Samuel Davenport
Encyclopedia
Sir Samuel Davenport KCMG (5 March 1818 – 3 September 1906) was one of the early settlers of Australia
and became a landowner and parliamentarian
in South Australia
.
He was fourth son of George Davenport, a wealthy English
banker, and his wife Jane Devereux, née Davies, and was educated at Mill Hill School
in North London
. His father, had become an agent of the South Australia Company
in England and together with partners Frederick Luck (quarter share) and Roger Cunliffe (one-eighth share) paid £4416 for a special survey of 4416 acres (17.9 km²) in South Australia
. George Davenport sent his eldest son Francis to select the land, and Francis arrived in Adelaide
in February 1840. After initially considering land near Port Lincoln
, he selected land on the upper reaches of the River Angas
, including what is now the town of Macclesfield
. Francis returned to England in 1841, leaving Henry Giles to manage his affairs.
Samuel, his wife Margaret (married 1 June 1842) and another brother Robert went to Australia in February 1843 accompanying Francis and his wife Sarah on their return. Francis died on 8 April 1843, and the remaining brothers lived at Macclesfield and managed the survey. Samuel continued to receive an annual allowance from his father.
Davenport's first ventures after moving to Australia
from England
were in mixed farming as well as almonds and vine
s, which had sparked his interest when he was in the south of France
as a youth. He then tried sheep-farming with approximately 6000 sheep, but disease killed half of them. In 1860 he bought land near Port Augusta
, and turned to ranching horses and cattle
. He realised from his success that large-stock holdings made healthy profits in South Australia
.
From 1849 he lived mostly at his home in Beaumont
, in his residence of Beaumont House
, which he owned from 1851 onwards. He continued to care for the welfare of tenants at Macclesfield, providing attractive rental terms.
Between 1846 and 1848, Davenport was a candidate in the Legislative Council
. Between 1849 and 1852 he served as a city commissioner. He contested the seat of Hindmarsh without success in a by-election during 1854, but in 1855 was nominated to the part-elective Legislative Council. He was eventually elected to the first Legislative Council under responsible government
in 1857 and administered the oath of allegiance
to the councillors on 22 April 1857. He served a number of ministries; however he resigned from the council in 1866.
Davenport strongly promoted agriculture
and other new industries in South Australia. Between 1864 and 1872 he published a number of pamphlets, three of them dealing with the cultivation of olives and manufacture of olive oil
, silk
and tobacco
. Davenport grew both olives and silk on his Beaumont House
estate.
He was elected to a number of positions in the agricultural, horticultural
and geographical
societies. He was also a successful banker like his English father.
Davenport was knight
ed during 1884 and in 1886 appointed KCMG
and given an honorary doctorate by the University of Cambridge
. After his death in 1906, obituarists praised his 'honourable record both in public and private life' and both Houses of Parliament
were adjourned
for his funeral
.
The electoral district of Davenport
was later named after him.
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...
and became a landowner and parliamentarian
Parliament of South Australia
The Parliament of South Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of South Australia. It consists of the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly. It follows a Westminster system of parliamentary government....
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...
.
He was fourth son of George Davenport, a wealthy English
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...
banker, and his wife Jane Devereux, née Davies, and was educated at Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School, in Mill Hill, London, is a coeducational independent school for boarding and day pupils aged 13–18. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, an organisation of public schools in the United Kingdom....
in North 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...
. His father, had become an agent of the South Australia Company
South Australia Company
The South Australian Company was formed in London on 9 October 1835 by George Fife Angas and other wealthy British merchants to develop a new settlement in South Australia; its purpose was to build a new colony...
in England and together with partners Frederick Luck (quarter share) and Roger Cunliffe (one-eighth share) paid £4416 for a special survey of 4416 acres (17.9 km²) 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...
. George Davenport sent his eldest son Francis to select the land, and Francis arrived in 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...
in February 1840. After initially considering land near Port Lincoln
Port Lincoln, South Australia
- Transport :Port Lincoln is the port for the isolated narrow gauge Eyre Peninsular Railway.There is also a subsidiary port at Proper Bay which may be restored to use for iron ore traffic. The export of iron ore through Port Lincoln has been approved by the South Australian Government. Port...
