Benjamin Babbage
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Herschel Babbage (6 August 1815 – 22 October 1878) was an English engineer, scientist, explorer and politician, best known for his work in the colony of South Australia
. He invariably signed his name "B. Herschel Babbage" and was frequently referred to as "Herschel Babbage".
, the eldest son of Charles Babbage
, the renowned Cambridge mathematician who originated the concept of a programmable computer, and Georgina Whitmore. His uncle on his mother's side was William Wolryche-Whitmore
, an MP in the House of Commons who lobbied for the formation of South Australia and introduced the South Australia Foundation Act into the British Parliament.
At the age of 18, Babbage became a pupil of the engineer and architect William Chadwell Mylne
, with whom he worked on waterworks projects. In the 1840s, he also worked with Isambard Kingdom Brunel
, the son of his father's friend Marc Isambard Brunel
, on railway planning and building in Italy and England.
Babbage married Laura Jones at Bristol
on 10 September 1839. The couple had seven children.
In 1850, Babbage was invited by Patrick Brontë
(clergyman and father of the Brontë sisters) to conduct an inspection in the West Yorkshire
town of Haworth
, partly brought about by Haworth's high rate of early mortality. Babbage was horrified by the unsanitary conditions in the town, and The Babbage Report to the General Board of Health
into the town's water supply and lack of a sewerage system resulted in the board taking notice and working to improve the town's sanitation.
Earl Grey
, on the recommendation of the geologist Sir Henry De la Beche
, assigned Babbage to perform a geological and mineralogical survey of the colony of South Australia requested by the colony's government. Babbage arrived in South Australia on 27 November on the "Hydaspes", and over the next few years worked on a number of government projects, first setting up the Government Gold Assay Office in Victoria Square..
He was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1852. In January 1853 he was appointed Chief Engineer by the company undertaking the railway from Port Adelaide
to the city. In 1853, Babbage was one of the first five members of the Mitcham District Council
, serving as the council's first chairman from 1855. A ward in the City of Mitcham was named after him. In 1854 he was elected to the Central Road Board. In 1855, Babbage served as President of the Adelaide Philosophical Society
.
In 1857, Babbage was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly
in the inaugural election in 1857
, representing the electorate of Encounter Bay. He resigned late in the year after being appointed to lead an expedition to explore the north of the colony between Lake Torrens and Lake Gairdner. He was replaced by Henry Strangways
in a by-election.
Babbage began his exploration of South Australia in 1856 when sent to search for gold up to the Flinders Ranges
, during which time he discovered the MacDonnell River, Blanchewater and Mount Hopeful (renamed Mount Babbage after him in 1857 by George Goyder
). Babbage also disproved the notion that Lake Torrens
was a single horseshoe-shaped lake or inland sea, ascertaining a number of gaps in the lake, which were later traversed other explorers such as Augustus Gregory
and Peter Warburton
. On 15 June 1858 near Pernatty Creek he discovered the remains of William Coulthard of Angas Park, Nuriootpa
, who had died of thirst around 10 March 1858. On 22 October 1858 he discovered Emerald Springs.
Babbage also discovered that Lake Eyre
(sighted by Edward John Eyre
in 1840) actually consisted of a large northern and a smaller southern lake. A peninsula on Lake Eyre North was named Babbage Peninsula in 1963.
As Babbage continued his explorations, sometimes accompanied by his son, Charles Whitmore Babbage, the government grew tired of his slow, methodical pace, and the Commissioner of Crown Lands, Francis Dutton
, responded to the controversy by replacing him with Peter Warburton
in 1858. Babbage complained of unfair treatment and petitioned the House of Assembly to conduct a parliamentary inquiry into the issue. A critically acclaimed book of his pen-and-ink sketches from this expedition is held by the Mortlock Library.
