Henry William Haygarth (1821–1902) was an English cleric who as a young man lived for eight years in the

Australian bush "The bush" is a term mostly used in the English vernacular of Australia and New Zealand where it is largely synonymous with '' backwoods'' or ''hinterland'', referring to a natural undeveloped area. The fauna and flora contained within this ...

, writing a journal based on his experiences.

Early life

He was the son of William Haygarth the poet and his wife Frances Parry;

Arthur Haygarth Arthur Haygarth (4 August 1825 – 1 May 1903) was a noted amateur cricketer who became one of cricket's most significant historians. He played first-class cricket for the Marylebone Cricket Club and Sussex between 1844 and 1861, as well as num ...

the cricketer was his younger brother. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

. Haygarth travelled out from England in a family party led by a Parry cousin,

David Parry-Okeden David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, sailing on the ''Eden'', for

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 ...

, His time in Australia was spent as a

squatter Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

, and he settled at a station 230 miles south-west of Sydney, then called Buckley's Crossing (now Dalgety). (Parry-Okeden and Hannibal Dutton of the party having gone ahead to the

Snowy River The Snowy River is a major river in south-eastern Australia. It originates on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mainland peak, draining the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, before flowing through the ...

Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers ...

area first, Haygarth may have initially spent time further north.)

Later life

Haygarth then matriculated at

Magdalen Hall, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colleg ...

in 1847, at age 26. He graduated B.A. there in 1851, and M.A. at Exeter College in 1854. He was ordained in 1853, and was a curate two years at

Chigwell Chigwell is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, England. It is part of the urban and metropolitan area of London, and is adjacent to the northern boundary of Greater London. It is on the Central line of the London U ...

, followed by four years at

Chingford Chingford is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The town is approximately north-east of Charing Cross, with Waltham Abbey to the north, Woodford Green and Buckhurst Hill to the east, Walthamstow to the ...

. He became vicar of

Wimbledon, Surrey Wimbledon () is a district and town of Southwest London, England, southwest of the centre of London at Charing Cross; it is the main commercial centre of the London Borough of Merton. Wimbledon had a population of 68,187 in 2011 which includes ...

in 1859, and was made an honorary canon of

Rochester Cathedral Rochester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an English church of Norman architecture in Rochester, Kent. The church is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rochester in the Church of England and the s ...

in 1878. He was also Rural Dean of Barnes from 1871 to 1892. He died at the Vicarage, Wimbledon on 31 December 1902, aged 84.

Works

Haygarth's ''Recollections of Bush Life in Australia'' was first published in 1848, and later reprinted. The book was part of the ''

Home and Colonial Library The ''Home and Colonial Library'' was a series of works published in London from 1843 to 1849, comprising 49 titles, by John Murray III. He founded it, as a series of cheap reprints, original works and translations, slanted towards travel literatur ...

''. It has been seen as having an environmental dimension, relating to the settlement by whites of the

Monaro region Monaro ( ), once frequently spelled "Manaro", or in early years of settlement "Maneroo" is a region in the south of New South Wales, Australia. A small area of Victoria near Snowy River National Park is geographically part of the Monaro. While t ...

, and a political one, sympathetic to the

Ngarigo The Ngarigo People (also spelt Garego, Ngarego, Ngarago, Ngaragu, Ngarigu, Ngarrugu or Ngarroogoo) are Aboriginal Australian people of southeast New South Wales, whose traditional lands also extend around the present border with Victoria. Langu ...

people rather than the local administrator John Lambie.

Family

On 12 March 1855 Haygarth married Emma Powell, daughter of John Harcourt Powell. They had a son Henry Evelyn (1860–1881).

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haygarth, William Henry 1821 births 1902 deaths People educated at Eton College 19th-century English Anglican priests English travel writers Squatters