W. P. Auld

William Patrick Auld
Born	Stalybridge, near Manchester, England
Died	September 2, 1912(1912-09-02) (aged 72)
Occupation(s)	Vigneron, wine merchant, explorer
Known for	Participation in John McDouall Stuart's sixth expedition; management of Auldana vineyard; involvement in Finniss expedition

William Patrick Auld (27 May 1840 – 2 September 1912), commonly referred to as W. P. Auld or Pat, was a vigneron and wine merchant based in Adelaide, South Australia, originally from Stalybridge near Manchester, England. He took part in John McDouall Stuart's sixth expedition (December 1861 – December 1862), which was the first successful south-to-north crossing of Australia. Additionally, he was a member of B. T. Finniss's 1864 expedition aimed at choosing a capital site for the Northern Territory, during which he faced trial for the alleged murder of an Aboriginal man.

For many years, Auld managed the family’s prestigious vineyard "Auldana," located in the eastern foothills, where he earned acclaim as an expert vigneron and respected wine judge. The area now known as the suburb of Auldana occupies the former vineyard grounds.

Foundation of "Auldana" by his father

Patrick and Eliza Auld arrived in South Australia on 6 April 1842 aboard the . Accompanied by their children, including William Patrick, Patrick Auld initially ran a wine and spirit merchant business on Hindley Street before acquiring two adjoining 230-acre plots in Magill, which he named "Auldana." Around 1847 or 1849, he sold his Hindley Street enterprise and took his family back to England, where William attended "King's College," most likely King's College School.

Patrick returned solo to Adelaide in 1852, constructing a home on one parcel of "Auldana" and cultivating vineyards on the remaining land between 1846 and 1856. In February 1862, he launched the South Auldana Vineyard Association with a capital of £12,500; its board included Abraham Scott, George Tinline, John Hodgkiss, Patrick Auld himself, and William Wadham. The wines produced by this association received favorable attention at the 1863 London Exhibition, although it voluntarily liquidated in October 1865. Around this period, Patrick also founded a wine export business located in Gilbert Place. By 1876, vineyard plantings had expanded to cover 104 acres.

Education and early career

The family returned to South Australia around 1853 or 1854, where William Patrick Auld completed his schooling at J. L. Young's Adelaide Educational Institution. Subsequently, he secured a cadetship under G. W. Goyder, who served as Surveyor General of South Australia.

Participation in Stuart’s sixth expedition

In 1861, W. P. Auld was chosen to join John McDouall Stuart’s sixth expedition. Officially commencing on 25 October 1861 from James and Catherine Chambers’ residence in North Adelaide, the group departed Adelaide on 7 November. This marked Stuart’s third and ultimately successful attempt to traverse Australia from south to north. On 24 July 1862, they symbolically raised the Union Jack at Van Diemen's Gulf, completing the continent’s first European crossing—traveling through central Australia and returning along the same path without any fatalities.

Involvement in the Finniss expedition

In 1864, the South Australian government commissioned B. T. Finniss to identify a suitable location near the Adelaide River for establishing the Northern Territory’s capital city, "Palmerston." Employed as a chainman, Auld was among the forty participants who embarked from Port Adelaide aboard the barque "Henry Ellis" on 29 April 1864 en route to Adam Bay. Due to preferential treatment extended by Finniss towards Auld and several young laborers, friction arose within the expedition’s officer ranks.

Auld joined surgeon Belgrave Ninnis’s exploratory group that surveyed territories west of the Adelaide River up to Howard River and King Creek aboard , arriving at Port Darwin in April 1865. Leading an overland team including G. Warland, W. Dougall, F. Litchfield, Dr Ninnis, and Fred Finniss, Auld crossed the Adelaide River on 17 April and named Howard River three days later after Beatrice’s captain. After rendezvousing with their vessel at Port Darwin, they returned to camp. Subsequently, several members of the expedition—including Auld—opted to return home aboard the Bengal rather than remain; others acquired a boat (the Forlorn Hope) for westward travel by sea.

