Henry Vincent (c. 1796 - 6 May 1869) was the first Superintendent 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 ...

Aboriginal Prison, in

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 ...

Life

Francis Henry Vincent is said to have been born in Dorset in around 1796. He is always referred to as Henry Vincent. Vincent was wounded and lost an eye in the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

. He was the gaoler at

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

from 1831 until he was given the job of constructing the "Rottnest Native Establishment". He was appointed Superintendent of the Rottnest Island Aboriginal Prison in 1839, and held the position for 27 years, until 1867. Under Vincent's rule many Aborigines died. However this was not unique to his supervision; between 1838, when the prison was opened, and 1931, it is reported that there were 369 Aboriginal fatalities. While most deaths were caused by

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

, it is reported that five prisoners were

hanged Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...

. Vincent was extremely cruel, and eventually his overtly brutal treatment of the prisoners concerned even the colonial authorities, to the extent that the Governor sent an investigator to the island. The investigator was later driven off the island by Vincent. For his treatment of Aboriginal prisoners, Vincent was forced into retirement in 1867, and his place was taken by William Jackson. Like many in the Western Australian Swan River colony, Vincent believed that the Aborigines were an inferior race, doomed to extinction. As superintendent of the prison, Henry Vincent left his mark on the island. With Aboriginal labour he designed and built many of the old

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

buildings that can still be seen today. Vincent managed, with the aid of his Aboriginal prisoners, to build and successfully run a

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

on the island.Green, Neville (1981) "Aborigines and Settlers" in C.T. Stannage, ed. A New History Of Western Australia (University of Western Australia Press Nedlands, 1981), p. 89-92. Most of the development took place in Thomson Bay; of particular significance is the Quod that was the prison accommodation for the Aboriginal men. Vincent died on 6 May 1869 when he was said to be 73 years old. The service took place at St John's Church and he was buried in

Fremantle Cemetery Fremantle Cemetery is a cemetery located in the eastern part (Palmyra) of Fremantle, Western Australia. Established in 1898, it is known as the final resting place of Bon Scott, several murderers and dozens of other notable Australians. There ...

. . Vincent's other injury: what is not stated in the above notes is that Vincent suffered another injury in the battle of Waterloo. He was shot in the groin. The lead shot was never removed and only in the latter part of his term at Rottnest did

lead poisoning Lead poisoning, also known as plumbism and saturnism, is a type of metal poisoning caused by lead in the body. The brain is the most sensitive. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, constipation, headaches, irritability, memory problems, inferti ...

cause what is acknowledged as irrational and perhaps aggressive behavior, a common symptom of lead poisoning. In the early part of his tenure, he brought some very interesting construction techniques to roofing probably learnt from his experience in France. For example, one of these was to saw timber beams thereby converting them into a trussed roof frame. He retained a property in Fremantle the frontage of which still exists in 2020 although it is concealed by a much later addition extending from the street boundary.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vincent, Henry Penal system in Australia Burials at Fremantle Cemetery 1790s births 1869 deaths Rottnest Island 19th-century Australian public servants