Joseph Gellibrand
Joseph Gellibrand | |
---|---|
Born | Joseph Tice Gellibrand 1792 |
Died | 1837 (aged 44–45) |
Occupation | First attorney-general of Van Diemen's Land |
Known for | Disappearance and death |
Joseph Tice Gellibrand (1792 – 1837) was the first
Early life
Joseph Tice Gellibrand was born in England, the second son of
Attorney-General of Van Diemen's Land
Gellibrand arrived at Hobart accompanied by his father on 15 March 1824, and at the opening of the Supreme Court gave an address as leader of the bar, in which he spoke of trial by jury "as one of the greatest boons conferred by the legislature upon this colony". The full benefit of trial by jury had, however, been withheld from the colony, and Gellibrand's speech is held by some to have been the opening of a campaign for an unconditional system. Gellibrand was a believer in the liberty of the subject, and he was consequently bound to fall foul of a man with the autocratic tendencies of Governor
At the beginning of 1825 Robert William Lathrop Murray, editor of the Hobart Town Gazette, began criticising the colonial government in his paper. Arthur believed that Gellibrand was acting in "close union" with Murray. Eventually Gellibrand was charged with unprofessional conduct in having, as a barrister, drawn the pleas for the plaintiff in a case, and afterwards as Attorney-General, acted against him. As a consequence of the charge Alfred Stephen the Solicitor-General applied to have Gellibrand struck off the rolls.[2]
As a result, Gellibrand lost his position and began practising as a barrister. He established a high reputation in Hobart. In 1830 he acted for Roderic O'Connor in a case brought by sheriff Dudley Fereday, who was also a moneylender. Fereday accused O'Connor of libel after O'Connor had publicly attacked his business practices. Gellibrand gave "a detailed account of Fereday as the prince of usurers, lending money at 35 per cent interest". Fereday won damages of £400, but his reputation was severely damaged by Gellibrand's speeches.[3]
In 1828 Gellibrand made some efforts to obtain a government appointment at Sydney without success. In 1835 Gellibrand made an attempt to obtain a revision of his case, and counsel's opinion on it was obtained from
Port Phillip Association
As early as January 1827, Gellibrand in partnership with John Batman applied for a grant of land in the as yet un-colonised region at Port Phillip. They stated that they were prepared to bring with them sheep and cattle to the value of £4000 to £5000. This application was refused, but the two colonists maintained their interest in the pursuit of obtaining land at Port Phillip.[4]
In 1835 Gellibrand became one of the leading members of the
Gellibrand with several other members of the Association crossed Bass Strait from Van Diemen's Land in January 1836 in a vessel loaded with sheep to be pastured on their newly obtained land. They came ashore at Western Port, and following native pathways that took them through vacant Aboriginal villages, they made their way across the Mornington Peninsula to Port Phillip. Supplying themselves with water from wells dug by Aboriginal people, they walked along the shore to the vicinity of the Melbourne settlement on the Yarra River. Gellibrand could barely walk by this stage, and was taken the remaining distance in boat manned by Aborigines from Sydney who were working for John Batman.[6]
On 4 February, he travelled to the
Despite Gellibrand's efforts, the Batman Treaty was deemed invalid and overruled by Governor Richard Bourke in 1836. The lands purchased by the Association were judged to be owned by the Crown and not by the members of the Port Phillip Association nor by the Aborigines. The Port Phillip Association members however, were recompensed £7,000 from the colonial government. Gellibrand subsequently returned to Van Diemen's Land.[5]
Exploration and disappearance to the west of Port Phillip
Gellibrand, in company with George B. L. Hesse, again crossed to Port Phillip and landed near Geelong on 21 February 1837. They decided to explore the un-colonised land to the west and planned to follow the Barwon River to its junction with the Leigh River, and afterwards make their way back to Melbourne across country mostly unknown to the British. The two men set out with a guide but managed to miss the junction with the Leigh River and continued up the Barwon. Their guide became fearful of continuing and returned, while Gellibrand and Hesse decided to travel further west alone. They failed to arrive at Melbourne and a search party consisting of five prominent Geelong pastoralists including Frederick Armytage and Thomas Roadknight was immediately organised. This group followed their tracks but lost all sign of them in a forest that existed between what is now Winchelsea and Birregurra. The search party then turned north and became the first Britishers to view Lake Colac before returning to Geelong. Another search party, led by Gellibrand's son, set out on 31 March 1837 but again lost sight of the tracks within the same forest as the previous group.[5][6]
