South Australian Company

The South Australian Company (9 October 1835 – 17 March 1949), also referred to as the South Australia Company, was formed in London on 9 October 1835, after lobbying by the South Australian Association. The founding board, headed by George Fife Angas, consisted of wealthy British merchants in order to develop a new settlement in South Australia; its purpose was to build a new colony by meeting an essential financial obligation of the South Australia Act 1834.

The South Australian Company ended business in its own right on 17 March 1949 when it was liquidated by Elders Trustee & Executor Company Ltd, which had been managing its Australian affairs since the death of the last Colonial Manager, Arthur Muller in 1936.[1]

Foundation

The formation of the company followed considerable lobbying by the South Australian Association, a group consisting of philanthropists, radical thinkers, dissenters and merchants. After a years of negotiation, false starts, changes and amendments to suggested charters, the British Parliament finally gave approval and passed the South Australia (Foundation) Act on 15 August 1834.[2]

The founding Board of directors were George Fife Angas (Chairman); Raikes Currie; Charles Hindley MP; James Hyde; Henry Kingscote; John Pirie, Alderman; Christopher Rawson; John Rundle MP; Thomas Smith; James Ruddell Todd; and Henry Waymouth; with Edmund John Wheeler, Manager; Samuel Stephens, Colonial Manager; and Edward Hill, Secretary pro tem.[3]

Purpose

The original purpose of the company was to help prospective colonists meet the obligations set out in the South Australia Act 1834.[4] The United Kingdom did not want the "province" to be a financial burden, like other colonies, and imposed certain conditions through the Act. One of these conditions was the sale of real property (land) to the value of £35,000. Each director was required to buy at least £2,500 in shares in the company. The biggest sales in land carried out by the company were done in the names of Angas, who purchased £40,000, and the Currie family, who purchased £9,000. Research published in 2018 and 2019 concluded that these sales and the creation of company, which secured the establishment of South Australia, link the colony's creation with slavery in the British West Indies.[4][5]

First Fleet of South Australia (1836)
Further information: First Fleet of South Australia and British colonisation of South Australia

After a historic meeting at Exeter Hall on 30 June 1834, where the principles, objects, plan and prospects of the new Colony of South Australia were explained to the public, hundreds of enquiries from prospective immigrants started to arrive at the South Australian Association's rooms at 7 John Street, Adelphi.

Under the emigration scheme, labouring classes received free passage. They had to be between 15 and 30 years of age, preferably married, and needed two references. Steerage passengers paid £15-20, middle berth £35-40, and cabin class £70. Children under 14 years were charged £3 while those under 1 year were free.

Although the ships had been assessed for their suitability to convey immigrants, the captain was responsible for their welfare once on board.

All emigration to South Australia was voluntary. The immigrants were remarkable or the high percentage of women and children who arrived on the first fleet. The nine ships to arrive in South Australia in 1836 landed 343 males, 164 females and 129 children, for a total 636 passengers. The passengers' average age was only 19 years.

In January 1836 four ships sailed from England on behalf of the Company. They developed a settlement at Kingscote on Kangaroo Island, in July 1836, but when farming proved unviable, they transferred their settlement to the mainland. The Company provided basic infrastructure for the new colony and sold or leased land to immigrants who came to settle.

Over the course of six months nine ships, which may be termed the First Fleet of South Australia, arrived in the new colony:

DateShipSizePurposePassengers
27 JulyDuke of York(190 tons)S.A. Company38 passengers
30 JulyLady Mary Pelham(206 ton)S.A. Company29
16 AugustJohn Pirie(105 tons)S.A. Company28
21 AugustRapid(162 tons)Commissioners24
11 SeptemberCygnet(239 tons)Commissioners84
5 OctoberEmma(181 tons)S.A. Company22
2 NovemberAfricaine(316 tons)Various76
20 NovemberTam O'Shanter(360 tons)O. Gilles74
23 DecemberHMS Buffalo(850 tons)Commissioners171[6]

Colonial Managers

The Colonial Managers of the South Australian Company were:

Manager
From
To
 Notes
Samuel Stephens18361837[7]
David McLaren18371841[8]
William Giles18411861[9]
William John Brind18611894[10][11]
Henry Yorke Sparks18941900[12][13]
Henry Percival Moore19011929[14][15]
Arthur Leopold Albert Muller19301936[16][17]
(none)19361949[1]
  • David McLaren 1837-1841
  • William Giles 1841-1860
  • William Brind 1861-1894
  • Henry Sparks 1894-1900
  • Henry Moore 1901-1929
  • Arthur Muller 1930-1936

Officers of the company

Most of the major streets in the Adelaide city centre were named after the founding directors of the company

