Henry Inman (police commander)
Encyclopedia
Henry Inman cavalry officer, Pioneer of South Australia, founder and first commander of the South Australia Police
South Australia Police
The South Australia Police is the police force of the Australian state of South Australia. It is an agency of the Government of South Australia within the South Australian Department of Justice.-History:...

, overlander
Drover (Australian)
A drover in Australia is a person, typically an experienced stockman, who moves livestock, usually sheep or cattle, "on the hoof" over long distances. Reasons for droving may include: delivering animals to a new owner's property, taking animals to market, or moving animals during a drought in...

, Anglican clergyman.

Origins

Inman was born 4 June 1816 at Portsea Island
Portsea Island
Portsea Island is a small, flat and low lying island just off the south coast of England. The island is totally within, and contains a large proportion of, the city of Portsmouth. It has the third-largest population of any island in the British Isles, after the mainlands of Great Britain and...

, Hampshire, the youngest son among seven children of Revd Dr James Inman
James Inman
James Inman was an English mathematician, professor of mathematics at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth.He was born at Tod Hole in Garsdale, the younger son of Richard Inman and Jane Hutchinson. He was educated at Sedbergh Grammar School and St John's College, Cambridge, graduating as first...

 DD (1776–1869) and Mary Inman (1782–1870). His father, Professor of Mathematics at the Royal Naval College
Royal Naval Academy
The Royal Naval Academy was established at Portsmouth Dockyard as a facility to train officers for the Royal Navy. The founders' intentions were to provide an alternative means to recruit officers and to provide standardised training, education and admission.-Training:In 1773, a shore side...

, Portsmouth, sailed in Australian waters in 1803 as astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...

 for Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...

. His mother, a daughter of Revd Richard Williams, rector of Oakham, Rutland, was a direct descendant of the mother of Sir Isaac Newton by her second husband. His eldest brother, James Williams Inman, was headmaster of The King's School, Grantham
The King's School, Grantham
The King's School is a British grammar school located in the market town of Grantham, in Lincolnshire, England, and one of the oldest schools in the UK.-History:...

, Lincoln. Inman was educated privately, then at St Paul’s School, Southsea, his father being chairman of the school board.

Military service

In 1833, at age 17, Inman enlisted for the Portuguese Liberal Wars
Liberal Wars
The Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834...

, in which England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 was formally neutral, first serving at the court of Empress Dona Maria II of Portugal, and then as a cadet lancer. Returning to England in 1834, in 1835 he joined the British Auxiliary Legion in the First Carlist War
First Carlist War
The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833-1839.-Historical background:At the beginning of the 18th century, Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, promulgated the Salic Law, which declared illegal the inheritance of the Spanish crown by women...

 in Spain as a lieutenant in 1st (Queen Isabella’s) Lancers, commanded by William Wakefield
William Wakefield
William Hayward Wakefield was an English colonel, the leader of the first colonizing expedition to New Zealand and one of the founders of Wellington. In 1826, he married Emily Sidney, a daughter of Sir John Sidney.-Early life:...

. Wakefield’s brother was influential in plans to establish a free colony in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

, where Inman’s father, another supporter of the colony, was among the first land investors. For individual gallantry in action Inman was awarded the Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand
Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Ferdinand , commonly known as Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand , is Spain's highest military award for gallantry...

, then later promoted to captain and adjutant of the 8th Regiment.

Arrival at South Australia

After the war, carrying a letter of introduction from Colonel Robert Torrens (economist)
Robert Torrens (economist)
Colonel Robert Torrens was a Royal Marines officer, political economist, MP, owner of the influential Globe newspaper and prolific writer.Born in Ireland, son of Protestant Robert Torrens of Hervey Hill....

, chairman of the Colonization Commission in England, to Colonel William Light
William Light
Colonel William Light was a British military officer and the first Surveyor-General of the Colony of South Australia...

, Surveyor General
Surveyor General
The Surveyor General is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Originally this would often have been a military appointment, but is now more likely to be a civilian post....

 in South Australia, Inman sailed for Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

 on the Royal Admiral, intending to join Light’s survey parties. Arriving in January 1838, he became fast friends with pioneer entrepreneur John Barton Hack
John Barton Hack
John Barton Hack was an early settler in South Australia; a prominent farmer, businessman and public figure. He lost his fortune in the financial crisis of 1840 and despite his best efforts, never regained anything like his former influence and prosperity...

, who persuaded him not to join Light’s hard-pressed surveyors. Hack knew that the first Governor of South Australia, John Hindmarsh
John Hindmarsh
Rear-Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh KH RN was a naval officer and the first Governor of South Australia, from 28 December 1836 to 16 July 1838.-Early life:...

