James Norton (27 July 179531 August 1862) was a solicitor and public figure in early colonial New South Wales. Admitted to practise in England, he arrived in Sydney in September 1818 where only four other attorneys were then practising. He was the founder of the first law firm in Sydney. He was a member of the first Legislative Council under responsible government in New South Wales in 1856, and drafted numerous laws. He held land at

Mulgoa Mulgoa is a village, located in the local government area of the City of Penrith, in the region of western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mulgoa is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district. Mu ...

which was farmed and owned ''Elswick'', a 30 ha estate in what is now

Leichhardt Leichhardt may refer to: * Division of Leichhardt, electoral District for the Australian House of Representatives * Leichhardt Highway, a highway of Queensland, Australia * Leichhardt Way, an Australian road route * Leichhardt, New South Wales, inn ...

where he grew prize flowers and plants. He was a leading Sydney member of the Anti-Transportation League and a

protectionist Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations. ...

in whose cause he published a series of pamphlets.

From Sussex to Sydney

James Norton was born on 27 July 1795 in

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

, Sussex, England. After legal training, he was admitted as an attorney. Signing on as captain's clerk, he arrived at

Port Jackson Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea ...

in September 1818 per the ''Maria'' with capital of £800. He joined a small legal profession in Sydney: the list of the attorneys of the colony in the New South Wales Pocket Almanac for 1819 read " Thomas Wylde Esq, W H Moore Esq, Frederic Garling Esq, T S Amos Esq, and James Norton Esq."

Mulgoa farmer

His father, John, a brother, Nathathiel, and three sisters joined him in Sydney. On 6 April 1821, three large land grants were made at

to the Norton family: John Norton was granted which he called ''Goves''; Nathaniel Norton, , ''Fairlight''; and James Norton, , ''Northend'' which he farmed. His youngest sister, Emma (1798–1885), married the explorer John Oxley in August 1822.

Legal practice

Norton created Australia's first law firm in 1826 when he formed the partnership, Norton and Barker with William Barker.Norton Smith & Co records, 1836-1952
Catalogue (database online), State Library of New South Wales, New South Wales Government, 2007, accessed 25 September 2011. Before the legal profession in New South Wales was divided in 1829,Division of the Legal Professio
[1829
/nowiki>_NSWSupC_34.html" ;"title="829">[1829
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/nowiki> NSWSupC 34 he appeared as counsel for the Crown in a number of significant cases. His son, James Norton Jr. was articled in the same law firm.

Honours and awards

The Norton Street, main street of Leichhardt is named in his honour.Ann Beveridge, "Legacy's a place worth exploring - Down your way - Leichhardt", Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia), 25 February 2006, p 86 via factiva accessed 16 September 2011. The 30 hectare Elswick estate was bounded by Parramatta Road, Norton Street, Marion Street and Elswick Street, Leichhardt; in 1882, it was sub-divided and offered as 600 lots.James Woodford, "How a big dream came true - in a small way", Sydney Morning Herald, 21 January 1994, p 4 via factiva accessed 16 September 2011.

Publications

* ''Essays and reflections in Australia'', (using pseudonym "a layman"), 1852–1853 * ''The constitution question'', 1853 * ''Port Jackson and the City of Sydney'', 1853 * ''Further observations on the resurrection of the body'', (using pseudonym "a layman"), 1854 * ''Australian essays on subjects political, moral, and religious'', 1857 * ''Free trade and protection'', 1857 * ''Facts for the protectionists'', 1857 * ''The condition of the colony of New South Wales'', 1860

From Sussex to Sydney

Mulgoa farmer

Legal practice

Honours and awards

Publications

Notes and references

Further reading