Fatal Incidents Involving Aboriginal People

During the Finniss expedition, Auld took part in a retaliatory operation targeting an Aboriginal group from Chambers Bay near Escape Cliffs, who had been responsible for theft and injuring horses. In the course of this action, an Aboriginal man was shot, and Auld faced accusations of having fired the shot.

In correspondence with his father, Auld recounted that Colonel Finniss had instructed seven horsemen to retrieve stolen property and treat the Indigenous people as criminals. Acting as a scout alongside two men, Auld encountered approximately fifty Aboriginal individuals and discharged his weapon at one of them. The infantry then arrived, scattering the group and enabling the recovery of the stolen goods. Dr. Walker, serving as Protector of Aborigines, purportedly pressed charges against Auld for the shooting; however, the governor declined to accept the complaint.

Auld further described the natives as few in number but notably "great thieves" and "cunning." He mentioned two shootings involving their party—one deemed justified and another described as a "cold-blooded murder," likely alluding to events on 9 August 1864 involving Alaric Ward and on 8 September 1864 concerning Auld himself.

During the trial, no evidence was offered by the prosecution; reports suggested that the man shot (referred to as Dombey or Bombey) remained alive. Auld was acquitted after two essential witnesses failed to appear—one perished by drowning before the trial, while the other had departed for England.

After the trial, Auld encountered public disapproval when he petitioned parliament for reimbursement of his legal expenses. His request was rejected amid vigorous opposition from individuals such as H. B. T. Strangways, who dismissed Auld’s defense that his actions were under Colonel Finniss’s orders.

Return to Adelaide

On 1 September, Police trooper Potter was dispatched aboard the "Ellen Lewis" to Adam Bay carrying warrants for the arrest of William Dougall and Adam Chandler, associates of Auld. Having returned earlier—possibly aboard the "Coorong" on 6 April 1866—Auld himself had already been charged and released on bail.

On 15 November 1866, Auld married Eliza Hartland Strawbridge (circa 1842 – 20 February 1916), eldest daughter of William S. Strawbridge, who succeeded Goyder as Surveyor General. Eliza was a published poet who collaborated with her mother, Eliza Stockholm Strawbridge, and published her own poetry collection in 1913.

Their daughter, Edith Mary Auld (1867–1928), became wife to Edward E. Cleland, a judge of the Supreme Court.

Their elder son William George "George" Auld (1868–1926) was a partner in W. P. Auld and Sons, served as auditor for Burnside District, and held a councillor position in Kensington and Norwood. He also acted as secretary of the Phylloxera Board and presided over the South Australian Winegrowers' Association. George actively participated in rowing and lacrosse administration and was affiliated with the South Australian Literary Associations' Union.

The younger son Ernest Patrick "Pat" Auld (1870–1938) joined W. P. Auld and Sons before managing Triton Insurance’s Tusmore branch. He was founding president of Kensington Cricket Club, secretary of South Australia’s Royal Empire Society branch, and president of the Adelaide Dual Club promoting arts and sciences.

A son born on 24 September 1871 died shortly after birth. Another daughter, Eliza Adeline (1872), succumbed to whooping cough during infancy.

Auldana Vineyard

In 1869, Patrick Auld made his way back to England to broaden his wine enterprise, establishing the Auldana Vineyard Office at 37 Walbrook Street, London EC. By 1870, he transferred ownership to Messrs. Leigh and Apps Smith and moved the office to Fenchurch Street. The following year, he partnered with others to create Auld, Burton and Co., operating from Mill Street near Hanover Square to oversee his wine interests. After Mr. Hally Burton declared bankruptcy in 1882, his shares were acquired by assistant Mr. Cocks, who subsequently lost the rights to the "Auldana" label due to unauthorized usage. The firm was rebranded as Australian Wine Co, featuring an emu emblem, and was sold in 1885 to Aylwin Pownall; under the name Emu Wine Co., it became a leading importer of Australian wines into Britain and Canada.

