Henry Fyshe Gisborne
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Henry Fyshe Gisborne (1813–1841) was the first Commissioner for Crown Lands of the
Port Phillip District The Port Phillip District was an administrative division of the Colony of New South Wales from 9 September 1836 until 1 July 1851, when it was separated from New South Wales and became the Colony of Victoria. In September 1836, NSW Colonial Sec ...
, founder of Flemington Racecourse and petitioner for
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
's separation from
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
.


Early career

Henry Fyshe Gisborne was the son of
Thomas Gisborne the Younger Thomas Gisborne (1789 – 20 July 1852) was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1830 and 1852. Life Gisborne was the son of Thomas Gisborne, Prebendary of Durham. He was educated at Trinity College, Camb ...
and Elizabeth Fysche Palmer, daughter of John Palmer. He was educated at Harrow,
Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...
and
Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...
, which he left without obtaining a degree. He left England due to ill health and travelled to Australia, landing in Sydney in 1834. In 1837 Gisborne was dispatched by Governor Bourke as police magistrate to
Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
, in the recently colonised Australian hinterland beyond the Blue Mountains where he attempted to keep the peace among early settlers and the native
Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , ...
.


In Victoria

In 1839
Governor Gipps Sir George Gipps (23 December 1790 – 28 February 1847) was the Governor of the British colony of New South Wales for eight years, between 1838 and 1846. His governorship oversaw a tumultuous period where the rights to land were bitterly conte ...
appointed Gisborne Commissioner of Crown Lands of the Port Phillip District. Gisborne's official activities included scouting the hitherto little explored areas of central Victoria. Gisborne led his detachment of Border Police troopers in a skirmish known as the '
Battle of Yering The Battle of Yering was a conflict between Indigenous Australians of the Wurundjeri nation and the Border Police which occurred on 13 January 1840, on the outskirts of Melbourne.Kath Gannaway, Important step for reconciliation' Star News Group, ...
' (no recorded loss of life on either side) at which the
Wurundjeri The Wurundjeri people are an Australian Aboriginal people of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin nation. They are the Traditional Owners of the Birrarung (Yarra River) Valley, covering much of the present location of Narrm (Melbourn ...
chief Jaga Jaga (also known as Jackie Jackie) was captured, only to be rescued following the diversionary tactics of his colleagues.Kath Gannaway,
Important step for reconciliation
'' Star News Group, January 24, 2007. Accessed November 1, 2008
Isabel Ellender and Peter Christiansen, pp65-67 ''People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days'', Merri Creek Management Committee, 2001 When not out on expedition, Gisborne's contribution to early Melbourne society included penning articles for local paper and patronising the
Melbourne Club The Melbourne Club is a private social club established in 1838 and located at 36 Collins Street, Melbourne. The club is a symbol of Australia's British social heritage and was established at a gathering of 23 gentlemen on Saturday, 17 Decembe ...
. His social activities attracted unfavourable notices from Governor Gipps, but this displeasure was overlooked by Gisborne's immediate superior, Superintendent (later Governor)
Charles La Trobe Charles la Trobe, CB (20 March 18014 December 1875), commonly Latrobe, was appointed in 1839 superintendent of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales and, after the establishment in 1851 of the colony of Victoria (now a state of Australi ...
. Gisborne's most notable contributions to the fledgeling city were moving the site of Melbourne's turf meetings to their current location by the
Maribyrnong River The Maribyrnong River is a perennial river of the Port Phillip catchment, located in the northwestern suburbs of Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. Course The Maribyrnong River draws its headwaters from near ...
at Flemington Racecourse, donating the first books to the Mechanics' Institute (now the
Athenaeum Athenaeum may refer to: Books and periodicals * ''Athenaeum'' (German magazine), a journal of German Romanticism, established 1798 * ''Athenaeum'' (British magazine), a weekly London literary magazine 1828–1921 * ''The Athenaeum'' (Acadia U ...
Library) and in June 1840 drafting and delivering the first petition for the separation of the Port Phillip District to Governor Gipps. In 1841, in ill health, Gisborne sailed from Sydney for England. He died between the
Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...
and
Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
on 21 April 1841 at the age of twenty-seven.


Places named after Gisborne

*
Gisborne, Victoria Gisborne () is a town in the Macedon Ranges, located about north-west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the largest town in the Macedon Ranges Shire, with a population of 13,963 as of June 2018. Gisborne is known for its country homest ...
- named by Governor La Trobe *Gisborne Street - behind
Parliament House, Melbourne Parliament House is the meeting place of the Parliament of Victoria, one of the parliaments of the Australian states and territories. Located on Spring Street on the edge of the Hoddle Grid, the grand colonnaded front dominates the vista ...
, in recognition of the first petition for Victorian separation


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gisborne, Henry Fyshe 1813 births 1841 deaths 19th-century Australian public servants People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge