Charles Augustus John Symmons (1804-1887) was an official of the British government posted at the

Swan River Colony The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just Swan River, was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, and it ...

, assuming a role as "protector" and later police officer in the early decades of European settlement in Southwest Australia.

Biography

Charles Symmons was born in 1804 to a privileged family, made destitute by a "reversal of fortune" in 1831. While not meeting the usual requirements of education or experience in administering religion or law, Symmons took advantage of family connections to receive a recommendation from the Earl of Clarendon for a position at the new colony. His father's brother was

Charles Symmons Charles Symmons (1749 – 27 April 1826) was a Welsh poet and priest. Life Symmons was the younger son of John Symmons, the MP for Cardigan. He was born in Cardigan in 1749 and educated at Westminster School, joining the school in 1765; he w ...

, a poet and scholar active in the Anglican clergy, and the Royal surgeon and scientist

Anthony Carlisle Sir Anthony Carlisle FRCS, FRS (15 February 1768 in Stillington, County Durham, England – 2 November 1840 in London) was an English surgeon. Life He was born in Stillington, County Durham, the third son of Thomas Carlisle and his first wife, ...

was his brother-in-law. His impressive connections to upper classes of English society are likely to have increased his status in the small colony.

Works

Symmons arrived at the colony on 12 December 1839, beginning a public service position at the town that would become the state of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

's capital, Perth. His title was first announced as the "Protector of Aborigines", he summarised this period in 1848 as the application of a reward system, "The Protectors are most effectually advancing the best interests of their sable clients, by identifying themselves equally with those of the settlers, by protecting them from the aggressions of the aborigines, and thereby promoting a mutual reciprocity of good feeling." His policies of "native management" are regarded as a notable departure from his predecessors and contemporary application of justice and protection. His job title was later changed to "Guardian of Aborigines and Protector of Settlers". The appointment as Protector saw him take charge of two mounted officers with a contingent of eighteen indigenous men recruited as aides. Symmons was assisted by the colonist

Francis Armstrong Francis Fraser Armstrong (1813–1897) was a Scottish Methodist pioneer of the Swan River Colony who befriended and recorded the language of the Nyungar people in Western Australia. His father Adam Armstrong, was a well known early settler of We ...

in the role of the town's constable and "native translator" and

Peter Barrow Peter Barrow (30 July 1813 – 6 October 1899) was a son of Sir John Barrow, 1st Baronet, and an early settler in the colony of Western Australia, becoming a magistrate and Protector of Aborigines, Guardian of Aborigines, Anglican priest and scho ...

, who had also been appointed in England and was posted to the eastern frontier of the settlement at

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. The directives and payment of his salary were taken from funds provided by Lord Glenelg in England, in response to reports of violence presented in the British parliament, and to be implemented by the colony's governor

John Hutt John Hutt (24 July 1795 – 9 April 1880) was Governor of Western Australia from 1839 to 1846. Life Born in London on 24 July 1795, John Hutt was the fourth of 13 children of Richard Hutt of Appley Towers, Ryde, Isle of Wight. He was educated ...

. When

assumed his role in 1840, the policies of extending law and order to the Aboriginal peoples included the use of

Rottnest Island Rottnest Island ( nys, Wadjemup), often colloquially referred to as "Rotto", is a island off the coast of Western Australia, located west of Fremantle. A sandy, low-lying island formed on a base of aeolianite limestone, Rottnest is an A-class ...

for detention of Aboriginal people. At the beginning of what would become a notorious prison system, the stated aim of the Rottenest was the education of men deemed as insubordinate to accept the newly imposed social regulations and be employed as farm labourers. Symmons was able to sentence individuals he described as "untameable savages" to be transported to the island, visible just offshore and greatly feared by the Nyungar peoples due to reports of conditions there. His positions in the Swan River colony's civil service included the Public Works board in 1849, immigration agent in 1856, acting sheriff at

Champion Bay Champion Bay is a coastal feature north of Geraldton, Western Australia, facing the port and city between Point Moore and Bluff Point. Champion Bay was named by Lieutenant John Lort Stokes of , who surveyed the area in April 1840. He named it ...

during 1861 to 1862, and resident magistrate and justice of the peace at Fremantle in 1868. He was as Acting

Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

, effectively the head of law enforcement in the colony, from the beginning of March to the end of May in 1858; a briefly held position that advanced his career in the judiciary. Symmons influence with the police came as recommendations for recruitment to their ranks, and he may have directly appointed new officers himself while serving as sheriff at Champion Bay. He retired as Police Magistrate at Fremantle in 1870. Charles Symmons recorded and assembled word lists of the

Nyungar language Noongar (; also Nyungar ) is an Australian Aboriginal language or dialect continuum, spoken by some members of the Noongar community and others. It is taught actively in Australia, including at schools, universities and through public broadcastin ...

in the course of his work, these were included in the important compilation ''

A Descriptive Vocabulary of the Language in Common Use Amongst the Aborigines of Western Australia ''A Descriptive Vocabulary of the Language in Common Use Amongst the Aborigines of Western Australia'' is a book by George Fletcher Moore. First published in 1842, it represents one of the earliest attempts to record the languages used by the Abor ...

'' that was appended to publication of the colonist

George Fletcher Moore George Fletcher Moore (10 December 1798 – 30 December 1886) was a prominent early settler in colonial Western Australia, and "one fthe key figures in early Western Australia's ruling elite" (Cameron, 2000). He conducted a number of exploring ...

's diaries.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Symmons, Charles Augustus John 1804 births 1887 deaths Writers from Western Australia Colony of Western Australia judges Commissioners of Western Australia Police Settlers of Western Australia