Benjamin Boyd
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Boyd was a Scottish-born
Australia
n pioneer
and entrepreneur
.
Boyd was a man of "an imposing personal appearance, fluent oratory, aristocratic connexions, and a fair share of commercial acuteness". Mrs Georgiana McCrae
, with whom he had dinner when he first came to Port Phillip, looked at him with an artist's eye and said: "He is Rubens over again. Tells me he went to a bal masque as Rubens with his broad-leafed hat".
, Scotland
, Boyd was the second son of Edward Boyd by his wife Jane (daughter of Benjamin Yule). By 1824 he was a stockbroker in London
and on 8 October 1840 he addressed a letter to Lord John Russell
, stating that he had recently dispatched a vessel
entirely his own at a cost of £30,000 for 'further developing the resources of Australia and its adjacent Islands'. He stated that he intended to send other vessels, and asked for certain privileges in connexion with the purchase of land at various ports he intended to establish. He received a guarded reply promising assistance, but pointing out that land could not be sold to an individual to the "exclusion or disadvantage of the public". About this period Boyd had floated the Royal Bank of Australia, and debentures of this bank to the amount of £200,000 were sold. This sum was eventually taken by Boyd to Australia as the bank's representative. He arrived in Hobson's Bay, Port Phillip District
, on his schooner, the Wanderer, on 15 June 1842, and reached Port Jackson
, Sydney
, on 18 July 1842.
dated 17 May 1844 he mentioned that Boyd was one of the largest squatters in the country, with 14 stations in the "Maneroo
" district and four at Port Phillip
, amounting together to 381000 acres (1,541.9 km²) of land. At about the same period the firm of Boyd and Company had three steamers
and three sailing ship
s in commission. Large sums of money were also being spent on founding the port of Boydtown on the south coast, which involved the building of a jetty
300 feet (91.4 m) long, and a lighthouse 75 feet (22.9 m) high.
Four years later a visitor, speaking of the town, mentioned its Gothic
church with a spire
, commodious stores, well-built brick
houses, and "a splendid hotel in the Elizabethan style". At this time Boyd had nine whalers
working from this port.
Having difficulty in obtaining cheap labour, in 1847 he began shipping natives from the Pacific islands, hoping thus to get an unlimited supply of cheap labour. This scheme turned out to be a complete failure. The start of Boyd's troubles were the loss of two law-suits for the insurance
money on one of his vessels which was wrecked, but it seems his schemes were too grandiose for the then state of Australia. The shareholder
s in the Royal Bank became dissatisfied, and eventually all of the capital was lost and there was a deficiency of £80,000.
on 26 October 1849. At the gold-diggings he had no success, and in June 1851 he sailed in the Wanderer for a voyage among the Pacific islands with the aim of establishing a 'Papuan Republic or Confederation'.
On 15 October 1851, while at Guadalcanal
in the Solomon Islands
, Boyd went ashore with one native to shoot game. Soon after being seen entering a small creek in his boat, two shots were heard 15 minutes apart, Boyd was never seen again. A party was landed and search was made for him, but no trace of him could be found except a belt which had belonged to him. It appears to be certain that he was killed soon after he landed. There were afterwards rumours that he had escaped, and at the end of 1854 an expedition was sent to the islands to make further inquiries. The search was fruitless.
was established, located near Boydtown and Eden and named after Boyd. The park area covers approximately 10407 hectares (25,716.2 acre).
Boyd's Tower is located at the entrance to the park near Twofold Bay
and was designed as a lighthouse and lookout.
The tower was designed by Oswald Brierly
who had accompanied Boyd to Australia from England. It was built from sandstone quarried in Sydney. The structure was not commissioned as a lighthouse and the building work stopped in 1847 as funds became short. The tower was used as a whale sighting station.
Whaling was already an established industry when Boyd arrived in the area and he brought with him his own boats and crew, aggressively went into competition with the locals and expanded his fleet until he had nine whaling boats working for him.
Boyd's legacy includes the decaying buildings of Boydtown
near Eden
on Twofold Bay in New South Wales. The township was established by Boyd to provide services for the extensive properties he owned locally. It was abandoned in the mid 1840s when Boyd's finances failed. The township has since been revived.
