Marshall Clifton
Encyclopedia
Alverstoke
Alverstoke is a parish in the borough of Gosport, Hampshire, England, that encompasses land stretching from Haslar to Stokes Bay. Alverstoke lies within half a mile of the shore of Stokes Bay and near the head of a creek which extends a mile westward from Portsmouth Harbour...
, near Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
, Hampshire, England, to Rev. Francis Clifton and Rebekah Katherine (née Bingham).
He joined the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
as an extra clerk on 9 September 1805, and was promoted to junior clerk on 15 March 1811, 2nd class clerk on 5 February 1816, and 1st class clerk on 21 August 1819.
On 2 July 1811, Waller, as he was known, married Elinor Bell (of Wandle House, Wandsworth, London, who was first cousin to Elizabeth Fry
Elizabeth Fry
Elizabeth Fry , née Gurney, was an English prison reformer, social reformer and, as a Quaker, a Christian philanthropist...
, the famous prison reformer). Waller and Elinor had fifteen children, one of whom died as a baby. Eleven of these children later came to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
with their parents, and one child followed later (George, a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, in 1843).
On 22 January 1822, Waller was appointed secretary to the Victualling Board for the Royal Navy at Somerset House
Somerset House
Somerset House is a large building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, England, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The central block of the Neoclassical building, the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers, dates from 1776–96. It...
. In 1828 he was elected to membership of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
. After the position of secretary to the Victualling Board was abolished in 1832, Waller was retired on a pension and moved his family to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for eight years.
In 1840 the Western Australian Land Company was formed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with the purpose of promoting a large land settlement scheme in the Colony of Western Australia
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...
. This was planned by a group of influential men including William Hutt
William Hutt (British MP)
Sir William Hutt KCB, PC was a British Liberal politician who was heavily involved in the colonization of New Zealand and South Australia.-Background and education:...
, M.P (brother of John Hutt
John Hutt
John Hutt was Governor of Western Australia from 1839 to 1846.Born in London on 24 July 1795, John Hutt was the fourth of 13 children of Richard Hutt of Appley Towers, Ryde, Isle of Wight. He was educated at Christ's Hospital, and in 1815 inherited Appley Towers...
, Governor of Western Australia
Governor of Western Australia
The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
from 1838 to 1846) and Edward Gibbon Wakefield
Edward Gibbon Wakefield
Edward Gibbon Wakefield was a British politician, the driving force behind much of the early colonisation of South Australia, and later New Zealand....
, upon whose principles of colonisation the company was founded. Marshall Waller Clifton was appointed Chief Commissioner and his son, Robert Williams Clifton (1817-1897) was appointed secretary to Waller.
The name of the settlement, Australind, a contraction of Australia and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, was chosen as it was hoped to establish trade between the two countries.
Waller and his family and the first settlers of the Australind region sailed to Australind on the barque "Parkfield" in October 1840, arriving at Port Leschenault (Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
) on 18 March 1841. In 1841 Waller was also appointed a Magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
and Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
. However approval for the settlement was not finalised until 6 April 1842, and after this Waller was given an allotment of land at 15 Clifton Rd, which he named "Alverstoke" and on which the original house still stands today.
The Western Australian Land Company collapsed in 1843, finally ceasing all operations in Western Australia within 3 years and the settlers were left to fend for themselves.
Waller's children all became prominent members of society in Bunbury, Australind and Brunswick, occupying many important positions such as Resident Magistrate (Pearce), Inspector of Water Police (George, who later returned to England and became Governor of Dartmoor Prison), member of the Town Trust (Pearce), Collector of Customs at Fremantle (Worsley).
At one time, the Under Secretary for Lands, the Under Treasurer and the Surveyor General were all grandson's of Waller's. In 1897 about twenty of Waller's grandchildren held senior offices in the Western Australian public service
Government of Western Australia
The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...
.
In 1847 Waller moved to Upton House, which was built from bricks brought from England as ballast on the Trusty when it arrived in May 1844. The house was originally built for Elizabeth Fry, who died in 1845 and her husband sold the house to Marshall Waller Clifton.
In 1844 Waller was appointed a member of the Leschenault Road Board, and in 1851 he became a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
Western Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
. He became known for fighting for the rights of the small landholders, which caused friction with the larger landholders and merchants of the Colony. He remained in the Legislative Council until the age of 71, resigning in 1858.
Marshall Waller Clifton died at Upton House on 10 April 1861 after a long illness. His obituary in the Perth Gazette of 19 April 1861 reads:
"It is with much regret that we record in our obituary of this day the death of Marshall Waller Clifton, Esq., of Australind. From his first arrival in the Colony, 20 years ago, to the period of his death, Mr. Clifton occupied a prominent position amongst us. When in the Legislative Council he was one of its most active and intelligent members. As a Horticulturist he was pre-eminent, the practical results of his various experiments in that branch of science leaving him no compeer. As the country gentleman, he was the personification of hospitality; whilst his agreeable manners, well-stored mind, and hilarity of spirits enhanced in no small degree the pleasures of his way-faring guests. In his family relations Mr. Clifton was in all respects patriarchal, and although he lived and died 'amidst a grove of his own kindred', there were many absent ones to grieve over his loss.
In society at large he leaves a blank, as all must feel who have appreciated his presence during those periodical visits he was wont to pay to Perth and Fremantle; when, as 'The observed of all observers' his elasticity of spirits and 'Bonhommie' served to create, at least, a pleasing ripple upon the too often monotonous surface of our every day life."
Marshall Waller and Elinor Clifton's children were:
Francis (1812-1892);
Waller (1813-1894);
Louisa (1814-1880);
William Pearce (1816-1885);
Robert Williams (1817-1897);
Joseph Bingham (1819, died in infancy);
Elinor Katharine (Ellen) (1820-1904);
Mary (1822-1893);
George (1823-1913);
Gervase (1825-1913);
Charles Hippuff (1827-1890);
Lucy (1829-1906);
Leonard Worsley (1830-1895);
Rachel Catherine (1833-1852);
Caroline (1835-1883).
In 1979, the descendants of Marshall Waller Clifton numbered over 2,100.