Evelyn Sturt
Evelyn Pitfield Shirley Sturt | |
|---|---|
| File:Evelyn Pitfield Shirley Sturt.jpeg | |
| Born | 25 October 1815 Dorset, England |
| Died | 10 February 1885 (aged 69) at sea |
| Occupation(s) | Police magistrate, commissioner of crown lands, police officer, overlander, grazier |
| Spouse | Mary Frances Grylls |
| Parent(s) | Thomas Lenox Napier Sturt & Jeannette, née Wilson |
Evelyn Pitfield Shirley Sturt (25 October 1815 – 10 February 1885) was born in Dorset, England. He was the youngest child of Thomas Lenox Napier Sturt, who served as a puisne judge in Bengal for the British East India Company, and Jeannette, née Wilson. His sibling included the Australian explorer Charles Sturt.
At the age of 20, Evelyn arrived in Australia, and by 21 he had been appointed Commissioner of Crown Lands for the colony. After two years in this role, he stepped down to undertake the overland transport of sheep and cattle from Bathurst to Adelaide, subsequently acquiring extensive landholdings as a grazier.
Between 1849 and 1878, Sturt held positions as Police Magistrate and Superintendent of Police in Melbourne.
Early life
Evelyn received his education at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. In 1836, he emigrated to New South Wales aboard the Hooghly, arriving in Sydney on 12 October. Within four months of arrival, on 20 February 1837, he was appointed Commissioner of Crown lands stationed at Yass. At just 21 years old, he earned the nickname 'the boy commissioner'.
Sheep and cattle farming
In 1839, Sturt resigned from his position as Commissioner of Crown Lands to undertake the overlanding of sheep and cattle over a distance of approximately 1200 km from Bathurst to Adelaide. His partners in this venture were Charles Campbell, James Stein, and a Mr Hardy. After settling near Willunga, South Australia in the Mount Lofty Ranges, he founded Compton station close to Mount Gambier in 1844.
Despite the earlier presence of the Henty brothers from 1839 to 1844 and their interactions with the local Buandig people—the area's indigenous inhabitants—Sturt was granted ownership of land before them. Although he encountered numerous difficulties managing the property, he left it in 1849 upon becoming Police Magistrate but maintained ownership until 1853.
In 1853, reflecting on the region along the River Murray, which his brother Charles Sturt had named in 1830, he remarked: "As for the Murray ever becoming an agricultural country, the notion is absurd ... there is hardly a settler on the Lower Murray who can luxuriate in a vegetable."
Duties with the Melbourne Police
During his tenure at Mount Gambier, Evelyn was appointed as Police Magistrate in Melbourne in 1849.
By 1850, he had advanced to the position of superintendent of the Melbourne Police, where he focused on resolving issues stemming from dispersed police stations and a shortage of staff.
The onset of the gold rushes drastically reduced his workforce; by December 1851, forty out of fifty officers had resigned. In early 1853, Sir William Henry Fancourt Mitchell took over as superintendent, allowing Evelyn to return to his magistrate duties in Melbourne, a role he maintained for twenty-five years. Recognized for his firm exercise of authority, he participated in the 1854 commission that examined the Bentley hotel incident at Ballarat—an event that foreshadowed the Eureka Stockade—where he advocated for the removal of corrupt officials and compensation for affected parties.
Evelyn also contributed to royal commissions in 1861 that scrutinized the unsuccessful Burke and Wills expedition.
In 1869, he briefly traveled back to England with his wife and was present at the passing of his brother Charles Sturt. He resumed his magistrate responsibilities until January 1878, when he was dismissed during the Black Wednesday government cutbacks. Following this, he retired to England on a pension.
Personal life
In 1852, at age 36, Evelyn married Mary Frances, daughter of Reverend J. C. Grylls of the Church of England. The couple did not have children and later settled in Brighton, Victoria.
Death
While returning to Victoria from England aboard the Perkin in 1885, Evelyn developed severe bronchitis and passed away at age 69 on 10 February, shortly before reaching Port Said, Egypt. His remains were transported back to England for burial.
Evelyn County in New South Wales and Sturt Street in Ballarat, Victoria, bear his name as a tribute.
Memoria
Evelyn Creek in New South Wales was named by his explorer brother Charles Sturt in his honor.
See also
Bibliography
- Boldrewood, R., Old Melbourne Memories, 2nd edn, Macmillan, London, 1896.
- Bride, T. F. (ed.), Letters from Victorian Pioneers, Melbourne, 1898.
- Fetherstonhaugh, C., After Many Days, Sydney, 1918.
- Gross, A., Sturt, Evelyn Pitfield Shirley (1816–1885), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, 1976.
- Sturt, N. G., Life of Charles Sturt, London, 1895.