His last years were spent at his home on South Road, St Mary's, where he had an excellent vineyard and was a keen winemaker (nine varieties on 25 acres in 1878). He announced his candidature for the 1877 Legislative Council elections but refused to participate in any public meetings and did not go to the polls.
on 10 September 1839. Among their children were
Charles Whitmore Babbage (1842 – 17 August 1923), their eldest son, was a prize-winning student at Adelaide Educational Institution 1853-58. He accompanied his father on his journeys of exploration 1857-62, recording scenes in a small sketchbook which has been preserved. He was a member of the Adelaide Philosophical Society and for some years its Honorary Secretary.
He married Amelia Barton on 28 July 1869. While working as a teller with the Bank of Adelaide he started speculating on the Stock Exchange and losing money. On 1 July 1876 he was charged with embezzling £1616, and in September was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for that and passing a fraudulent cheque.
During his internment his wife ran their home as a boarding house for students of Prince Alfred College
and ran drawing classes. His family moved to New Zealand in 1881. He was released from prison some time after 1880 and moved to New Zealand, for a while farming in Wanganui
, then "Croftmoor" near Hawera
from 1883 to 1894 then moved to St John's Hill, Wanganui where he took an active role in local affairs, and was a prominent member of the Camera Club and the Wanganui Astronomical Society
. He was active in the Beautifying Society and did much work on Virginia Lake
. His wife was on the board of the Wanganui Orphanage from 1896 to 1918 and president from 1910. Their home ""Rotokawau" was on St John's Hill above the Winter Garden; the gully at the rear is called "Babbage's Gully". He died at home after a brief illness.
The National Library of New Zealand has a collection of his photographs. Babbage Place in Wanganui was named for him.
Eden Herschel Babbage (ca.1844 – 5 February 1924), second son, a prize-winning student at Adelaide Educational Institution 1853-59
He married Louisa Harriot Burton (d. 22 Sep 1917) on 30 April 1872. An employee of the Bank of Australasia from 1860, he was transferred to Sale, Victoria
in 1877 then promoted to manager of the branch at Wanganui, New Zealand, followed by successively more responsible posts until his retirement in 1906 at his home "Rawhiti" on Clanville Road, Roseville, New South Wales
, where he was active as councillor and president of the Progress Association. A memorial was erected to him, the "Father of Roseville" on the corner of Babbage Road (which was named for him) and Ormonde Road,
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. He invariably signed his name "B. Herschel Babbage" and was frequently referred to as "Herschel Babbage".
Early life and family
Babbage was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the eldest son of Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage, FRS was an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer...
, the renowned Cambridge mathematician who originated the concept of a programmable computer, and Georgina Whitmore. His uncle on his mother's side was William Wolryche-Whitmore
William Wolryche-Whitmore
William Wolryche-Whitmore was a Shropshire landowner and British Whig politician. He held a seat in the House of Commons from 1820 to 1835, representing first Bridgnorth and later Wolverhampton.-Background:...
, an MP in the House of Commons who lobbied for the formation of South Australia and introduced the South Australia Foundation Act into the British Parliament.
At the age of 18, Babbage became a pupil of the engineer and architect William Chadwell Mylne
William Chadwell Mylne
William Chadwell Mylne, FRS was a British engineer and architect.He was descended from a Scottish family of masons and architects, and was the second son of Robert Mylne , surveyor to the New River Company, and builder of the first Blackfriars Bridge in London.Initially, William's elder brother...
, with whom he worked on waterworks projects. In the 1840s, he also worked with Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
, the son of his father's friend Marc Isambard Brunel
Marc Isambard Brunel
Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, FRS FRSE was a French-born engineer who settled in England. He preferred the name Isambard, but is generally known to history as Marc to avoid confusion with his more famous son Isambard Kingdom Brunel...
, on railway planning and building in Italy and England.
Babbage married Laura Jones at Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
on 10 September 1839. The couple had seven children.
In 1850, Babbage was invited by Patrick Brontë
Patrick Brontë
The Reverend Patrick Brontë was an Irish Anglican curate and writer, who spent most of his adult life in England and was the father of the writers Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, and of Branwell Brontë, his only son....
(clergyman and father of the Brontë sisters) to conduct an inspection in the West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
town of Haworth
Haworth
Haworth is a rural village in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is located amongst the Pennines, southwest of Keighley and west of Bradford. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhope...