, he selected land on the upper reaches of the River Angas
River Angas
The River Angas is a small river rising on the eastern side of the Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia. Its headwaters are near Macclesfield and it flows generally southward through Strathalbyn, emptying into Lake Alexandrina near the town of Milang....
, including what is now the town of Macclesfield
Macclesfield, South Australia
Macclesfield is a small town on the upper reaches of the River Angas in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. At the 2006 census, Macclesfield had a population of 832....
. Francis returned to England in 1841, leaving Henry Giles to manage his affairs.
Samuel, his wife Margaret (married 1 June 1842) and another brother Robert went to Australia in February 1843 accompanying Francis and his wife Sarah on their return. Francis died on 8 April 1843, and the remaining brothers lived at Macclesfield and managed the survey. Samuel continued to receive an annual allowance from his father.
Davenport's first ventures after moving to 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...
from 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...
were in mixed farming as well as almonds and vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
s, which had sparked his interest when he was in the south of 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...
as a youth. He then tried sheep-farming with approximately 6000 sheep, but disease killed half of them. In 1860 he bought land near Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
, and turned to ranching horses and cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
. He realised from his success that large-stock holdings made healthy profits 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...
.
Beaumont, South Australia
Beaumont is a suburb of Adelaide in the City of Burnside. Founded as a purpose-built village by Sir Samuel Davenport in 1848, it initially struggled due to high land prices in the area. However, with Adelaide's inevitable expansion residents eventually settled...
, in his residence of Beaumont House
Beaumont House
Beaumont House, occasionally known as Claremont, is an eclectic Romanesque-Classical brick residence located at 631 Glynburn Road in Beaumont, South Australia...
, which he owned from 1851 onwards. He continued to care for the welfare of tenants at Macclesfield, providing attractive rental terms.
Between 1846 and 1848, Davenport was a candidate in the Legislative Council
Parliament of South Australia
The Parliament of South Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of South Australia. It consists of the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly. It follows a Westminster system of parliamentary government....
. Between 1849 and 1852 he served as a city commissioner. He contested the seat of Hindmarsh without success in a by-election during 1854, but in 1855 was nominated to the part-elective Legislative Council. He was eventually elected to the first Legislative Council under responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
in 1857 and administered the oath of allegiance
Oath of allegiance
An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to monarch or country. In republics, modern oaths specify allegiance to the country's constitution. For example, officials in the United States, a republic, take an oath of office that...
to the councillors on 22 April 1857. He served a number of ministries; however he resigned from the council in 1866.
Davenport strongly promoted agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and other new industries in South Australia. Between 1864 and 1872 he published a number of pamphlets, three of them dealing with the cultivation of olives and manufacture of olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
, silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
and tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
. Davenport grew both olives and silk on his Beaumont House
Beaumont House
Beaumont House, occasionally known as Claremont, is an eclectic Romanesque-Classical brick residence located at 631 Glynburn Road in Beaumont, South Australia...
estate.
He was elected to a number of positions in the agricultural, horticultural
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
and geographical
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
societies. He was also a successful banker like his English father.
Davenport was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed during 1884 and in 1886 appointed KCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
and given an honorary doctorate by the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. After his death in 1906, obituarists praised his 'honourable record both in public and private life' and both Houses of Parliament
Parliament of South Australia
The Parliament of South Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of South Australia. It consists of the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly. It follows a Westminster system of parliamentary government....
were adjourned
Adjournment
An adjournment is a suspension of proceedings to another time or place. To adjourn means to suspend until a later stated time or place.-Law:In law, to adjourn means to suspend proceedings to another time or place, or to end them....
for his funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
.
The electoral district of Davenport
Electoral district of Davenport
Davenport is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after nineteenth-century pioneer and politician Sir Samuel Davenport. Davenport is a 37.4 km² electorate covering part of outer suburban Adelaide and the southern foothills of...
was later named after him.