In April, a larger group of 14 men funded by Gellibrand's wife, was organised after information was obtained from local Aborigines that the two missing men had been killed by
Over a year later, with the disappearance unresolved, another two expeditions were organised. In June 1838, surveyor H.W.H Smythe was guided by an Aboriginal man named Jack through the Colac region. After reaching Djerrinallum, Jack admitted he had no knowledge of the country further to the west and Smythe resolved to shoot Jack if he showed signs of abandoning him. Symthe returned unsuccessful in obtaining any information about Gellibrand.[9] In July, Alexander McGeary led another search party after information was given that two white men were living with an Aboriginal clan towards the western regions. McGeary also failed to find any sign of Gellibrand but managed to come into conflict with an Aboriginal stranger during his journey, who clubbed McGeary on the head and jaw. His life was saved after two Aboriginal men he employed as guards shot the stranger dead.[10]
Discovery of remains near Cape Otway
In 1844, George Allan, a pioneer pastoralist of the
Allan with his brother and several Aboriginal guides set out to find the buried remains. They encountered the Gadubanud clan who directed them to the burial site near a river they called Barratt. Allan unearthed the skeleton, taking the skull which was later examined and considered with little doubt to be that of Gellibrand. Allan renamed the Barratt as the Gellibrand River in honour of the man whose remains he considered to have found. In 1846, the Gadubanud who remained near Cape Otway were exterminated by a militia of Barrabool men organised by Captain Foster Fyans.[11][12][13]
Legacy
Gellibrand married and was survived by at least three sons, one of whom,
The Australian electoral Division of Gellibrand, Mount Gellibrand, Point Gellibrand, the township of Gellibrand, Gellibrand St (Queenscliff), and the Gellibrand River are named after him.
See also
References
- ^ a b c Serle, Percival (1949). "Gellibrand, Joseph Tice". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
- ^ The many complications of this case are fully discussed in chapter XVIII, vol. II of R. W. Giblin's 'Early History of Tasmania'.
- ^ "Dudley Fereday", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2, Manchester University Press, 1967.
- The Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil. Vol. IX, no. 124. Victoria, Australia. 21 May 1881. p. 170. Retrieved 6 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c Russell, George; Brown, P.L. (1935). The Narrative of George Russell of Golf Hill with Russellania and selected papers. London: Oxford University Press.
- ^ a b c Bride, Thomas Francis (1898). Letters from Victorian Pioneers. Melbourne: Government Press.
- ^ "MESSRS. GELLIBRAND AND HESSE". The True Colonist Van Diemen's Land Political Despatch. No. 196. Tasmania, Australia. 19 May 1837. p. 568. Retrieved 7 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- The Sydney Monitor. Vol. XII, no. 1041. New South Wales, Australia. 31 May 1837. p. 4 (EVENING). Retrieved 7 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ISBN 0-9592863-2-2.
- ISBN 0-522-84527-4.
- ^ a b "MESSRS. GELLIBRAND AND HESSE". The Courier (Hobart). Vol. XVII, no. 976. Tasmania, Australia. 9 August 1844. p. 2. Retrieved 7 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "THE REMAINS OF MESSRS GELLIBRAND AND HESSE". Geelong Advertiser. Vol. IV, no. 234. Victoria, Australia. 24 June 1844. p. 2 (Morning.). Retrieved 7 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "REMINISCENCES OF PIONEER DAYS IN VICTORIA". Oakleigh Leader. No. 293. Victoria, Australia. 13 August 1892. p. 1 (SUPPLEMENT TO THE LEADER). Retrieved 7 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
Books
- P. C. James, 'Gellibrand, Joseph Tice (1792? - 1837)', Melbourne University Press, 1966, pp 437–438. Retrieved 1 November 2008
- Museum Victoria, Encounters: A History of Aboriginal People in Victoria, J. T. Gellibrand.