Charles Christian Dutton
Charles Christian Dutton | |
|---|---|
| Born | England |
| Died | Error: Need valid birth date (second date): year, month, day |
| Occupation | Pastoralist |
| Known for | Disappearance and presumed death during cattle drive in South Australia |
Charles Christian Dutton (presumed deceased 1842) was a pastoralist operating in the Colony of South Australia who vanished and is believed to have been killed by Aboriginal groups while driving cattle from Port Lincoln to Adelaide in July 1842.
Background
Born in England, Dutton was the son of John Dutton. During the 1830s, he and his brother Henry Pelerin Dutton (1803–1870) managed a store in Singleton, New South Wales, though their business partnership dissolved in 1837. Henry later oversaw a property at (St.) Patrick's Plains, faced insolvency in 1844, and subsequently acquired a pastoral lease in Queensland. Henry was also the father of Queensland legislator Charles Dutton.
Charles Dutton arrived in South Australia aboard the Abeona from Hobart in March 1838. It is possible he returned to England briefly before coming back with his wife Ellen, née White, on the Dorset in January 1839. In Adelaide, he held the position of clerk at the Supreme Court and temporarily served as sheriff.
Presumed massacre on Eyre Peninsula
Dutton was managing a cattle enterprise called "Pillaworta," located near Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula, owned by pastoralist Charles Driver. In July 1842, due to concerns about attacks from local Aboriginal groups—likely the Nauo or Barngarla—he abandoned the station. After sending his family by ship to Adelaide, he gathered a makeshift team—Graham, Cox, Haldane, and Brown (a former Adelaide policeman)—to drive approximately 250 cattle overland toward Adelaide. Initially accompanied by Lieutenant Hugonin of the 96th Regiment of Foot, the group headed toward what is now Port Augusta, but disappeared near present-day Whyalla. Available evidence indicates they were killed by Barngarla warriors.
Earlier that year, on 29 March 1842, an assault by Aboriginal people resulted in the deaths of Rolles Biddle—a Quaker relative of Samuel and Frederick White—and two others on a nearby farm.
Search operations
Following the failure of Dutton’s party to arrive as planned, search parties were organised. In September 1842, four young pastoralists—brothers G.C. Hawker and J.C. Hawker, along with William Peter and James Baker—volunteered for the mission. Initially, Governor Grey assigned police inspector Alexander Tolmer with four troopers to accompany them; however, Tolmer withdrew after disagreements with the volunteers. The pastoralists continued to Port Lincoln and hired a vessel to conduct a coastal search. Governor Grey later reinstated Tolmer under the leadership of Edward John Eyre, supported by Thomas Burr. Despite these extensive efforts, no sign of the five men was discovered, although some cattle were recovered.
Retribution killings
Following the suspected demise of the settlers, military personnel conducted retaliatory killings targeting an unspecified number of Aboriginal individuals.
Legacy
Dutton Bay, located near Port Lincoln and presently encompassed within Mount Dutton Bay Conservation Park, bears his name as a tribute.
Family
Charles Christian Dutton was wedded to Ellen Dutton (née White; –1853). Their offspring included:
- Charles William Dutton (1839 – December 1916), who took charge of Yaluna and Strawberry Hill stations for W. R. Mortlock beginning in 1865, later managing Coffin Bay and Waratta stations. In 1862, he married Matilda Jane Swaffer (c. 1845 – November 1924).
- Emma Pillawarta Dutton (1840 – ) became the wife of James Gall in 1863.
- Julia Eliza Dutton (1842 – 1916) united in marriage with Edward Daniel Swaffer (c. 1842 – 1930) in 1865.
Following Ellen’s passing, she remarried Thomas Bond Hawson in Port Lincoln in 1845.
Charles’s brother was Sydney businessman John Alexander Dutton (c.1800 – 1849). Another potential family member was Rose Ann Dutton (d.1836), who emigrated to New South Wales around 1822 along with her husband John Laurio Platt, settling in Sandgate and playing a pioneering role in the Patrick's Plains region near Singleton.
They did not have close ties to the notable family of Frederick Hansborough Dutton, the founder of Anlaby Station in South Australia.
See also
Newspaper article
- Early Eyre Peninsula series, Port Lincoln Times (South Australia: 1927–1954), January to March 1936, National Library of Australia