Chairmen
Directors
Company Secretaries
  • 1878–1911 James Hutchison [33]
  • 1911–1930+ Henry Brandreth Gibbs F.C.I.S.[34]
Attorneys in South Australia
Local Board of Advice, Adelaide
  • 1841–1885 William Bartley [35]
  • 1841–18?? Edward Stephens
  • 1856–1870 William Bakewell, M.P., Crown Solicitor [38]
  • 1876–1923 John Warren Bakewell [37]
  • 1886-1930+ Joseph Fisher [39]
  • 1894–1932 Sir John Lancelot Stirling K.C.M.G., M.L.C.[40]
Accountants

Company offices

From 1872, the South Australian Company occupied offices on North Terrace on the corner of Gawler Place. The new building, "Gawler Chambers", was completed in 1914.

  • First office, erected 1836 at Kingscote, Kangaroo Island. (c. 1870)
  • North Terrace east, corner of Gawler Place. (c. 1872)
  • c. 1900
  • c. 1909
  • "Gawler Chambers" c. 1914
  • c. 1914

List of people associated with the South Australian Company

Most of the major streets in the Adelaide city centre were named after the founding directors of the company. Naming of the settlements streets was completed on 23 May 1837 and gazetted on 3 June by the Street Naming Committee (Adelaide).

WhoAssociationStreetsNotes
George Fife Angas (1789–1879)CommissionerAngas Street
Raikes Currie (1801–1881)Founding directorCurrie Street
Divett, EdwardTrusteeDivett Place
Sir James Hurtle Fisher (1790–1875)Resident Commissioner (#1)Hurtle Square[42]
Fussell, JohnTrusteeTook over from Henry Waymouth after his death in January 1848.[43]
George Gawler (1795–1869)Governor of SA (1838–1841)Gawler PlaceGawler (town), Gawler Ranges, etc.[44]
William Giles (1791–1862)Colonial Manager (1841–1860)[9]
Robert Gouger (1802–1846)Colonial Secretary (#1)Gouger Street[45]
Pascoe St Leger Grenfell (1798–1879)South Australian Church SocietyGrenfell Street
Sir George Grey (1812–1898)Governor of SA (1841–1845)[46]
Charles HindleyFounding directorHindley Street[3]
Sir John Hindmarsh (1785–1860)Governor of SA (1836–1838)Hindmarsh Square[47]
William HuttCommissionerHutt Street
Henry KingscoteFounding DirectorKingscote, Kangaroo Island[3]
Sir George Strickland Kingston (1807–1880)Deputy Surveyor GeneralKingston SE[48]
William Light (1786–1839)Surveyor GeneralLight Square[49]
David McLaren (1785–1850)Colonial Manager (1837–1841)[8]
Moore, Henry PercivalColonial Manager (1901–1929)[14][15]
Sir John Morphett (1809–1892)Land AgentMorphett Street[50]
Muller, Arthur Leopold AlbertColonial Manager (1930–1936)[16][17]
Sir John PirieFounding directorPirie Street[3]
Rawson, ChristopherFounding director[3]
Frederick Robe (1801–1871)Governor of SA (1845–1848)Robe, South Australia[51]
John RundleFounding directorRundle Street[3]
Smith, ThomasFounding director[3]
Sparks, Henry YorkeColonial Manager (1894–1900)[11][12][13]
Edward Stephens (1811–1861)First manager of SA Banking Co[52]
Samuel Stephens (1808–1840)Colonial Manager (1836–1837)[7]
Todd, James RuddellFounding director[3]
Robert Torrens (1780–1864)CommissionerRiver Torrens[53]
Daniel Bell Wakefield (1798–1858)Drafted the bill that became the founding actWakefield Street[54]
Edward Gibbon Wakefield (1796–1862)Early proposer of colonisation[55]
Henry Waymouth (1791–1848)Founding directorWaymouth Street[3]
William Wolryche-WhitmoreSouth Australian Church SocietyWhitmore Square
Sir Henry Edward Fox Young (1803–1870)Governor of SA (1848–1854)[56]

