Henry Dangar
Encyclopedia
Henry Dangar was a surveyor and explorer
of Australia
in the early period of British colonisation. He became a successful pastoralist and businessman, and also served as a magistrate and politician. He was born on 18 November 1796 at St Neot, Cornwall, United Kingdom, and was the first of six brothers to emigrate as free settlers to New South Wales
.
Soon after arrival in the Jessie on 2 April 1821 he was appointed assistant government surveyor under John Oxley
, and employed in the counties of Camden
and Argyle. He remained in this position until 1827, surveying among other places, the township of Newcastle
. Cornish
place names, scattered through the Hunter Region, mark Henry Dangar's surveys and record his deep affection for his birthplace. Mount Dangar, Dangarfield, Dangar Falls, and Dangarsleigh
commemorate his name.
He received two grants of land for his services as a surveyor - 300 acres (121 ha) named 'Neotsfield' and 700 acre (283 ha) near Morpeth
, known as 'Baroona'. He returned to England in 1828 leaving his estates in the hands of his brother William, and when he returned to Australia his new wife Grace Sibly accompanied him. After his return he was granted land at Kingdon Ponds, and in the Port Stephens
area he completed survey work for the Australian Agricultural Company
until 1833.
In 1848 Henry Dangar together with his brothers Richard and William began a meat canning factory at Honeysuckle Point, Newcastle. The Newcastle Meat Preserving Company had been established after a severe drought caused a decline in cattle and sheep prices. Although the business won awards at the Great Exhibition
of 1851 in London, and exported their product to India and California, the company had ceased to operate by 1855.
From 1845 to 1851 Dangar was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
.
Henry Dangar died in Sydney
on 2 March 1861.
. From 1824 he surveyed the road from Newcastle to Wallis Plains (Maitland
), measuring reserves and grants and working steadily northwards until he reached the hitherto unsettled upper districts of the Hunter River, where he explored the present sites of Muswellbrook, Aberdeen
and Scone
. After crossing the Hunter River just to the north-west of the present site of Aberdeen, he discovered Dart Brook and Kingdon Ponds, two tributaries that flow from the north.
In October 1824 he set out on an expedition during which he discovered the confluence of the Goulburn
and Hunter rivers, and then, following Dart Brook to its source, crossed the Liverpool Range
to the plains beyond. He turned back when attacked by the Geaweagal clan of the Wanaruah people west of where the town of Murrurundi
now stands. His report on the quality of land on the plains caused an immediate rush of applicants for land grants. On this journey he sighted a domed feature that he named Mt Cupola
. It was renamed Mount Dangar by explorer Allan Cunningham
, who became the first European to climb it the following year.
In May 1825 he was commissioned to select land for a number of settlers in the area. He subsequently allocated to himself and his brother William some land to which another believed he had prior claim. A board of enquiry found Dangar guilty of using his public position for private gain and he was dismissed from office on 31 March 1827. Governor Sir Ralph Darling recommended that he be dispossessed of the land under dispute and required to take his grant in some other district. He returned to England to appeal against this recommendation. John Oxley supported him in his appeal, but it was unsuccessful.
Accompanied by his wife Grace, whom he married at St Neot on 13 May 1828, and by their infant son, he returned in April 1830 to take up his new position at Port Stephens.
Dangar produced topographical and soil reports on the company's grants, and surveyed its 400000 acre (161,874 ha) reserve north of the Manning River
. His reports of this area were so unfavourable that he was sent to explore, as an alternative location, the Liverpool Plains
districts originally recommended to the company by John Oxley. From the headwaters of the Manning River, he crossed the Great Dividing Range
to the Liverpool Plains, and selected an extensive area of attractive land for the company's consideration. After some negotiation the company's claim to the land was accepted by the government, and in June 1833 he retired to his property, Neotsfield, near Singleton
.
These included:
Along the Great North Road to Liverpool Plains he acquired town allotments and established inns and stores. At Newcastle he had boiling-down works and meat-preserving and tinning works, and in New Zealand
he established a steam flour-mill near the wheat farms around Official Bay (Auckland
).
European exploration of Australia
The European exploration of Australia encompasses several waves of seafarers and land explorers. Although Australia is often loosely said to have been discovered by Royal Navy Lieutenant James Cook in 1770, he was merely one of a number of European explorers to have sighted and landed on the...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the early period of British colonisation. He became a successful pastoralist and businessman, and also served as a magistrate and politician. He was born on 18 November 1796 at St Neot, Cornwall, United Kingdom, and was the first of six brothers to emigrate as free settlers to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
Soon after arrival in the Jessie on 2 April 1821 he was appointed assistant government surveyor under John Oxley
John Oxley
John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of English colonisation.October 1802 he was engaged in coastal survey work including an expedition to Western Port in 1804-05...
