Stephen Henty

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Stephen George Henty (3 November 1811 – 18 December 1872)[1] was a farmer and politician in colonial Victoria, a member of the Victorian Legislative Council.[1]

Henty was born in West Tarring, Sussex, England,[1] the son of Thomas Henty (1775–1839) and Frances Elizabeth, née Hopkins.[2]

Henty arrived at the Swan River settlement with brothers James and John in 1829.[2] In 1836 Stephen settled in Portland.[2]

In 1839, Henty led an overland expedition to explore the Mount Gambier region. He was the first white man to climb the peak and view the blue crater lake.[3] In 1842, Henty and his brother Edward laid claim to the land around Mount Gambier and established a sheep station there.[4] Conflict with the local Aboriginal residents quickly ensued that same year with Henty's men shooting a number and burning their corpses.[5] In March 1844, a band of Aboriginal people led by Koort Kirrup took a large number of Henty's sheep. Henty's men pursued and engaged them in a prolonged skirmish which resulted in the colonists having to retreat.[6][7] Other British pastoralists in the region were also having difficulties with Aboriginal resistance and they resolved to form hunting parties to shoot "the natives" indiscriminately if police protection wasn't provided.[8] The situation proved too hard for Stephen Henty, and even though Koort Kirrup was captured,[9] Henty abandoned the Mount Gambier property later in 1844 with significant loss of capital.[10]

In November 1856, Henty was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council for Western Province,[1] a position he held until November 1870.[1] For much of the period of Henty's Council membership, he and his family lived at Findon[2] a mansion he built in Kew[11] Melbourne.

Family[]

Stephen George Henty married Barbara Whilemena Bayntun–Sandys (1806–1891), daughter of Sir Edwin Bayntun–Sandys, Bart.[12] Their children include:

  • Richmond Henty (August 1837 – April 1904) was born in Portland, Victoria, and is reckoned either the first[13] or second[14] white child born in Victoria. Richmond married his cousin Agnes Barbara Reed (c. 1837 – 9 September 1895), granddaughter of Sir E. Bayntun–Sandys;[15] they had three sons and one daughter:
  • Ernest George Henty MLC (17 September 1862 – 25 June 1895) married Katie Cobham on 12 June 1890
  • ( – ) married Lieut. R. C. Ferrers Creer, RAN, on 15 June 1917[16] (divorced 1925).[17] Their elder daughter Deirdre Henty-Creer (1918–2012) was a successful artist,[18] while their son Henty Henty-Creer commanded one of the three midget submarines that attacked the German battleship Tirpitz in World War II.[19]
  • married Capt. E. C. Starker in August 1888
  • (c. 1867 – 26 March 1889)

See also[]

  • Henty brothers

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Henty, Stephen George". re-member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d Bassett, Marnie. "Henty, Stephen George (1811–1872)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 7 August 2014 – via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  3. ^ Henty, Richmond (1886). Australiana. London: Sampson Low.
  4. ^ "TO THE EDITORS OF THE COURIER AND TEETOTAL ADVOCATE". Launceston Courier. Vol. II, no. 105. Tasmania, Australia. 8 November 1842. p. 4. Retrieved 9 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ Robinson, George Augustus; Clark, Ian D (2014). Travels of George Augustus Robinson, Chief Protector, Port Phillip Aboriginal Protectorate.
  6. ^ "PORTLAND BAY". Southern Australian. Vol. VII, no. 509. South Australia. 2 April 1844. p. 2. Retrieved 10 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Port Phillip Extracts". Morning Chronicle. Vol. 1, no. 57. New South Wales, Australia. 20 April 1844. p. 3. Retrieved 10 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "Local News". Southern Australian. Vol. VII, no. 549. South Australia. 20 August 1844. p. 3. Retrieved 10 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "PORTLAND BAY". South Australian. Vol. VII, no. 575. South Australia. 19 November 1844. p. 3. Retrieved 10 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "PORTLAND BAY". South Australian Register. South Australia. 15 May 1844. p. 3. Retrieved 10 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "Henry "Money" Miller".
  12. ^ "Family Notices". The Argus. No. 13, 929. Melbourne. 14 February 1891. p. 1. Retrieved 25 September 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ "Obituary". Portland Guardian. Vol. LXII, no. 5263. Victoria, Australia. 27 April 1904. p. 2. Retrieved 26 September 2019 – via National Library of Australia. This and other, later, publications also asserted that his mother was still alive.
  14. ^ "The Beginning of Farming in Victoria". The Daily Telegraph (Launceston). Vol. XXXIV, no. 107. Tasmania, Australia. 6 May 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 25 September 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ "Family Notices". The Argus. No. 15, 393. Melbourne. 30 October 1895. p. 1. Retrieved 25 September 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ "WEDDINGS". The Sun. No. 744. New South Wales, Australia. 1 July 1917. p. 13. Retrieved 25 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ "OMEO CLERGYMAN'S DRAMATIC ARREST—Sec story Page 17". Truth. No. 1987. Sydney. 5 February 1928. p. 1. Retrieved 25 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ "Intimate Jottings". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 17, no. 32. 14 January 1950. p. 19. Retrieved 25 September 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ "SA Women In 5,000-Mile Search". The Advertiser. Vol. 94, no. 29, 059. Adelaide. 29 November 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 25 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
Victorian Legislative Council
New district Member for Western Province
November 1856 – November 1870
With: 1856–64
Charles Sladen 1864–68
1868–70
James Palmer 1856–70
1870
Andrew Cruikshank 1856–58
Henry Miller 1858–66
James Strachan 1866–70
1856–59
Niel Black 1859–70 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from ""