APPLYING FOR AN ASSISTED PASSAGE

It is not known how long Thomas and Janet remained at Dalgatie Castle after their son Thomas was born there in 1820. We do know that sometime between 1820 and 1836, the family had moved to Langcliffe, Yorkshire.

Falkirk church, Scotland. Where Thomas and Janet Henderson were married in 1818.

We will probably never know why the family decided to leave Langcliffe and settle in Adelaide. Perhaps it was the prospect of making a better life for themselves that provided the incentive to leave. No doubt they left family and friends behind with little prospect of ever seeing them again. It appears that they made the journey alone. There are no stories of the family meeting up with relatives who emigrated ahead of them.
The Hendersons certainly had an adventurous spirit in setting off for the new colony.  Particularly so when the site of its capital Adelaide had not been decided upon when they set sail. The colony itself was only proclaimed a British province a matter of days before they arrived. 

Having made the decision to leave, the family then had to apply for an assisted passage. Assisted passages were given to those settlers who met certain criteria. Generally speaking the type of person chosen was someone who was young, of good moral character and willing to work hard in the new colony. It was the job of the Emigration agent to assess the applicants and make all the necessary arrangements. After securing their passage, and having said their last goodbyes they made their way to London. The ship that brought the Hendersons to Australia was the Coromandel.

THE COROMANDEL

All quotes (Indented text) re the Coromandel (unless otherwise stated) have come from original documents researched by Suzanne Hirst. Suzanne's ancestors were also on the Coromandel when it set sail for Australia in 1836.
Unfortunately photographs of ships are quite hard to come by. Not many seem to have been photographed, including the Coromandel. The following descriptions of her are all we have at present.

She weighed 662 tons and was built in Quebec, Canada in 1834. Her owner was Ridgeway. She measured 133 feet 7 inches  by 33 feet 3 inches x 23 feet. 

(Coromandel) 3 masted square rigged ship with 13 foresails, 3 top sails, 3 fore topmast stay sails, 2 main sails, 3 main top sails and well found. She had one long boat and two quarter boats. Built from oak and black birch and red pine. Sheathed in yellow metal.

The ship itself is nearly new, and extremely commodious, being nearly nine feet high (between the main and the upper deck).   The whole of this space is devoted to the emigrants, each married couple having a distinct enclosed cabin to themselves - a plan never before attempted    on similar occasion, and productive of the greatest satisfaction.   The neat and compact manner in which these cabins are fitted up excited general approbation, especially among the female visitors, who exhibited no small curiosity in the inspection.   A diet table, upon a liberal scale, was presented to each passenger; so that they know precisely the allowance to which they're entitled, and have a right to demand its strict observance.    The women receive the same rations as the men, and the children a proportionate allowance.   Many of the emigrants appeared to be persons of a superior grade, some possessing small capitals; and all, before their application to embark were granted, produced unquestionable testimonials of their good character...