Thomas Bewes Strangways (23 July 1809 – 23 February 1859), generally called "Bewes Strangways" and "T. Bewes Strangways", was an explorer, early settler and

Colonial Secretary of South Australia The Chief Secretary of South Australia (since 1856) or Colonial Secretary of South Australia (1836–1856) was a key role in the governance of the Colony of South Australia (1836–1900) and State of South Australia (from 1901) until it was abolishe ...

. Strangways was the second son of late Henry Bull Strangways of Shapwick, Somerset, England. He and his brother Giles E. Strangways arrived in the new colony on with

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

John Hindmarsh Rear-Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh KH (baptised 22 May 1785 – 29 July 1860) was a naval officer and the first Governor of South Australia, from 28 December 1836 to 16 July 1838. Family His grandfather William Hindmarsh was a gardener in Con ...

and he was engaged to one of Hindmarsh's daughters. However, they never married and Strangways later married Lavinia Albina ''née'' Fowler (c. 1810 – 22 October 1883). He sat on the Street Naming Committee, where

Strangways Terrace Strangways Terrace is a street in North Adelaide, South Australia. It is the southwestern boundary between the built environment and the Adelaide parklands including the Adelaide Golf Links. Strangways Terrace is named after Thomas Bewes Stran ...

, located in

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

was named after him. In November 1837, Strangways,

Young Bingham Hutchinson Young Bingham Hutchinson (born 14 August 1806 in Richmond, Surrey, England – d. 3 August 1870 at Hindmarsh valley, South Australia) was a Royal Navy officer, early explorer and settler of South Australia. Hutchinson joined the Royal Navy and s ...

and a party explored the

Fleurieu Peninsula The Fleurieu Peninsula () is a peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia located south of the state capital of Adelaide. History Before British colonisation of South Australia, the western side of the peninsula was occupied by the K ...

and Lake Alexandrina region, searching for other outlets to the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...

. In the process, they "discovered" Currency Creek, which they named after the whale boat they were using, the ''Currency Lass''. He was the uncle of future South Australian Premier,

Henry Strangways Henry Bull Templar Strangways (14 November 1832 – 10 February 1920) was an Australian politician and Premier of South Australia. Strangways was the eldest son of Henry Bull Strangways of Shapwick, Somerset, England. As a boy, he visited Sou ...

. Giles E. Strangways, (an associate of

John Finnis John Mitchell Finnis, , (born 28 July 1940) is an Australian legal philosopher, jurist and scholar specializing in jurisprudence and the philosophy of law. He is the Biolchini Family Professor of Law, emeritus, at Notre Dame Law School and a P ...

and

Charles Sturt Charles Napier Sturt (28 April 1795 – 16 June 1869) was a British officer and explorer of Australia, and part of the European exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent, starting from Sydney and la ...

in their pioneering cattle drive of 1838), was a brother. Strangways was a 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 ...

and Colonial Secretary from 22 August 1837 to 12 July 1838. Strangways died in

Glenelg, South Australia Glenelg is a beach-side suburb of the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Located on the shore of Holdfast Bay in Gulf St Vincent, it has become a tourist destination due to its beach and many attractions, home to several hotels and dozens of ...

or St. Leonard's on 23 February 1859, aged 49. His widow, an invalid, went to live with H. B. T. Strangways, then with Mrs. B. Clark at Childers Street, North Adelaide in an arrangement which has the appearance of protective custody. In 1865 her nephew, Mr. C. Fowler, a Miss Fowler, and a sister-in-law Mrs. Lorimer, sought a writ of ''

habeas corpus ''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a recourse in law through which a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment to a court and request that the court order the custodian of the person, usually a prison official, t ...

'' against them, claiming that her family and friends had been denied access to her. As a result, Mrs. Strangways was taken in Rounsevell's carriage to Mr. Fowler's home "Elderslie" at Woodside, where she died some eighteen years later.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Strangways, Thomas Bewes 1809 births 1859 deaths Settlers of South Australia Explorers of South Australia Members of the South Australian Legislative Council People from Sedgemoor (district) 19th-century Australian politicians