, and employed in the counties of Camden
Camden, New South Wales
-Education:Camden is the location of research facilities for the veterinary and agricultural schools of the University of Sydney. The local government area has two public high schools, Camden High School and Elderslie High School, as well as eight Catholic and three Anglican schools.-Culture:The...
and Argyle. He remained in this position until 1827, surveying among other places, the township of Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
. Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
place names, scattered through the Hunter Region, mark Henry Dangar's surveys and record his deep affection for his birthplace. Mount Dangar, Dangarfield, Dangar Falls, and Dangarsleigh
Dangarsleigh, New South Wales
Dangarsleigh is a minor trigonometrical station, parish and rural locality about 11 km south east of Armidale, New South Wales. The locality is at an altitude of about 1,020 metres on the Northern Tablelands in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The name Dangarsleigh...
commemorate his name.
He received two grants of land for his services as a surveyor - 300 acres (121 ha) named 'Neotsfield' and 700 acre (283 ha) near Morpeth
Morpeth, New South Wales
Morpeth is a suburb of the City of Maitland Local Government Area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the southern banks of the Hunter River at the border between the City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council LGAs...
, known as 'Baroona'. He returned to England in 1828 leaving his estates in the hands of his brother William, and when he returned to Australia his new wife Grace Sibly accompanied him. After his return he was granted land at Kingdon Ponds, and in the Port Stephens
Port Stephens
Port Stephens is a large natural harbour located about north-east of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It lies wholly within the Port Stephens Local Government Area although its northern shoreline forms the boundary between the Port Stephens and Great Lakes LGAs...
area he completed survey work for the Australian Agricultural Company
Australian Agricultural Company
The Australian Agricultural Company is a company which serves to improve beef cattle production through responsible natural resource and land use...
until 1833.
In 1848 Henry Dangar together with his brothers Richard and William began a meat canning factory at Honeysuckle Point, Newcastle. The Newcastle Meat Preserving Company had been established after a severe drought caused a decline in cattle and sheep prices. Although the business won awards at the Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations or The Great Exhibition, sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held, was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October...
of 1851 in London, and exported their product to India and California, the company had ceased to operate by 1855.
From 1845 to 1851 Dangar was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
.
Henry Dangar died in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
on 2 March 1861.
Government surveyor and explorer
In 1822 Dangar was transferred to Newcastle to survey the Hunter valley in preparation for free settlement. He prepared the plans of King's Town (Newcastle) and in the next two years measured and marked out village reserves, church lands and allocations for settlers along the lower branches of the Hunter River and as far north as Patrick's PlainsElectoral district of Patrick's Plains
Patrick's Plains was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales created in 1859 and named after an old name for the Singleton area. In 1894, it was replaced by Singleton.-Members for Patrick's Plains:...
. From 1824 he surveyed the road from Newcastle to Wallis Plains (Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
), measuring reserves and grants and working steadily northwards until he reached the hitherto unsettled upper districts of the Hunter River, where he explored the present sites of Muswellbrook, Aberdeen
Aberdeen, New South Wales
Aberdeen is a small town in the upper Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia, in Upper Hunter Shire. It is located about 12 kilometres north of Muswellbrook on the New England Highway. Aberdeen is named after Aberdeen, Scotland. At the 2006 census, Aberdeen had a population of...
and Scone
Scone, New South Wales
Scone is a town in the Upper Hunter Shire in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Scone had a population of 4,624 people. It is located on the New England Highway north of Muswellbrook about 270 kilometres north of Sydney, and is part of the Hunter and Upper...
. After crossing the Hunter River just to the north-west of the present site of Aberdeen, he discovered Dart Brook and Kingdon Ponds, two tributaries that flow from the north.
In October 1824 he set out on an expedition during which he discovered the confluence of the Goulburn
Goulburn River (New South Wales)
The Goulburn River is a tributary of the Hunter River in New South Wales, Australia.The Goulburn River rises east of Mudgee and flows east, joining the Hunter River near the town of Denman. It flows through a rugged and partly settled area, much of which is a national park...
and Hunter rivers, and then, following Dart Brook to its source, crossed the Liverpool Range
Liverpool Range
The Liverpool Range is a mountain range and a lava-field province in New South Wales, Australia.The Liverpool Range starts from the volcanic plateau known as the Barrington Tops and runs for about 100 km westwards, forming the northern boundary of the Hunter Valley district...
to the plains beyond. He turned back when attacked by the Geaweagal clan of the Wanaruah people west of where the town of Murrurundi
Murrurundi, New South Wales
Murrurundi is a rural town in Upper Hunter Shire, located in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales. Murrurundi, which is 193 km by road from Newcastle and 309 km from Sydney, has a population of 1,330 people...
now stands. His report on the quality of land on the plains caused an immediate rush of applicants for land grants. On this journey he sighted a domed feature that he named Mt Cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
. It was renamed Mount Dangar by explorer Allan Cunningham
Allan Cunningham (botanist)
Allan Cunningham was an English botanist and explorer, primarily known for his travels in New South Wales to collect plants.- Early life :...
