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D'Arcy Wentworth, born Dorset Crowley (23 June 1793 – 21 July 1861), was a New South Wales army captain, police magistrate and politician.

Early life

He was born Dorset Crowley on Norfolk Island to D'Arcy Wentworth, a surgeon who was distantly related to the former Prime Minister of Great Britain, Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, and Catherine Crowley, a convict from Staffordshire. They had met on board the Neptune, with D'Arcy being the ship's surgeon and Catherine being transported, which was part of the notorious Second Fleet.

The family left Norfolk Island and sailed for Sydney on board HMS Reliance in February 1796. After his mother's death in January 1800, his father changed the then six-year-old's Dorset Crowley's name to D'Arcy Wentworth, and his younger brother Matthew's name to John Wentworth (1795-1820). He and his brothers William Charles Wentworth and John were sent to England for schooling in 1802, which began in October 1803.

Wentworth enlisted in the army in England in 1811, as an ensign in the 63rd Regiment. His regiment was sent to Ceylon in 1814. He later returned to New South Wales, rising to the rank of captain in 1825.

On 27 April 1826, he married Scottish born Elizabeth Macpherson, third daughter of Major Charles Macpherson (1751-1820) of Gordonhall in Badenoch, barrack-master general of Scotland and Margaret MacPherson of Inverhall near Killiehuntly, at St Cuthbert's Church in Edinburgh; they had no children.

Career

Wentworth was sworn in as a Justice of the Peace for Van Diemen's Land on 9 September 1830. Between 7 October and 24 November 1830, he was one of three commanders of a force of 2200 men, 550 soldiers and 1650 convicts and volunteer colonists, separated into three divisions. Wentworth led detachments of troops from Bothwell and Hamilton, as well as civilian volunteers, towards the Great Lake and the banks of the Ouse, Shannon and Clyde rivers. The operation was known as the Black Line., its purpose was to "...capture those hostile Tribes of Natives which are daily committing renewed atrocities upon the Settlers..." This occurred as part of what has become known as the Black War in Tasmania.

While in Van Diemen's Land, Wentworth served as police magistrate in Bothwell, where he built a significant Georgian sandstone house. It was started in 1830 and was originally called Inverhall but is now known as Wentworth House. He sold the house in 1833 to Charles Schaw, assistant police magistrate for Bothwell.

From 1843 to 1845 he was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council for the Northumberland boroughs, comprising East and West Maitland and Newcastle.

Death

He died at Launceston on 21 July 1861 and was buried with his parents at St John's Cemetery, Parramatta, on 6 August 1861. His funeral was attended by some of the colony's most celebrated and distinguished citizens.

See also

Political families of Australia: Wentworth/Hill/Griffiths/Scott/Cooper family

References

1. Gilchrist, Catie. "Catherine Crowley: A Convict Sea Wife". St. John’s Online. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
2. Flynn, Michael C. (2001). The Second Fleet : Britain's grim convict armada of 1790. North Sydney, N.S.W.: Library of Australian History. ISBN 9780957952416.
3. ^ "Major D'Arcy Wentworth (1793-1861)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
4. Macpherson, Alan G. "Daniel Macpherson: Highland emigrant, Loyalist soldier, Gaspesian merchant-settler and Canadian seigneur" (PDF). Clan Macpherson. Canadian Genealogist. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
5. "Macpherson of Benchar". Red Book of Scotland. The Red Book of Scotland. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
6. ^ Gilchrist, Catie (9 May 2019). "D'Arcy Wentworth: A Gentleman Rogue". St John's Online. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
7. "COLONIAL TIMES". Colonial Times. Vol. 15, no. 750. Tasmania, Australia. 10 September 1830. p. 3. Retrieved 23 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
8. Connor, John Stephen (1999). Armed conflict between Aborigines and British armed forces in Southeast Australia, 1788-1831 (Masters Thesis thesis). University of New South Wales. pp. 131–133. doi:10.26190/unsworks/6704. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
9. "GOVERNMENT ORDER". The Hobart Town Courier. Vol. III, no. 154. Tasmania, Australia. 25 September 1830. p. 3 (Supplement to the Hobart Town Courier.). Retrieved 23 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
10. Australian Heritage Commission (1983). The Heritage of Tasmania : the illustrated register of the National Estate. South Melbourne: Macmillan in association with the Australian Heritage Commission. pp. 10–12. ISBN 0333356322.
11. Smith, Julie Carington. "Schaw, Charles (1785–1874)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
12. "THE ELECTION". The Maitland Mercury And Hunter River General Advertiser. No. 25. New South Wales, Australia: National Library of Australia. 24 June 1843. p. 4. Retrieved 23 January 2022.

External links

• Colonial Secretary's papers 1822-1877, State Library of Queensland- includes digitised letters written by Wentworth to the Colonial Secretary of New South Wales

• 1793 births
• 1861 deaths
• Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council
• 19th-century Australian politicians