William Cox (pioneer)
Encyclopedia
William Cox was an English soldier, known as an explorer, road builder and pioneer in the early period of British settlement in Australia.
, Dorset
, England
, was educated at the local Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School
and later lived in Devizes
, Wiltshire
. He married Rebecca Upjohn in 1789.
(without purchase
) in the 117th Regiment of Foot
on 11 July 1795, transferring on 23 January 1796 to the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot
. He was promoted to lieutenant
in the 68th Foot on 21 February 1797. He transferred to the New South Wales Corps
on 30 September 1797, exchanging with a Lieutenant Beckwith, and was made paymaster on 23 June 1798, having been on half pay.
Cox sailed for New South Wales
, Australia, on 24 August 1799 on the Minerva, with his wife and four sons. Aboard the ship were around 160 convicts including General Holt
and the Rev. H. Fulton
who were among many political prisoners. Cox used his influence so that the prisoners were often allowed up on deck for fresh air, and Holt in his memoirs states that as a result "the ship was the healthiest and best regulated which had ever reached the colony". The Minerva arrived in Sydney
on 11 January 1800. Cox purchased a 100 acres (40.5 ha) farm and made Holt its manager. Further land was purchased but in 1803 large liabilities led to Cox's estate being placed into the hands of trustees. He was suspended from office due to allegations that regimental accounts were involved. Cox returned to England in 1807 to answer allegations that he had misused army funds. The Dictionary of Australian Biography
records that Cox was cleared in 1808, and was promoted to Captain of 102nd Regiment of Foot, and placed in charge of Irish political prisoner
s. However, the London Gazette
of 19 April 1808 records, "Paymaster William Cox, of the New South Wales Corps, is dismissed the Service."
. He was also responsible for erecting many government buildings.
In 1814, Governor Macquarie approved Cox's 'voluntary offer of your superintending and directing the working party' that would build a road crossing the Blue Mountains, between Sydney
and Bathurst
, Australia. The completed dirt track was 12 feet (3.7 m) wide by 101½ miles (163 km) long, built between 18 July 1814 to 14 January 1815 using 30 convict labourers and 8 guards. Macquarie surveyed the finished road in April 1815 by driving his carriage along it from Sydney to Bathurst. The Governor commended Cox and stated that the project would have taken three years if it had been done under a contract. As a reward Cox was awarded 2000 acres (809.4 ha) of land near Bathurst.
The BBC One
television programme Who Do You Think You Are?, which aired on 30 August 2010, traced the ancestry of Australian soap and pop star Jason Donovan
through his mother's side of the family back to William Cox.
Early life
Cox was born in Wimborne MinsterWimborne Minster
Wimborne Minster is a market town in the East Dorset district of Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, 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 educated at the local Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School
Queen Elizabeth's School, Wimborne Minster
Queen Elizabeth's School is a co-educational voluntary controlled Church of England secondary school in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England.-Admissions:...
and later lived in Devizes
Devizes
Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The town is about southeast of Chippenham and about east of Trowbridge.Devizes serves as a centre for banks, solicitors and shops, with a large open market place where a market is held once a week...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. He married Rebecca Upjohn in 1789.
Military career
Cox had served in the Wiltshire militia before being commissioned as ensignEnsign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
(without purchase
Sale of commissions
The sale of commissions was a common practice in most European armies where wealthy and noble officers purchased their rank. Only the Imperial Russian Army and the Prussian Army never used such a system. While initially shunned in the French Revolutionary Army, it was eventually revived in the...
) in the 117th Regiment of Foot
117th Regiment of Foot (1794)
The 117th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1794 by the regimentation of independent companies and disbanded in 1796. Its personnel were formed into the Argyllshire Militia.-References:*, regiments.org...
on 11 July 1795, transferring on 23 January 1796 to the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot
68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)
The 68th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1758 and amalgamated into The Durham Light Infantry in 1881. It saw action during the Seven Years War before being converted to Light Infantry in 1808. Fighting with distinction in the Peninsular Army under Arthur...