, had already sought permission from Lord Glenelg to form a police force, and was preparing a cost estimate.

The Colonization Commissioners had originally postponed forming a regular police force due to expense and lack of expected criminality from the initial cohort of free settlers, so there were only a few part-time special constable
Special constable
A Special Constable is a law enforcement officer who is not a regular member of a police force. Some like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police carry the same law enforcement powers as regular members, but are employed in specific roles, such as explosive disposal technicians, court security, campus...

s, plus a small guard of disgruntled Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...

 attached to the Governor. Hindmarsh and the settlers were increasingly concerned that without proper protection escaped convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...

s from the eastern penal colonies would ravage them. Unknown to those in Adelaide, in June 1838 the Colonization Commissioners recruited from the London Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...

 two experienced sub-inspectors, James Stuart and William Baker Ashton, who were intended to create the force. Unknown to those in London, these plans had already been precipitated following a burglary, a murder, and two attempted murders in Adelaide during March 1838. As a private citizen, Inman took part in the pursuit and capture of one suspect.

Foundation of SA Police

Hindmarsh created the South Australian Police Force (since renamed South Australia Police
South Australia Police
The South Australia Police is the police force of the Australian state of South Australia. It is an agency of the Government of South Australia within the South Australian Department of Justice.-History:...

) on 28 April 1838, appointing 21-year-old Henry Inman as sole commander, with the rank of Inspector
Inspector
Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...

. In effect, if not by title, Inman was its first Police Commissioner
Police commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...

. Inman then recruited “twenty active young men” and commenced founding the police, purchasing necessary horses and equipment. It was the first centrally controlled police force in Australia, and the first with jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...

 over an entire colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....

. In accordance with instructions from Hindmarsh, Inman organised the force into two distinct divisions; foot police for the town of Adelaide and a para-military mounted police
Mounted police
Mounted police are police who patrol on horseback or camelback. They continue to serve in remote areas and in metropolitan areas where their day-to-day function may be picturesque or ceremonial, but they are also employed in crowd control because of their mobile mass and height advantage and...

. The latter, with cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...

 standards, were fully armed and prepared for mobile operations at the frontiers of settlement. At the time there was no exact parallel for such a police force, either in England or the other Australian colonies. When sub-inspectors Stuart and Ashton arrived in November 1838 they found the police already formed and operating. Both then served under Inman.

Over the following two years Inman made a decisive contribution to the growth of the police force, opening a barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...

 in Adelaide and police stations at several country locations. In August 1838 Inman led a police party in pursuit of two allegedly escaped convicts near Encounter Bay
Encounter Bay
Encounter Bay is located on the south central coast of South Australia, some 100 km south of Adelaide, South Australia. It is named after the encounter on 8 April 1802 between Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin, both of whom were charting the Australian coastline for their respective countries...

, arresting one in an unnamed river valley that, by association, have both since borne his name: Inman Valley, South Australia
Inman Valley, South Australia
Inman Valley , is a valley, locality, and township on the Fleurieu Peninsula, around 86 km south of Adelaide. The valley is about 380 square kilometres in area...

 and Inman River. In September 1838 Inman led the police party that accompanied Charles Sturt
Charles Sturt
Captain Charles Napier Sturt was an English explorer of Australia, and part of the European Exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent, starting from both Sydney and later from Adelaide. His expeditions traced several of the westward-flowing rivers,...

 on an exploration to the Murray Mouth.

After the recall of Hindmarsh, Inman worked closely with his replacement, Governor George Gawler
George Gawler
-External links: – Memorials and Monuments in Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK...

, who arrived in October 1838. Gawler promoted Inman to Superintendent
Superintendent (police)
Superintendent , often shortened to "super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is superintendent of police...

 of Police, effective 17 October 1838. Among other things, the pair designed the first police uniforms. In December 1838, Inman accompanied Gawler on an exploration of the Encounter Bay region.

Tall and lanky, the strong and courageous Inman was an active and effective field commander, personally leading many investigations in the pursuit of bushrangers and other offenders. A temperance advocate, he also set a strong Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 moral tone, such that none of the police were indolent or corrupt. However, he was such a disappointment as an administrator and financial manager that Gawler appointed a four-man Board of Police Commissioners in December 1839 to ensure oversight of the force. That same month, Inman accompanied Gawler and Sturt on a Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...

 expedition, during which they discovered Mount Bryan, naming it after Henry Bryan, a fellow expeditioner who became lost and then perished.
On 19 January 1839 Henry Inman married at Holy Trinity (Anglican) Church, North Terrace, Adelaide, Mary Fooks Lipson (1820–1898). The daughter of Captain Thomas Lipson
Thomas Lipson
Thomas Lipson, R.N. generally known as Captain Lipson was born in Dartmouth, England, he joined the Royal Navy at an early age and had a successful if unspectacular career, ending as Harbour Master of Port Adelaide from 1836 to 1855.-Career:*1793 Lipson joined the Royal Navy as a first-class...

