Barnard Drummond Clarkson, born near

York, Western Australia York is the oldest inland town in Western Australia, situated on the Avon River, east of Perth in the Wheatbelt, on Ballardong Nyoongar land,King, A and Parker, E: York, Western Australia's first inland town, Parker Print, 2003 p.3. and is t ...

in 1836, was a pastoralist, explorer and politician. The

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

suburb of Clarkson was named after him.

Family

Clarkson's father Michael Clarkson arrived in the Swan River Colony in 1830 and married Jane Drummond, eldest daughter of James Drummond, on 7 November 1833. They had five sons, including Barnard, and two daughters. In 1867 Barnard Clarkson married Isabella Lukin, daughter of

Lionel Lukin Lionel Lukin (18 May 1742 – 16 February 1834) was a British inventor and lifeboat designer. Bibliography * Frederick Robus: ''Lionel Lukin of Dunmow: The Inventor of the Lifeboat''. Robus Broth. 1925 Web ''Life Boat''(Made up in Brit ...

; they three sons and three daughters. Clarkson died in March 1909 at Mt Anderson near Toodyay.

Political life

In 1867 Clarkson was appointed as Justice of the Peace for Western Australia. He was a member of the Toodyay Road Board for a number of years and was chairman from 1901 to 1904. In 1890 when Western Australia obtain responsible government Clarkson became the first member of the

Western Australian Legislative Assembly The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House, Perth, Parliament House in the Western Australian capi ...

for the seat of Toodyay, a post he held until 1897. During this time he was a supporter of John Forrest.

References

People from Toodyay, Western Australia Explorers of Western Australia Western Australian local councillors Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly 1836 births 1909 deaths 19th-century Australian politicians {{Australia-politician-stub