, partly brought about by Haworth's high rate of early mortality. Babbage was horrified by the unsanitary conditions in the town, and The Babbage Report to the General Board of Health
Local board of health
Local Boards or Local Boards of Health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate slaughterhouses and ensure the proper supply of water to their...
into the town's water supply and lack of a sewerage system resulted in the board taking notice and working to improve the town's sanitation.
South Australia
In 1851, the Colonial SecretarySecretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
Earl Grey
Henry Grey, 3rd Earl Grey
Henry George Grey, 3rd Earl Grey , known as Viscount Howick from 1807 until 1845, was an English statesman.-Background:Grey was the eldest son of Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, by his wife the Hon...
, on the recommendation of the geologist Sir Henry De la Beche
Henry De la Beche
Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche FRS was an English geologist and palaeontologist who helped pioneer early geological survey methods.-Biography:...
, assigned Babbage to perform a geological and mineralogical survey of the colony of South Australia requested by the colony's government. Babbage arrived in South Australia on 27 November on the "Hydaspes", and over the next few years worked on a number of government projects, first setting up the Government Gold Assay Office in Victoria Square..
He was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1852. In January 1853 he was appointed Chief Engineer by the company undertaking the railway from Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide is a suburb of Adelaide lying about 14 kilometres northwest of the City of Adelaide. It lies within the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and is the main port for the city of Adelaide...
to the city. In 1853, Babbage was one of the first five members of the Mitcham District Council
City of Mitcham
The City of Mitcham is a Local Government Area situated in the foothills of eastern Adelaide, South Australia. Within its bounds is Flinders University, South Australia's third largest....
, serving as the council's first chairman from 1855. A ward in the City of Mitcham was named after him. In 1854 he was elected to the Central Road Board. In 1855, Babbage served as President of the Adelaide Philosophical Society
Royal Society of South Australia
The Royal Society of South Australia is a Learned Society whose interest is in Science, particularly, but not only, of South Australia.The Society stems directly from the Adelaide Philosophical Society founded on the 10 January 1853. The title "Royal" was granted by her Majesty Queen Victoria in...
.
In 1857, Babbage was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
in the inaugural election in 1857
Members of the South Australian House of Assembly, 1857-1860
This is a list of members of the first parliament of the South Australian House of Assembly, which sat from 22 April 1857 until 1 March 1860. The members were elected at the inaugural 1857 election.Notes-References:...
, representing the electorate of Encounter Bay. He resigned late in the year after being appointed to lead an expedition to explore the north of the colony between Lake Torrens and Lake Gairdner. He was replaced by Henry Strangways
Henry Strangways
Henry Bull Templar Strangways was an Australian politician and Premier of South Australia.Strangways was the eldest son of Henry Bull Strangways of Shapwick, Somerset, England. He visited South Australia as a boy. Returning to England he entered at the Middle Temple in November 1851 and was called...
in a by-election.
Babbage began his exploration of South Australia in 1856 when sent to search for gold up to the Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges is the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts approximately north west of Adelaide. The discontinuous ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna...
, during which time he discovered the MacDonnell River, Blanchewater and Mount Hopeful (renamed Mount Babbage after him in 1857 by George Goyder
George Goyder
George Woodroffe Goyder was a surveyor in South Australia during the latter half of the nineteenth century....
). Babbage also disproved the notion that Lake Torrens
Lake Torrens
Lake Torrens is a salt lake in central South Australia. It is located in the Lake Torrens National Park....
was a single horseshoe-shaped lake or inland sea, ascertaining a number of gaps in the lake, which were later traversed other explorers such as Augustus Gregory
Augustus Gregory
Sir Augustus Charles Gregory KCMG. was an English-born Australian explorer. Between 1846 and 1858 he undertook four major expeditions.-Early years:...
and Peter Warburton
Peter Warburton
Colonel Peter Egerton Warburton CMG was an English explorer who made one particularly daring expedition from Adelaide to cross the centre of Australia to the coast of Western Australia via Alice Springs in 1872.The younger brother of Rowland Egerton-Warburton, Warburton was educated at home and...
