George Ross was my great-great-grandfather. He sailed to Otago from Glasgow on the Philip Laing in 1847, arriving in Otago in April 1848 - the second ship to do so.
He returned to his family ship-building in Inverkeithing, Scotland, with the purpose of bringing out a ship for trade - the Clutha - and a few passengers, some of whom were his family members. They sailed from Leith in September 1853, apparently intending to come direct, but had to put into Yardmouth to replace the bowsprit damaged in a storm off Holland. They sailed from Yardmouth on 3 October and arrived in Port Chalmers on 12 February 1854, with passengers Mr Paterson, Mr and Mrs Kilgour and family, Mr and Mrs Alexander and family, Mr and Mrs Sibbald and family, two Messrs Calder, and Mr Wilson.
The Clutha sailed on to Lyttelton, arriving on 19 March 1854, with passengers Mr and Mrs Reece, and Messrs Ross, Knapman, Newman, and Stuart.
No mention is made of Bristol or London in the newspaper reports of the time.