Maitland Brown (17 July 1843–8 May 1905) was an explorer, politician and pastoralist in colonial Western Australia. Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Year 1843 ( MDCCCXLIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person Pastoralism or pastoral farming is the branch of Agriculture concerned with the raising of Livestock. This article is about a type of political territory For other uses see Colony (disambiguation. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. He is best remembered as the leader of the La Grange expedition, which searched for and recovered the bodies of three white settlers murdered by Indigenous Australians, and subsequently killed a number of Indigenous people in an incident that remains controversial to this day. The La Grange expedition was a search expedition carried out in the vicinity of La Grange Bay in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in 1865 Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands.
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Early life
Maitland Brown was born on 17 July 1843 at Grassdale near York, Western Australia. Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Year 1843 ( MDCCCXLIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common For other places named York, see York (disambiguation. York is the oldest inland town in Western Australia, situated The son of Thomas Brown, he was educated by tutors, and in 1858 was apprenticed to his brother Kenneth at Glengarry. Thomas Brown (1803 – 5 July 1863) was an early settler in colonial Western Australia, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Year 1858 ( MDCCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Kenneth Brown (1837– 10 June 1876) was an explorer and pastoralist in Western Australia. He was supposed to learn sheep farming, but was more interested in horse breeding. The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae.
Exploration
Brown was a volunteer member of the Francis Gregory's exploring expedition of 1861, which sailed to Nickol Bay, then explored first southward across the Hamersley Ranges to the Tropic of Capricorn, and later northward as far as the Oakover River. Francis Hoyt Gregory ( October 9, 1780 – October 4, 1866) was an officer in the United States Navy during the War of 1812 The Hamersley Range is a mountainous region of the Pilbara, Western Australia. For the novel by Henry Miller, see Tropic of Capricorn (novel. During the latter exploration the party suffered extreme danger from lack of water, and at one point Brown saved Gregory's life by riding back to the party's base camp and returning with a supply of water. The five-month expedition opened up large tracts of good pastoral land, but little with the potential to support agriculture. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture
In 1865, Maitland Brown was again part of an expedition to the north. Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The year before, three explorers, Frederick Panter, James Harding and William Goldwyer, had set out from Roebuck Bay to explore the area around La Grange Bay. Frederick Kennedy Panter (1836– 13 November 1864) was a Policeman, pastoralist and explorer in colonial Western Australia James Harding (1838 – 13 November 1864) was a pastoralist and explorer in colonial Western Australia. William Goldwyer (August 1829– 13 November 1864) was a police officer and explorer in colonial Western Australia. The Panter-Harding-Goldwyer expedition had failed to return, and it was widely speculated that they had been speared by natives. When the Government learned of the missing men, it organised a search expedition. The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution which dates from 1890 although it has been amended many times since then Maitland Brown offered his services and was appointed leader of the expedition. The La Grange expedition left Fremantle in February 1865, and on 3 April it found the missing men dead. The La Grange expedition was a search expedition carried out in the vicinity of La Grange Bay in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in 1865 Fremantle (commonly known as Freo is a Port City in Western Australia, located southwest of Perth, the state capital at the mouth of Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. They had been speared and clubbed to death by natives, at least two of them in their sleep. Shortly after the discovery of the dead men, the expedition party engaged in a pitched battle with a tribe of natives. Between six and twenty natives were killed, with no injuries to the expedition party. Brown's journal states that the party had walked into an ambush, but most latter-day historians have interpreted the event as a punitive attack on the natives by Brown's party.
Magisterial career
Brown was appointed a Justice of the Peace later that year, and in 1866 was made Resident Magistrate at Greenough. A Justice of the Peace ( JP) is a Puisne Judicial officer appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace Year 1866 ( MDCCCLXVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common A Resident Magistrate is a title for Magistrates used in certain parts of the world that were or are governed by the British Greenough is a historical town located 400 kilometres north of Perth Western Australia and 24 kilometres south of Geraldton on the Brand Highway. During his time in the position, he became involved in a protracted dispute with the Governor, John Hampton, and the Colonial Secretary Frederick Barlee. The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia 's Monarch Queen Elizabeth II. Dr John Stephen Hampton (c 1806– 2 December 1869) was Governor of Western Australia from 1862 to 1868 The Colonial Secretary of Western Australia was one of the most important and powerful public offices in Western Australia, in the time when Western Australia was a British Sir Frederick Palgrave Barlee, KCMG ( 6 February 1827 &ndash 8 August 1884) was Colonial Secretary of Western Australia Brown declined to obey an instruction to reverse a minor legal decision he had made, essentially on the grounds that it was inappropriate for a magistrate to reverse a decision on the instruction of the Government: "I have yet to learn that a magistrate has any right to pursue a course which in his view is in opposition to Law upon the mere instructions of the Governor"1. Hampton was angered by Brown's repeated refusal to obey him, and by the "tone and tenor" of his letters, which he though insolent. Brown eventually resigned over the issue, but in the meantime Hampton appointment had ended. Acting governor John Bruce, who agreed with Brown's legal position, smoothed the matter over, and Brown withdrew his resignation.