. On 15 June 1858 near Pernatty Creek he discovered the remains of William Coulthard of Angas Park, Nuriootpa
Nuriootpa, South Australia
Nuriootpa is the major commercial centre in the Barossa Valley in South Australia, about an hour's drive north of the capital, Adelaide, and 77 kilometres by rail...
, who had died of thirst around 10 March 1858. On 22 October 1858 he discovered Emerald Springs.
Babbage also discovered that Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia and 18th largest in the world...
(sighted by Edward John Eyre
Edward John Eyre
Edward John Eyre was an English land explorer of the Australian continent, colonial administrator, and a controversial Governor of Jamaica....
in 1840) actually consisted of a large northern and a smaller southern lake. A peninsula on Lake Eyre North was named Babbage Peninsula in 1963.
As Babbage continued his explorations, sometimes accompanied by his son, Charles Whitmore Babbage, the government grew tired of his slow, methodical pace, and the Commissioner of Crown Lands, Francis Dutton
Francis Dutton
Francis Stacker Dutton CMG was the seventh Premier of South Australia, serving twice, firstly in 1863 and again in 1865....
, responded to the controversy by replacing him with Peter Warburton
Peter Warburton
Colonel Peter Egerton Warburton CMG was an English explorer who made one particularly daring expedition from Adelaide to cross the centre of Australia to the coast of Western Australia via Alice Springs in 1872.The younger brother of Rowland Egerton-Warburton, Warburton was educated at home and...
in 1858. Babbage complained of unfair treatment and petitioned the House of Assembly to conduct a parliamentary inquiry into the issue. A critically acclaimed book of his pen-and-ink sketches from this expedition is held by the Mortlock Library.
His last years were spent at his home on South Road, St Mary's, where he had an excellent vineyard and was a keen winemaker (nine varieties on 25 acres in 1878). He announced his candidature for the 1877 Legislative Council elections but refused to participate in any public meetings and did not go to the polls.
Family
Babbage married Laura Jones (ca.1813 – 22 July 1899) at BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
on 10 September 1839. Among their children were
Charles Whitmore Babbage (1842 – 17 August 1923), their eldest son, was a prize-winning student at Adelaide Educational Institution 1853-58. He accompanied his father on his journeys of exploration 1857-62, recording scenes in a small sketchbook which has been preserved. He was a member of the Adelaide Philosophical Society and for some years its Honorary Secretary.
He married Amelia Barton on 28 July 1869. While working as a teller with the Bank of Adelaide he started speculating on the Stock Exchange and losing money. On 1 July 1876 he was charged with embezzling £1616, and in September was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for that and passing a fraudulent cheque.
During his internment his wife ran their home as a boarding house for students of Prince Alfred College
Prince Alfred College
Prince Alfred College is an independent, day and boarding school for boys, located on Dequetteville Terrace, Kent Town, near the centre of Adelaide, South Australia...
and ran drawing classes. His family moved to New Zealand in 1881. He was released from prison some time after 1880 and moved to New Zealand, for a while farming in Wanganui
Wanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
, then "Croftmoor" near Hawera
Hawera
Hawera is the second-largest town in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight, 75 kilometres south of New Plymouth on State Highway 3 and 20 minutes' drive from Mount Taranaki/Egmont.It is also on State Highway 45,...
from 1883 to 1894 then moved to St John's Hill, Wanganui where he took an active role in local affairs, and was a prominent member of the Camera Club and the Wanganui Astronomical Society
Ward Observatory
The Ward Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Wanganui, New Zealand. It was built in 1901 and is administered by the Wanganui Astronomical Society. It was named after Joseph Thomas Ward , the Society's first president, and longtime director of the observatory....
. He was active in the Beautifying Society and did much work on Virginia Lake
Lake Virginia, New Zealand
Lake Virginia is a lake in the city of Wanganui in the North Island of New Zealand....