Around 1881, declining health prompted Patrick to move with his daughter to New Zealand, where he passed away in 1886 at Norman Hill near Auckland.

W. P. Auld and Sons Ltd.

After Patrick’s death in 1888, W. P. Auld sold the "Auldana" property to mortgagee Josiah Symon but maintained control of the Gilbert Place operations. By 1910, the business evolved into W. P. Auld and Sons Ltd., with his sons W. G. "George" Auld and E. P. Auld holding executive positions; whether W. P. Auld retained any ownership interest remains uncertain.

George acted as company representative while E. P. fulfilled secretarial duties through at least 1914. In 1923, the firm merged into Adelaide Wine and Spirit Co. Ltd., located on Hackney Road, with Walkerville Cooperative Brewing Co. Ltd. as principal shareholders and W. G. Auld serving as chairman and president. The company was dissolved in 1940.

George also took on leadership roles within the Vinegrowers' Association. The family’s involvement in winemaking persisted: Michael Auld oversaw Stonyfell Winery vineyards circa 1950, and George Patrick Auld was managing director of Angle Vale Vineyards Pty. Ltd., as of 1977.

Public life

In 1893, he was chosen as president of the South Australian Vignerons' Association. He was deeply engaged with the Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society of South Australia for many years, frequently acting as a wine judge. An enthusiastic horseman, he was a founding member of the Adelaide Hunt Club and rode alongside notable individuals such as Adam Lindsay Gordon. Additionally, he served on the council of the Adelaide branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia and held the presidency of the Australian Natives' Association at one time. Earlier in life, he participated in amateur theatre productions and contributed to youth organizations including the Clayton Young Men's Society and Norwood Young Men's Society. Furthermore, he served as a councillor representing Magill ward within the District of Burnside and was an active participant in the South Australian Free Rifle Corps.

Family

W. P. Auld was born to Patrick Auld (1811–1886) and Eliza (née McKinnell) (1806–1873).

Patrick Auld wed Eliza McKinnell around 1835:

• Agnes Auld (circa 1837–1886), who married James Pollard; they resided in Kapunda and Eudunda.
• Georgina Auld (1838–1917), unmarried; lived with her father in later years.
• William Patrick Auld (1840–1912), who married Eliza Hartland Strawbridge in 1866:
  • Edith Mary Auld (1867–1928), married Edward Erskine Cleland.
  • William George "George" Auld (1868–1926), married Ellen Howard "Nellie" Clark, daughter of John Howard Clark.
  • Ernest Patrick "Pat" Auld (1870–1938).

Two of Patrick’s brothers also emigrated to South Australia:

John Auld (1796–1860) arrived in 1835; he worked as a publican in Adelaide and Gawler, married Isabella Steele; they had no offspring.

Thomas Kirkpatrick Auld (1808–?) arrived aboard Glenswilly in 1839; he operated as a publican at Walkerville from 1847 to 1852 but declared insolvency in 1849. He married Marian Hutchison (deceased circa 1846) followed by Georgina Waters (died 1917); apparently without surviving children.

Recognition

The district of Auld in the greater Darwin region, along with Auld's Lagoon, bear his name in tribute. Fred's Pass, located within the Daly Ranges, and Fred's Pass Road—which was later incorporated into the Stuart Highway—were named by him to honor fellow explorer Fred Litchfield. Litchfield's legacy is further preserved through the nearby Litchfield Shire. It is worth noting that the outer Darwin suburb called Fred's Pass takes its name from the historic road rather than the actual pass.

In Adelaide, the suburb of Auldana stands on the grounds of his former vineyard. The influence he had on viticulture in the area is evident in street names such as Patrick Auld Drive and others named after grape varieties, including Hermitage Road, Traminer Way, Shiraz Place, and Verdelho Court.

Further reading

• Auld family chart