge seas and winds, while the Boltons and other passengers were battened down below deck with just a few candles and no fresh food or water.