References
  1. "Ending Of Famous S.A. Company". The Advertiser (Adelaide). 91 (28135). South Australia. 9 December 1948. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. History of the South Australian Company, SA Memory
  3. "The South Australian Company". South Australian Gazette And Colonial Register. South Australia. 18 June 1836. p. 6. Retrieved 3 December 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. Coventry, C. J. (2019). "Links in the Chain: British slavery, Victoria and South Australia". Before/Now. 1 (1): 37–39. doi:10.17613/d8ht-p058.
  5. McQueen, Humphrey (2018). "Chapter 4: Born free : wage-slaves and chattel-slaves". In Collins, Carolyn; Sendziuk, Paul (eds.). Foundational Fictions in South Australian History. Wakefield Press. pp. 43–63. ISBN 9781743056066.
  6. Majority of the Colony of South Australia South Australian Register 5 January 1858 p.3 accessed 2 July 2011
  7. Stephens, Samuel (1808-1840), Australian Dictionary of Biography online retrieved 1 July 2011
  8. McLaren, David (1785-1850) Australian Dictionary of Biography online retrieved 2 July 2011
  9. Tregenza, John (1966). "Giles, William (1791-1862)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 24 February 2008 – via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  10. William John Brind SA Memory
  11. 'The South Australian Company' The Adelaide Observer 7 July 1894, p.14 col. E.
    Resignation of Mr. W.J. Brind and appointment of Mr. H.Y. Sparks as Manager; biographical sketch of Henry Yorke Sparks.
  12. Death of Mr. H. Y. Sparks South Australian Register 22 October 1900 p.4
  13. Death of H. Y. Sparks The Advertiser 22 October 1900 p.5 – Includes biography
  14. Personal The Advertiser 6 December 1913 p.19 (Henry Percival Moore)
  15. Personal The Advertiser 11 January 1901 p.5 – Includes brief biography of Henry Percival Moore
  16. New Manager – South Australian Company The Mail 28 December 1929 p.3 – Includes brief biography of Arthur L. A. Muller
  17. Obituary – Mr Arthur L. A. Muller The Advertiser 10 March 1936 p.21
  18. Angas, George Fife (1789–1879), Australian Dictionary of Biography online
  19. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/brg/42/122/BRG42_122_17.htm
  20. The Globe - 03 June 1886 p.5
  21. Leeds Mercury - Friday 08 June 1888 p.7
  22. The Globe - 06 June 1889 p.5
  23. Adelaide Observer - 17 July 1897 p.39
  24. Dundee Courier - Thursday 09 June 1898 p.2
  25. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/brg/42/122/BRG42_122_1.htm Joslin, Henry, 1839-1927
  26. "Family Notices". South Australian Register. XII (841). South Australia. 7 June 1848. p. 2. Retrieved 3 December 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  27. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/07500/B7334_1.htm Clarke, Stanley, Sir, d.1911
  28. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/07500/B7334_2.htm & http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/brg/42/122/BRG42_122_3.htm Kennaway, John H., Sir, d.1919
  29. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/07500/B7334_3.htm Johnston, Andrew, d.1922
  30. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/07500/B7334_4.htm Grant, John Henry
  31. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/07500/B7334_5.htm Hodge, R.H. Hermon, Sir
  32. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/07500/B7334_13.htm & http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/36500/B36432.htm Barr Smith, Thomas Elder, 1863-1941
  33. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/07500/B7334_6.htm Hutchison, James
  34. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/07500/B7334_7.htm
  35. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/07500/B7334_28.htm
  36. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/07500/B7334_9.htm
  37. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/07500/B7334_10.htm
  38. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/07500/B7334_14.htm
  39. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/07500/B7334_11.htm
  40. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/07500/B7334_12.htm
  41. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/07500/B7334_29.htm
  42. Fisher, Sir James Hurtle (1790–1875), Australian Dictionary of Biography online
  43. "South Australian Company". South Australian Register. XII (881). South Australia. 25 October 1848. p. 3. Retrieved 2 December 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  44. Gawler, George (1795–1869), Australian Dictionary of Biography online
  45. Gouger, Robert (1802–1846), Australian Dictionary of Biography online
  46. Grey, Sir George (1812–1898), Australian Dictionary of Biography online
  47. Hindmarsh, Sir John (1785–1860), Australian Dictionary of Biography online
  48. Kingston, Sir George Strickland (1807–1880), Australian Dictionary of Biography online
  49. Light, William (1786–1839), Australian Dictionary of Biography online
  50. Morphett, Sir John (1809–1892), Australian Dictionary of Biography online
  51. E. J. R. Morgan (1967). "Robe, Frederick Holt (1802–1871)". Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2. Melbourne University Press. pp. 383–384. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  52. Stephens, Edward (1811–1861), Australian Dictionary of Biography online
  53. Torrens, Robert (1780–1864), Australian Dictionary of Biography online
  54. "Streets of Adelaide and North Adelaide" (PDF). State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  55. Wakefield, Edward Gibbon (1796–1862), Australian Dictionary of Biography online
  56. H. J. Gibbney (1976). "Young, Sir Henry Edward Fox (1803–1870)". Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6. Melbourne University Press. pp. 452–453. Retrieved 18 September 2011.

Further reading
  • Copyright photo of a South Australian Company promissary note for sixpence, issue Kingscote, 1 June 1836, signed by Samuel Stephens
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