 RN (1783–1863) and Elizabeth Emma Fooks (1790–1880), while her father was on half-pay from the British Royal Navy, Mary was born at Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne (Brittany), France, Mar. 27th. 1820. Her father had previously been commander of the Revenue cutter HMS Lapwing stationed at Mill Bay, Plymouth, Devon. In South Australia Thomas Lipson was prominently associated with the foundation of the marine affairs as first Harbourmaster
Harbourmaster
A harbourmaster is an official responsible for enforcing the regulations of a particular harbour or port, in order to ensure the safety of navigation, the security of the harbour and the correct operation of the port facilities.-Responsibilities:Harbourmasters are normally responsible for issuing...

 and Collector of Customs. Through the marriage of other Lipson sisters, Inman later became brother in law to John Allan, George Strickland Kingston
George Strickland Kingston
Sir George Strickland Kingston arrived in South Australia on the Cygnet in 1836. He was the Deputy Surveyor to William Light, engaged to survey the new colony of South Australia.-Early life:...

, and James Collins Hawker, though he had close association with Allan and Hawker only. Allan was brother in law to John Baker (Australian politician)
John Baker (Australian politician)
John Baker was an early South Australian pastoralist and politician. He was the second Premier of South Australia, succeeding Boyle Finniss; however, he only held office for 12 days from 21 August to 1 September 1857 before being succeeded by the third Premier of the colony, Robert Torrens.-Early...

.

Dismissal

With Gawler’s support, Inman had augmented the force to 70 men by April 1840. Gawler dismissed Inman on 18 May 1840, after an inquiry revealed potential conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....

 in supplying forage hay that Inman had bought from John Baker for the police horses. Admitting imprudence, Inman vehemently denied any criminal intent. Appreciated but unlamented, Inman was replaced by Thomas Shuldham O'Halloran
Thomas Shuldham O'Halloran
Thomas Shuldham O'Halloran was the first Police Commissioner and first Police Magistrate of South Australia.O'Halloran was born in India, the second of eight sons of Major-General Sir Joseph O'Halloran, and a grandson of Irish surgeon Sylvester O%27Halloran.He entered the Royal Military College,...

 as first to bear the title Police Commissioner
Police commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...

.

Overlander

At Hack’s suggestion, Inman then embarked on overlanding
Overlanding
Overlanding is the self-reliant overland travel to remote destinations where the journey is the principal goal. Typically, but not exclusively, accommodated by mechanized off-road capable transport where the principal form of lodging is camping; often lasting for extended lengths of time and...

 for James Chisholm (1806–1888) of Goulburn NSW. Accompanied by Chisholm’s Adelaide agent Henry Field (1818–1909), their 11-man party, jointly led by Inman and Field, left Goulburn for Adelaide in late January 1841, droving 5,000 sheep. Through organisational folly, the party was undermanned and underarmed. They no sooner begun when Inman was attacked by Aborigines
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...

 on the Murrumbidgee River
Murrumbidgee River
The Murrumbidgee River is a major river in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory . A major tributary of the Murray River, the Murrumbidgee flows in a west-northwesterly direction from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains,...

. Hit in the back by three spears, Inman was carried onward upon a cart litter but remarkably recovered. Seven weeks later, on 16 April 1841, at Chowilla near the NSW-SA border, some 300 Aboriginals, enraged by earlier clashes with violent overlanders, attacked the weak party. The sheep and goods were plundered, while the drovers narrowly escaped with their lives.