Brown was Resident Magistrate at Greenough until 1869, when he was appointed Government Resident and Resident Magistrate at Geraldton following the death of Alfred Durlacher. Year 1869 ( MDCCCLXIX) is a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year A Resident, or in full Resident Minister, is a state official of certain representative -diplomatic and/or colonial- types required to take up permanent residency abroad officially The following year a number of magisterial positions were reshuffled, and Brown was appointed Resident Magistrate at Bunbury. The port of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after Mandurah and Perth the state capital He was reluctant to take up the position, however, and took a long leave of absence. He still had not taken up the position in October 1870 when he was appointed to a nominee position on the Western Australian Legislative Council. The Legislative Council, or upper house is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia.
In politics
The role of nominee members of the Council was somewhat ambiguous at the time, there being some dispute over whether nominee members were obliged to vote with the government. Maitland Brown vigorously defended his right to vote according to his conscience, and did indeed vote against the government on a number of occasions. After Governor Weld dissolved the Council in 1871, new elections were held in 1872, and Brown was not nominated to the new council. The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia 's Monarch Queen Elizabeth II. Sir Frederick Aloysius Weld, GCMG (1823 &ndash 1891 was a New Zealand politician and a governor of various British colonies Although Weld denied that he expected his nominee members to support the government, the decision not to re-nominate Brown was widely seen as a sign that the government expected its nominee members to "toe the line".
In September 1874, Brown was elected unopposed to the Legislative Council's Geraldton seat, on a policy platform of opposition to responsible government. Responsible government is a conception of a System of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster He had also nominated for the North seat, but on his election to the seat in October 1874, he refused election, preferring to sit for Geraldton.
On 16 February 1875, Brown married Amy Frances Howard, with whom he would have three sons and four daughters. Events 1249 - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khan of the Mongols Year 1875 ( MDCCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In January 1876, Maitland Brown's brother Kenneth murdered his wife in a drunken argument. Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Kenneth Brown (1837– 10 June 1876) was an explorer and pastoralist in Western Australia. Maitland was prominent in the family's unsuccessful attempt to mount a defence of diminished responsibility, sparing neither his personal privacy nor his standing in the community in the failed attempt to save his brother from execution. Perceiving that his standing in the community had been damaged by the trial, Brown resigned his seat in the Council in March. He was persuaded to renominate, however, and was re-elected unopposed on 22 July. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of
Brown's views changed markedly during his later years in the Legislative Council. Whereas he had earlier argued against the necessity of an "opposition", he later became himself firmly opposed to the government. He became an outspoken critic of nearly every government measure, and was especially critical of Governor Robinson. Sir William Cleaver Francis Robinson GCMG (born January 14 1834 &ndash May 2 1897) was a British colonial administrator For a time he was widely recognised as the Leader of the Opposition, although on at least one occasion he repudiated the title. The Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia is the leader of the largest minority political party or coalition of parties in the Legislative Assembly Brown's views on responsible government also changed. He had been one of the colony's staunchest opponents of responsible government, but by 1883 he had declared himself a supporter of the proposed change. Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Having been elected on a policy platform of opposition to responsible government, Brown considered it inappropriate to retain his seat after changing his opinion, so in April 1883 he resigned the seat of Geraldton for the second time. Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common A few weeks later he was elected to the new seat of Gascoyne, which he would hold until his resignation in April 1886.
Later life
In 7 April 1886, Brown resigned his seat in the Legislative Council for the last time. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Year 1886 ( MDCCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common He then accepted a re-appointment to the position of Resident Magistrate at Geraldton. He remained in the position until his retirement from public life in 1904, nominally on grounds of ill health, but possibly due to his wife's alcoholism. Year 1904 ( MCMIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting on Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions Brown's wife died in early 1905, and shortly afterwards, on 8 May, Brown himself died in Perth. Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. He was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery, but in 1911 his remains were re-interred with the remains of Panter, Harding and Goldwyer in East Perth Cemeteries. Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan Cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth Western Australia. Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year East Perth Cemeteries is a now disused complex of seven independently administered cemeteries in East Perth, Western Australia. In 1912, a monument to Brown was erected on the Fremantle Esplanade. Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting The Explorers' Monument is a monument located on The Esplanade in Fremantle, Western Australia.
Notes
- Quoted in Cowan (1988).
References
- Black, David and Bolton, Geoffrey (2001). David Black (born 1936 is a Western Australian Historian. He has lectured and written extensively on Australian and Western Australian history especially Geoffrey Curgenven Bolton AO is an Australian Historian born on 5th November 1931 in Claremont, Perth, Western Australia Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia, Volume One, 1870–1930, Revised Edition, Parliament House: Parliament of Western Australia. Parliament House Perth is located on Harvest Terrace in Perth, Western Australia. The Parliament of Western Australia consists of the Western Australian Legislative Council, the Western Australian Legislative Assembly and the Governor ISBN 0730738140.
- Cowan, Peter (1988). Maitland Brown: A View of Nineteenth Century Western Australia. Fremantle, Western Australia: Fremantle Arts Centre Press. ISBN 0-949206-27-X.
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