. His wife was on the board of the Wanganui Orphanage from 1896 to 1918 and president from 1910. Their home ""Rotokawau" was on St John's Hill above the Winter Garden; the gully at the rear is called "Babbage's Gully". He died at home after a brief illness.
The National Library of New Zealand has a collection of his photographs. Babbage Place in Wanganui was named for him.
- son Charles Ernest Babbage (17 June 1870 – 24 December 1878)
- son Alfred Whitmore Babbage (26 Oct 1871 – 27 June 1957) married Kate Elizabeth Hobbs on 7 July 1900
- son Henry Herschel Babbage (6 October 1873 – ca.1947)
- son Herbert Ivan Babbage (10 August 1875 – 14 October 1916) was a noted N.Z. artist who studied under David Edward Hutton (1866 – 1946) then at Académie JulianAcadémie JulianThe Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
, Paris. He died in England while serving with the Duke of Cornwall's Light InfantryDuke of Cornwall's Light InfantryThe Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by The Rifles....
during World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The National Library of New Zealand has a collection of his photographs. Wanganui's Sarjeant GallerySarjeant GalleryThe Sarjeant Art Gallery is located in Queen's Park, Wanganui. The Gallery was built as the result of a bequest to the city by Henry Sarjeant in 1912, and is listed as a Category I Historic Place and has the highest possible listing under the New Zealand Historic Places Trust Act .Among its...
has six of his paintings. - son Gordon Swaine Babbage (ca.1885 – ca.1 July 1975) in Wanganui, married Florence Mabel Josephine Rutherford (ca.1893 – ca.1 September 1940) on 14 April 1914
- grandson Dr. Stuart Barton Babbage (born 4 January 1916 in Auckland), married Elizabeth King in 1943, became Anglican Dean of Sydney in 1947, then of Melbourne (and Principal of Ridley College) in 1953.
Eden Herschel Babbage (ca.1844 – 5 February 1924), second son, a prize-winning student at Adelaide Educational Institution 1853-59
He married Louisa Harriot Burton (d. 22 Sep 1917) on 30 April 1872. An employee of the Bank of Australasia from 1860, he was transferred to Sale, Victoria
Sale, Victoria
Sale is a city in the Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. It is the seat of the Shire of Wellington as well as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale and the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland. It has a population of around 13,336, and is expected to reach a population of 14,000 soon...
in 1877 then promoted to manager of the branch at Wanganui, New Zealand, followed by successively more responsible posts until his retirement in 1906 at his home "Rawhiti" on Clanville Road, Roseville, New South Wales
Roseville, New South Wales
Roseville is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Roseville is located north-west of the Sydney central business district and sits across the local government areas of Ku-ring-gai and Willoughby...
, where he was active as councillor and president of the Progress Association. A memorial was erected to him, the "Father of Roseville" on the corner of Babbage Road (which was named for him) and Ormonde Road,
- son Francis Eden (8 May 1873 – 1 April 1949) married Eleanor Mary Molesworth on 11 February 1903. He followed his father in the Australasian Bank.
- grandson Neville Babbage (b. 5 February 1912) collected much Babbage ephemera now held by Sydney's Powerhouse MuseumPowerhouse MuseumThe Powerhouse Museum is the major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney, the other being the historic Sydney Observatory...
. - daughter born 20 February 1875
- daughter born 19 January 1881 at Wanganui N.Z.
Dugald Bromhead Babbage
Herschel's brother Dugald Bromhead (13 March 1823 – 23 August 1881) arrived in Adelaide on the "Grecian" on 24 September 1849 and worked a farm on Goodwood Road. He worked as assistant to his brother in the Assay Office in 1852, helped found the Adelaide Philosophical Society in 1853 and in 1854 surveyed the route of the proposed Port Adelaide to Adelaide railway. Herschel while protective of his less able younger brother, despaired of his propensity to mix with social inferiors and his fondness for drink. He married Anne Lea on 7 March 1854.- son Dugald Herschel (15 Dec 1854 – ) returned to UK on the "Orient" in 1882
- son Walter Henry Babbage (1 August 1856 – 18 December 1883)
- daughter Louisa Ann (18 Jan 1859 – )