Lord Wellington first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1811 with "Slighertm", master, Richardson & Co., owners, and trade London Transport.

Lord Wellington was carrying mostly Swiss emigrants bound for York Factory, in what is now Manitoba, on Hudson Bay.

One of the passengers was the then 15-year old artist Peter Rindisbacher who painted numerous watercolour pictures of Lord Wellington, other vessels, icebergs, Inuit, and incidents on the voyage.

LR for 1823 showed Lord Wellington with J. Gatenby, master, Holt & Co., owners, and trade Liverpool–New Brunswick.

[8] On 14 May 1823 Lord Wellington, Gatenby, master, was sailing from Liverpool to Miramichi, New Brunswick, when she struck an iceberg on the Newfoundland Banks (41°N 52°W / 41°N 52°W / 41; -52) and stove in her bows.

When the water in her hold rose to eight feet her 19 crew members abandoned her and went on board Thompson Packet about a week later.