Charles Christian Dutton

Charles Christian Dutton (presumed died 1842) was a pastoralist in South Australia who disappeared, presumed murdered by Aboriginals, while droving cattle from Port Lincoln to Adelaide.

Origins

Charles Christian Dutton was born in England, a son of John Dutton. He ran a store in Singleton, New South Wales with his brother Henry Pelerin Dutton (c. 1803 – 30 January 1870); the partnership broke up in 1837[1] H. P. Dutton, for a time reported as "Henry Pelham Dutton", then ran a property on the nearby (St.) Patrick's Plains, became insolvent 1844, took up a pastoral lease in Queensland, and was father of Queensland politician Charles Dutton.

Charles Christian Dutton arrived in South Australia on the Abeona from Hobart in March 1838. He may have returned to England then emigrated with his wife Ellen née White on the Dorset in January 1839. In Adelaide he was appointed clerk of the Supreme Court, and acted for a time as sheriff.

Likely Massacre on Eyre Peninsula

On behalf of pastoralist Charles Driver he pioneered and managed a cattle station named "Pillaworta" near Port Lincoln, but in July 1842 decided to abandon it through fear of the local Aboriginal people, who were making hostile raids. Having taken his wife and children back to Adelaide by ship, he picked up a scratch team of Graham, Cox, Haldane and Brown (a former Adelaide policeman) to drove his cattle overland to safety near Adelaide. For the first day they had Lieut. Hugonin of the 96th Regiment as an armed escort. Setting forth with 250 cattle in the direction of present Port Augusta, Dutton and his associates were never seen again, and no trace was ever found. All indications are that the entire party of five men were massacred by Aboriginal people somewhere near present Whyalla.

Search Parties

Several months later, when Dutton's party did not arrive as expected, search parties were launched. The most immediate, setting out in September 1842, was a determined party of four young pastoralist volunteers comprising the brothers G.C. Hawker and J.C. Hawker, William Peter, and James Baker. Governor Grey considered that this volunteer party was too small and ordered police inspector Alexander Tolmer, plus four troopers, to accompany them, but the dogmatic Tolmer fell out with the independent 'gentlemen' and so returned to Adelaide, while the pastoralists not only continued on to Port Lincoln, but also chartered a vessel for a coastal search. Governor Grey then ordered the petulant Tolmer back into the search, but under the command of Edward John Eyre, supported by Thomas Burr. None of these searchers found any trace of the five men, although some of their cattle were later found wandering.

Dutton Bay (now Mount Dutton Bay) near Port Lincoln, was named for him.[2]

Family

His widow Ellen married again, in Port Lincoln on 3 September 1845, to Thomas Bond Hawson. His son Charles William Dutton (1839 – December 1916) was from 1865 manager of Yaluna and Strawberry Hii stations for W. R. Mortlock, later also Coffin Bay and Waratta. He married Matilda Jane Swaffer (c. 1845 – November 1924) on 16 January 1862. His elder daughter, Emma Pillawarta Dutton ( – ) married James Gall on 4 June 1863. Second daughter Julia Eliza Dutton (c. 1842 – 27 June 1916) married Edward Daniel Swaffer (c. 1842 – 4 November 1930) on 30 January 1865.[3]

Sydney businessman John Alexander Dutton (c. 1800 – 13 February 1849) was also a brother. Another possible relation was Rose Ann Dutton ( – 20 October 1836). She married John Laurio Platt (1784 – 20 May 1836) in Heligoland around 1815; they later moved to New South Wales in the Providence under Captain Herd, settling in Sandgate in 1822.[4] Platt was a pioneer of the Patrick's Plains area near Singleton, New South Wales,[5]

They were not immediately related to the well-known family of Frederick Hampden Dutton (c. 1767–1847) closely associated with Anlaby Station.

Newspaper article

References

  1. ↑ "Classified Advertising.". The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842) (NSW: National Library of Australia). 27 May 1837. p. 1. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  2. ↑ "Nomenclature of South Australia". The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929) (Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia). 23 May 1908. p. 10. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  3. ↑ "Pastoral Pioneers of South Australia pp.206–207" (PDF). Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  4. ↑ "John Platt, Newcastle's First Settler". The Newcastle Sun (NSW : 1918 - 1954) (NSW: National Library of Australia). 3 August 1936. p. 4. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  5. ↑ "The Pioneers". Singleton Argus (NSW : 1880 - 1954) (NSW: National Library of Australia). 5 June 1931. p. 2. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
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