In June 1841 Inman was appointed by Governor George Grey
George Grey
George Grey may refer to:*Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet , British politician*George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent *Sir George Grey , Governor of Cape Colony, South Australia and New Zealand...

 as one of the four captains of the special constable
Special constable
A Special Constable is a law enforcement officer who is not a regular member of a police force. Some like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police carry the same law enforcement powers as regular members, but are employed in specific roles, such as explosive disposal technicians, court security, campus...

 volunteers in a 68-man police expedition, led by O’Halloran, that returned to the attack site to recover the sheep and protect other overlanders then due, in particular the party of Charles Langhorne (1812–1855). Upon arrival they found that Langhorne’s party had been attacked at the Rufus River
Rufus River
-References:...

 two days earlier, on 20 June 1841, resulting in the deaths of five Aboriginals and four Europeans. Although the Langhorne survivors and their cattle were rescued, none of the sheep were recovered and Inman was financially ruined. These events were the catalyst for further conflict at the Rufus in August 1841 resulting in 35 Aboriginal deaths (official toll), known as the Rufus River Massacre, part of the Australian frontier wars
Australian frontier wars
The Australian frontier wars were a series of conflicts fought between Indigenous Australians and European settlers. The first fighting took place in May 1788 and the last clashes occurred in the early 1930s. Indigenous fatalities from the fighting have been estimated as at least 20,000 and...

.

Teacher and Clergyman

Inman moved to Goulburn in 1841, as a settler, where his family later joined him. Unsuccessful as a settler, and being influenced by William Sowerby (1799–1875), first Anglican clergyman at Goulburn, Inman determined to take holy orders. After several years of preparatory studies, amid teaching at Sowerby’s school, Inman moved to Sydney where on 1 October 1846 he was appointed Mathematical Master at Sydney College, precursor to Sydney Grammar School
Sydney Grammar School
Sydney Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, selective, day school for boys, located in Darlinghurst, Edgecliff and St Ives, all suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....

. After a brief visit to Adelaide in 1847, he returned to England in 1848, along with his family, entering the Anglican ministry through St Bees
St Bees
St Bees is a village and civil parish in the Copeland district of Cumbria, in the North of England, about five miles west southwest of Whitehaven. The parish had a population of 1,717 according to the 2001 census. Within the parish is St...

 Theological College. After ordination he served as a curate, first at Tarleton
Tarleton
-Population :-Economy:As a result of soil on the former mossland, a major economic activity in Tarleton is market gardening, particularly growing salad crops....

, then at Newburgh, Lancashire
Newburgh, Lancashire
Newburgh is a rural village and civil parish in Lancashire, England.Newburgh is located about five miles from Ormskirk. Its history can be traced back to 1304 when a licence was granted to start a weekly market. The village has a conservation area at its centre and includes many historic ...

.

In 1859 he was appointed rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...

 of All Saints, North Scarle
North Scarle
North Scarle is a village and civil parish situated on the county boundary with Nottinghamshire on the River Trent in the district of North Kesteven, Lincolnshire, England...

, Lincolnshire, where he was to serve 36 years, until his death there 18 November 1895. Interred at All Saints churchyard, his obituarist stated that ‘his quiet and inoffensive manner gained for himself the regard and esteem of many of his parishioners. He was ever ready to render any assistance he possibly could: and in him the young especially will miss a true and kind-hearted friend when starting out in life’. Inman never fully overcame his financial tribulations, declaring bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....

 in 1862, and leaving his widow a net estate of £108. Mary Inman died at nearby Swinderby
Swinderby
Swinderby is a settlement and civil parish in Lincolnshire, England, on the A46 road between Lincoln and Newark, within a rural agricultural community. It covers an area of , and has a population of 773....

 on 20 January 1898. Henry and Mary Inman had ten children, four boys and six girls. Of their six daughters none had children, while only one married. Their third son, Edward Master Lipson Inman, a Lieutenant in the 60th King's Royal Rifles, was killed in action, aged 27, on 28 January 1881 in the heroic charge at the Battle of Laing's Nek
Battle of Laing's Nek
The Battle of Laing's Nek was a major battle fought at Laing's Nek during the First Boer War on 28 January 1881.-Background:Following the Boer declaration of independence for the Transvaal in 1880 the British suffered a series of disastrous defeats in attempting to regain the territory.On 20...

, Natal, South Africa, during the First Boer War
First Boer War
The First Boer War also known as the First Anglo-Boer War or the Transvaal War, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881-1877 annexation:...

.

There is no known photograph or portrait of Henry Inman and he published no memoir. A biography was published in 2010.

Select bibliography

Max Slee; Inman, first commander of the South Australia Police (Seaview Press Pty Ltd, Adelaide, 2010), ISBN 9781740085595

J. W. Bull; Early Experiences of Colonial Life in South Australia (Adelaide, 1878)

Alexander Tolmer; Reminiscences of an Adventurous and Chequered Career at Home and at the Antipodes, Vol 1 (London, 1882)

F. S. Dutton; South Australia and its Mines (London, 1846)

Thomas Shuldham O'Halloran; From Adelaide Along the River Murray to the Rufus and Lake Victoria. Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia: South Australian Branch, vol 7, 1903–04, pp 70–91.
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