Sir Samuel Davenport (5 March 1818 – 3 September 1906) was one of the early settlers of Australia and became a
landowner and
parliamentarian in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
.
Life
Davenport was fourth son of George Davenport, a wealthy English
banker
A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
, and his wife Jane Devereux, ''née'' Davies, and was educated at
Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School is a 13–18 mixed independent, day and boarding school in Mill Hill, London, England that was established in 1807. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
History
A committee of Nonconformist ...
in North London. His father, had become an agent of the
South Australia Company
The South Australian Company, also referred to as the South Australia Company, was formed in London on 9 October 1835, after the '' South Australia (Foundation) Act 1834'' had established the new British Province of South Australia, with the Sou ...
in England and together with partners Frederick Luck (quarter share) and Roger Cunliffe (one-eighth share) paid
£4416 for a special survey of in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, and sent his eldest son (George) Francis Davenport to select the land. Francis and his second wife Sarah Davenport (née Fincher) arrived in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
in February 1840 aboard ''Rajasthan''. After initially considering land near
Port Lincoln
Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...
, he selected land on the upper reaches of the
River Angas
The River Angas, part of the River Murray catchment, is a river that is located in the Adelaide Hills region in the Australian state of South Australia.
Course and features
The River Angas arises on the eastern side of the Mount Lofty Ranges. ...
, including what is now the town of
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...
. Francis returned to England in 1841, leaving Henry Giles to manage his affairs.
Davenport married Margaret Fraser Cleland (1821 – 6 February 1902) on 1 June 1842. She would become known for her charitable work, closely associated with
Emily Clark,
Lady Colton and
Catherine Helen Spence
Catherine Helen Spence (31 October 1825 – 3 April 1910) was a Scottish-born Australian author, teacher, journalist, politician, leading suffragist, and Georgist. Spence was also a minister of religion and social worker, and supporter of ...
.
Samuel, his wife and brother
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
(1816–1896) arrived in Adelaide from Hobart aboard ''
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
'' in February 1843.
Francis and Sarah returned to Adelaide aboard ''Rajusthan'' in February 1843. He died at the Rundle Street home of William Giles on 8 April 1843.
The remaining brothers lived at Macclesfield and managed the survey. Samuel continued to receive an annual allowance from his father.
Davenport's first ventures in Australia were in mixed farming, almonds and vines, which had sparked his interest when he was in the south of France as a youth. He then tried sheep-farming with approximately 6000 sheep, but disease killed half of them. In 1860 he bought land near
Port Augusta
Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a port, seaport, it is now a road traffic and Junction (rail), railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about ...
, and turned to ranching horses and cattle. He realised from his success that large-stock holdings made healthy profits in South Australia.
![Davenport beaumont](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Davenport_beaumont.jpg)
From 1849 he lived mostly at his home in
Beaumont
Beaumont may refer to:
Places Canada
* Beaumont, Alberta
* Beaumont, Quebec
England
* Beaumont, Cumbria
* Beaumont, Essex
** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s
* Beaumont Street, Oxford
France (communes)
* Beaumont, Ardèche
* ...
, in his residence of
Beaumont House
Beaumont House, occasionally known as ''Claremont'', is an eclectic Romanesque- Classical brick residence located at 631 Glynburn Road in Beaumont, South Australia. Beaumont House was constructed for Augustus Short, the first Anglican bishop ...
, which he owned from 1851 onwards. He continued to care for the welfare of tenants at Macclesfield, providing attractive rental terms.
Between 5 May 1846 and 1 July 1848, Davenport was a non-official nominated member of the
South Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly. It sits in Parli ...
.
Between 1849 and 1852 he served as a city commissioner. He contested the Legislative Council seat of Hindmarsh without success in a by-election during 1854, but on 25 October 1855
[ was nominated to the part-elective Legislative Council. He was eventually elected to the first Legislative Council under ]responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive bran ...
in 1857 and administered the oath of allegiance to the councillors on 22 April 1857. He served a number of ministries; however he resigned from the council on 25 September 1866.[
Davenport strongly promoted agriculture and other new industries in South Australia. Between 1864 and 1872 he published a number of pamphlets, three of them dealing with the cultivation of olives and manufacture of ]olive oil
Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: f ...
, silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
and tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
. Davenport grew both olives and silk on his Beaumont House
Beaumont House, occasionally known as ''Claremont'', is an eclectic Romanesque- Classical brick residence located at 631 Glynburn Road in Beaumont, South Australia. Beaumont House was constructed for Augustus Short, the first Anglican bishop ...
estate. He was a member of the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society and its president from 1873 to 1879 and 1890 to 1891. He was a member of the South Australian Institute
The State Library of South Australia, or SLSA, formerly known as the Public Library of South Australia, located on North Terrace, Adelaide, is the official library of the Australian state of South Australia. It is the largest public research l ...
's Board of Governors.
He was elected to a number of positions in the agricultural, horticultural
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
and geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
societies, include the American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
in 1876. He was also a successful banker like his English father.
Davenport was knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
ed during 1884 and in 1886 appointed KCMG KCMG may refer to
* KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China
* Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour
* KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA
* KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...
and given an honorary doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...
by the University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
. After his death in 1906, obituarists praised his 'honourable record both in public and private life'[
] and both Houses of Parliament
The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...
were adjourned
In parliamentary procedure, an adjournment ends a meeting. It could be done using a motion to adjourn.
A time for another meeting could be set using the motion to fix the time to which to adjourn. This motion establishes an adjourned meeting.
...
for his funeral.
The South Australian Assembly seat of Davenport was later named after him.
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References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Davenport, Samuel
Knights Bachelor
Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Settlers of South Australia
1818 births
1906 deaths
People educated at Mill Hill School
Members of the South Australian Legislative Council
19th-century Australian politicians