An addition, Ben Boyd Road in Neutral Bay, New South Wales
was named in his honour, as was Boyd house of Neutral Bay Primary School. A small plaque describing his life and death is on display on the Kurraba Point-end of same.
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Boyd's disappearance, a scale model of the Wanderer was created for the Eden Killer Whale Museum
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n pioneer
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
.
Boyd was a man of "an imposing personal appearance, fluent oratory, aristocratic connexions, and a fair share of commercial acuteness". Mrs Georgiana McCrae
Georgiana McCrae
Georgiana Gordon McCrae was an Australian painter and diarist.-Early life and family background:Born in London, she was the illegitimate daughter of George Gordon, 5th Duke of Gordon and Jane Graham. The Marquis of Huntly played little part in her life, as far as can be deduced from Gordon's memoirs...
, with whom he had dinner when he first came to Port Phillip, looked at him with an artist's eye and said: "He is Rubens over again. Tells me he went to a bal masque as Rubens with his broad-leafed hat".
Early life
Born at Merton Hall, WigtownshireWigtownshire
Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown is a registration county in the Southern Uplands of south west Scotland. Until 1975, the county was one of the administrative counties used for local government purposes, and is now administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Boyd was the second son of Edward Boyd by his wife Jane (daughter of Benjamin Yule). By 1824 he was a stockbroker in London
London
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...
and on 8 October 1840 he addressed a letter to Lord John Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, KG, GCMG, PC , known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was an English Whig and Liberal politician who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century....
, stating that he had recently dispatched a vessel
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
entirely his own at a cost of £30,000 for 'further developing the resources of Australia and its adjacent Islands'. He stated that he intended to send other vessels, and asked for certain privileges in connexion with the purchase of land at various ports he intended to establish. He received a guarded reply promising assistance, but pointing out that land could not be sold to an individual to the "exclusion or disadvantage of the public". About this period Boyd had floated the Royal Bank of Australia, and debentures of this bank to the amount of £200,000 were sold. This sum was eventually taken by Boyd to Australia as the bank's representative. He arrived in Hobson's Bay, Port Phillip District
Port Phillip District
The Port Phillip District was an historical administrative division of the Colony of New South Wales, existing from September 1836 until 1 July 1851, when it was separated from New South Wales and became the Colony of Victoria....
, on his schooner, the Wanderer, on 15 June 1842, and reached Port Jackson
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, on 18 July 1842.
In Australia
Boyd soon began investing his own and his bank's money. In a dispatch of Sir George GippsGeorge Gipps
Sir George Gipps was Governor of the colony of New South Wales, Australia, for eight years, between 1838 and 1846. His governorship was during a period of great change for New South Wales and Australia, as well as for New Zealand, which was administered as part of New South Wales for much of this...
dated 17 May 1844 he mentioned that Boyd was one of the largest squatters in the country, with 14 stations in the "Maneroo
Monaro, New South Wales
Monaro is the name of a region in the south of New South Wales, Australia. A small area of Victoria near Snowy River National Park is geographically part of the Monaro, whilst the Australian Capital Territory is frequently considered part of the region: most towns have very close links with...
" district and four at Port Phillip
Port Phillip
Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...
, amounting together to 381000 acres (1,541.9 km²) of land. At about the same period the firm of Boyd and Company had three steamers
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
and three sailing ship
Sailing ship
The term sailing ship is now used to refer to any large wind-powered vessel. In technical terms, a ship was a sailing vessel with a specific rig of at least three masts, square rigged on all of them, making the sailing adjective redundant. In popular usage "ship" became associated with all large...
s in commission. Large sums of money were also being spent on founding the port of Boydtown on the south coast, which involved the building of a jetty
Jetty
A jetty is any of a variety of structures used in river, dock, and maritime works that are generally carried out in pairs from river banks, or in continuation of river channels at their outlets into deep water; or out into docks, and outside their entrances; or for forming basins along the...
300 feet (91.4 m) long, and a lighthouse 75 feet (22.9 m) high.
Four years later a visitor, speaking of the town, mentioned its Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
church with a spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
, commodious stores, well-built brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
houses, and "a splendid hotel in the Elizabethan style". At this time Boyd had nine whalers
Whalers
Whalers may refer to:* Danbury Whalers,US ice-hockey team in the Federal Hockey League* Eden Whalers, Australian Rules Football team* Hartford Whalers, former US ice-hockey team* New Bedford Whalers, name of three US soccer teams...
working from this port.