. He was promoted to lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
in the 68th Foot on 21 February 1797. He transferred to the New South Wales Corps
New South Wales Corps
The New South Wales Corps was formed in England in 1789 as a permanent regiment to relieve the marines who had accompanied the First Fleet to Australia. The regiment, led by Major Francis Grose, consisted of three companies...
on 30 September 1797, exchanging with a Lieutenant Beckwith, and was made paymaster on 23 June 1798, having been on half pay.
Cox sailed for 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...
, Australia, on 24 August 1799 on the Minerva, with his wife and four sons. Aboard the ship were around 160 convicts including General Holt
Joseph Holt (rebel)
Joseph Holt was a United Irish general and leader of a large guerrilla force which fought against British troops in County Wicklow from June–October 1798. He was exiled to Australia in 1799 where he worked as a farm manager and eventually returned to Ireland in 1814.-Background:Holt was one of six...
and the Rev. H. Fulton
Henry Fulton
Henry Fulton was an Irish-Australian clergyman and schoolmaster.-Early life:Fulton was born in England and educated at Trinity College, Dublin from 1788, graduating B.A. in 1792. In the late 1790s he was a clergyman in the Diocese of Killaloe, Ireland. Fulton became involved in the Irish Rebellion...
who were among many political prisoners. Cox used his influence so that the prisoners were often allowed up on deck for fresh air, and Holt in his memoirs states that as a result "the ship was the healthiest and best regulated which had ever reached the colony". The Minerva arrived 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 11 January 1800. Cox purchased a 100 acres (40.5 ha) farm and made Holt its manager. Further land was purchased but in 1803 large liabilities led to Cox's estate being placed into the hands of trustees. He was suspended from office due to allegations that regimental accounts were involved. Cox returned to England in 1807 to answer allegations that he had misused army funds. The Dictionary of Australian Biography
Dictionary of Australian Biography
The Dictionary of Australian Biography, published in 1949, is a reference work by Percival Serle containing information on notable people associated with Australian history. With approximately a thousand entries, the book took more than twenty years to complete...
records that Cox was cleared in 1808, and was promoted to Captain of 102nd Regiment of Foot, and placed in charge of Irish political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s. However, the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
of 19 April 1808 records, "Paymaster William Cox, of the New South Wales Corps, is dismissed the Service."
Building career
Cox returned to Australia in 1811, where he resigned his commission and became principal magistrate at HawkesburyCity of Hawkesbury
The City of Hawkesbury is a Local Government Area of New South Wales, Australia, part of which is at the fringe of the Sydney metropolitan area, about 50 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district...
. He was also responsible for erecting many government buildings.
In 1814, Governor Macquarie approved Cox's 'voluntary offer of your superintending and directing the working party' that would build a road crossing the Blue Mountains, between 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...
and Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
, Australia. The completed dirt track was 12 feet (3.7 m) wide by 101½ miles (163 km) long, built between 18 July 1814 to 14 January 1815 using 30 convict labourers and 8 guards. Macquarie surveyed the finished road in April 1815 by driving his carriage along it from Sydney to Bathurst. The Governor commended Cox and stated that the project would have taken three years if it had been done under a contract. As a reward Cox was awarded 2000 acres (809.4 ha) of land near Bathurst.
Family
His wife Rebecca died in 1819, survived by Cox and five sons. In 1821, Cox married Anna Blachford. William and Anna had three sons and a daughter.The BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
television programme Who Do You Think You Are?, which aired on 30 August 2010, traced the ancestry of Australian soap and pop star Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...
through his mother's side of the family back to William Cox.
External links
- Edna Hickson, 'Cox, William (1764 - 1837)', Australian Dictionary of BiographyAustralian Dictionary of BiographyThe Australian Dictionary of Biography is a national, co-operative enterprise, founded and maintained by the Australian National University to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's history....
, Volume 1, MUP, 1966, pp 258–259.