, who became the first European to climb it the following year.
In May 1825 he was commissioned to select land for a number of settlers in the area. He subsequently allocated to himself and his brother William some land to which another believed he had prior claim. A board of enquiry found Dangar guilty of using his public position for private gain and he was dismissed from office on 31 March 1827. Governor Sir Ralph Darling recommended that he be dispossessed of the land under dispute and required to take his grant in some other district. He returned to England to appeal against this recommendation. John Oxley supported him in his appeal, but it was unsuccessful.
Surveyor for the Australian Agricultural Company
During the voyage to England Dangar wrote his Index and Directory to Map of the Country Bordering Upon the River Hunter, which was published in London in 1828. It demonstrated his skill as a cartographer and ability as a surveyor, and brought him to the immediate attention of the directors of the Australian Agricultural Company. He was offered, and accepted, an appointment as a surveyor to the company.Accompanied by his wife Grace, whom he married at St Neot on 13 May 1828, and by their infant son, he returned in April 1830 to take up his new position at Port Stephens.
Dangar produced topographical and soil reports on the company's grants, and surveyed its 400000 acre (161,874 ha) reserve north of the Manning River
Manning River
The Manning River is a river in the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia that flows through the Manning Valley. It is one of Australia's few large river systems not to be dammed for water supply purposes anywhere along its catchment...
. His reports of this area were so unfavourable that he was sent to explore, as an alternative location, the Liverpool Plains
Liverpool Plains
The Liverpool Plains is a geographical area and Local Government Area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales.The Shire was formed on 17 March 2004 by the amalgamation of Quirindi Shire with parts of three other shires: Parry, Murrurundi and Gunnedah.- Main towns :* Quirindi* Ardglen*...
districts originally recommended to the company by John Oxley. From the headwaters of the Manning River, he crossed the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
to the Liverpool Plains, and selected an extensive area of attractive land for the company's consideration. After some negotiation the company's claim to the land was accepted by the government, and in June 1833 he retired to his property, Neotsfield, near Singleton
Singleton, New South Wales
-Industry & Commerce:Major industries near Singleton include coal mining, energy generation, light industry, vineyards, horse breeding and cattle production. Dairying was once a mainstay in the area, but has declined....
.
Pastoralist and businessman
Neotsfield had for some time been managed by Henry Dangar's brother William. It was a flourishing and highly-developed farm. Dangar quickly extended his interests, purchasing additional grazing properties and leasing extensive runs which by 1850 amounted to more than 300000 acre (121,406 ha).These included:
- Gostwyck (near UrallaUralla, New South WalesUralla is a small town and on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. The town is located at the intersection of the New England Highway and Thunderbolts Way 465 kilometres north of Sydney and about 23 kilometres south west of the city of Armidale...
) 48000 acre (19,425 ha) - Paradise Creek 32000 acre (12,950 ha)
- Bald Hills 19200 acre (7,770 ha)
- MoonbiMoonbi, New South WalesMoonbi is a village situated on the New England Highway 20 kilometres north of Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia. It is nestled at the foot of the Moonbi Range and is part of the Tamworth Regional Council Local Government Area. Moonbi is located a few kilometres to the north of town of Kootingal...
25000 acre (10,117 ha) - Bulleroi 64000 acre (25,900 ha)
- Karee 64000 acre (25,900 ha)
- Myall CreekMyall Creek massacreMyall Creek Massacre involved the killing of up to 30 unarmed Australian Aborigines by European settlers on 10 June 1838 at the Myall Creek near Bingara in northern New South Wales...
48000 acre (19,425 ha)
Along the Great North Road to Liverpool Plains he acquired town allotments and established inns and stores. At Newcastle he had boiling-down works and meat-preserving and tinning works, and in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
he established a steam flour-mill near the wheat farms around Official Bay (Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
).
Magistrate and politician
Dangar was a magistrate and member of the district council for a number of years. He devoted much time and energy to the agricultural and political advancement of the Hunter valley. He was nominated for the electoral district comprising the Counties of Hunter, Brisbane and Bligh in the first elective Legislative Council in 1843, but was beaten by William Dumaresq. In 1845 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council as the member for the County of Northumberland. He remained a member of the council until 1851 when he retired from public life.External links
- Henry Dangar, the Dangar Family and Dangar Park (Mayfield) History information session. The University of Newcastle, Australia
- Timeline results for Henry Dangar - Google Search (pages from Australia)
- Map of the River Hunter and its branches. National Library of Australia - Rare Maps Digitisation Project. Contributor: Henry Dangar
- Myall Creek Massacre 10 June 1838 newagemultimedia.com Ngiyani Winangay Gamunga (We Remember Them)