Having difficulty in obtaining cheap labour, in 1847 he began shipping natives from the Pacific islands, hoping thus to get an unlimited supply of cheap labour. This scheme turned out to be a complete failure. The start of Boyd's troubles were the loss of two law-suits for the insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
money on one of his vessels which was wrecked, but it seems his schemes were too grandiose for the then state of Australia. The shareholder
Shareholder
A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
s in the Royal Bank became dissatisfied, and eventually all of the capital was lost and there was a deficiency of £80,000.
Later years
Boyd was apparently allowed to keep his yacht the Wanderer, for he sailed on her to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on 26 October 1849. At the gold-diggings he had no success, and in June 1851 he sailed in the Wanderer for a voyage among the Pacific islands with the aim of establishing a 'Papuan Republic or Confederation'.
On 15 October 1851, while at Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
, Boyd went ashore with one native to shoot game. Soon after being seen entering a small creek in his boat, two shots were heard 15 minutes apart, Boyd was never seen again. A party was landed and search was made for him, but no trace of him could be found except a belt which had belonged to him. It appears to be certain that he was killed soon after he landed. There were afterwards rumours that he had escaped, and at the end of 1854 an expedition was sent to the islands to make further inquiries. The search was fruitless.
Legacy
In 1971 the Ben Boyd National ParkBen Boyd National Park
Ben Boyd National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney. It is named after the entrepreneur Ben Boyd who had a variety of interests in the far South Coast of New South Wales including whaling and farming. The park itself was established in 1971...
was established, located near Boydtown and Eden and named after Boyd. The park area covers approximately 10407 hectares (25,716.2 acre).
Boyd's Tower is located at the entrance to the park near Twofold Bay
Twofold Bay
Twofold Bay is a bay on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, close to the border with Victoria. The bay has an area of about 30 square kilometres. Close to North Head is a conspicuous islet, Mewstone Rock. About five km south of the islet is Red Point which forms the southern headland of...
and was designed as a lighthouse and lookout.
The tower was designed by Oswald Brierly
Oswald Walters Brierly
Sir Oswald Walters Brierly , English marine painter, who came of an old Cheshire family, was born at Chester.- Life :...
who had accompanied Boyd to Australia from England. It was built from sandstone quarried in Sydney. The structure was not commissioned as a lighthouse and the building work stopped in 1847 as funds became short. The tower was used as a whale sighting station.
Whaling was already an established industry when Boyd arrived in the area and he brought with him his own boats and crew, aggressively went into competition with the locals and expanded his fleet until he had nine whaling boats working for him.
Boyd's legacy includes the decaying buildings of Boydtown
Boydtown, New South Wales
Boydtown is a village on Twofold Bay near Eden, on the far south coast of New South Wales, Australia. It was the original settlement in the bay, founded by Benjamin Boyd in 1843 to service his properties on the Monaro plains...
near Eden
Eden, New South Wales
Eden is a coastal town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The town, south of the state capital Sydney near the border with Victoria, is located between Nullica Bay to the south and Calle Calle Bay, the northern reach of Twofold Bay, and built on undulating land adjacent to a...
on Twofold Bay in New South Wales. The township was established by Boyd to provide services for the extensive properties he owned locally. It was abandoned in the mid 1840s when Boyd's finances failed. The township has since been revived.
An addition, Ben Boyd Road in Neutral Bay, New South Wales
Neutral Bay, New South Wales
Neutral Bay is a harbourside suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Neutral Bay is located 5 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Council....
was named in his honour, as was Boyd house of Neutral Bay Primary School. A small plaque describing his life and death is on display on the Kurraba Point-end of same.
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Boyd's disappearance, a scale model of the Wanderer was created for the Eden Killer Whale Museum
Eden Killer Whale Museum
The Eden Killer Whale Museum is a museum in Eden, New South Wales, Australia. It was originally built to house the skeleton of the orca "Old Tom" and tell its story...
.
Further reading
- Diamond, Marion. The Seahorse and the Wanderer. Ben Boyd in Australia (Melbourne 1988)
- Phillips, Valmai. 1977. Romance of Australian Lighthouses. Rigby, Adelaide. ISBN 0-7270-0498-0 pp. 45–47