Charles Rossiter Forwood
Encyclopedia
Charles Rossiter Forwood (12 October 1826 – 2 February 1890) was an English
-born Australia
n lawyer and Attorney General of Fiji
from 1872 to 1873.
, the sixth child of Capt Thomas Forwood and Mary Ann Rossiter, of Warncombe House, Newte's Hill Road, Tiverton, Devon. He enrolled at Blundell's School
, Tiverton on the 15 August 1835 aged 8 years and completed his studies on the 14 September 1837.
After leaving school he was employed in a Manchester Warehouse and in 1840 he started employment with Charles Robert Colman Esq., Ship Owner and Wharfinger in London
, where he lived with his step aunt from his Grandfather's, Thomas Rossiter's second marriage.
On the 17 June 1849, at the age of 23, he married Esther De Young in Lambeth
, Surrey
. Esther was the daughter of John De Young a Spanish Merchant from Gibraltar
and Ann Harris (Irish ancestry) from Lisbon
, Portugal. They had five children, Catherine Esther (b:1850) Charles Henry (b:1852) William Phillip (b:1854) Walter Weech (b:1855) and Marian Nancy (b:1857).
, England bound for Australia. They arrived in Melbourne
, Victoria
on Christmas Eve 1853 and were met by Charles’s mother Mary Ann Forwood, his brother William Henry and sister Emma Catherine who had completed the voyage earlier in the same year.
Forwood established a law practice in Melbourne on his arrival in 1853 and became a successful barrister
of Law. During this time the family lived at Nerrena (renamed Kinnoull) Sorrett Avenue, Malvern
.
In September, 1857 his wife Esther died and was buried on the 15 September 1857 in Kilda Cemetery. Eighteen months later, aged 36, on the 21 August 1861 Rossiter married Prudence Winch De La Fontaine in Melbourne. They had four children, Frank Owen (b:1862) Edward William (b:1864) Florence De La Fontaine (b:1865) Alfred Ernest Albert (b:1867).
In mid 1871, aged 45, Rossiter was elected to the board of the Polynesia Company and sailed to Suva
, Fiji
aboard the SS Baclutha on the 4 October 1871. He arrived in Suva
, Fiji on the 18 of October 1871. Whilst in Fiji he served as a judge and was appointed Attorney General to Fiji in 1872, a position he served in for two years. He spent a number of years in Wellington
, New Zealand
where he practiced law.
In 1888 Rossiter returned to Melbourne, via Sydney where he was in poor health. On the 31 July 1888, Prudence Winch died and was buried in St. Kilda Cemetery. It was during a protracted illness in 1889 that Rossiter wrote his autobiography An account of an English Country family since 1700 which he completed in Melbourne on the 31 July 1889, plus a subsequent addition to the original An account of the Settlement of Fiji, completed on the 31 October 1889.
Rossiter died in Melbourne at the age of 63 years. He was buried at St. Kilda Cemetery beside his first and second wives Esther and Prudence, his mother Mary Ann Forwood and three of his children, Alice, Ellen Marion and Florence M.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born 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 lawyer and Attorney General of Fiji
Attorney-General (Fiji)
Fiji's chief governmental legal officer is the Attorney General. According to the Constitution of Fiji, the Attorney-General is required to be a qualified lawyer and sits in the Cabinet. The office of the Attorney-General is the oldest surviving executive office in Fiji, having been established...
from 1872 to 1873.
Early life
Forwood was born on in Tiverton, DevonDevon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, the sixth child of Capt Thomas Forwood and Mary Ann Rossiter, of Warncombe House, Newte's Hill Road, Tiverton, Devon. He enrolled at Blundell's School
Blundell's School
Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school located in the town of Tiverton in the county of Devon, England. The school was founded in 1604 by the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the time, and relocated to its present location on the...
, Tiverton on the 15 August 1835 aged 8 years and completed his studies on the 14 September 1837.
After leaving school he was employed in a Manchester Warehouse and in 1840 he started employment with Charles Robert Colman Esq., Ship Owner and Wharfinger 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...
, where he lived with his step aunt from his Grandfather's, Thomas Rossiter's second marriage.
On the 17 June 1849, at the age of 23, he married Esther De Young in Lambeth
Lambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. Esther was the daughter of John De Young a Spanish Merchant from Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and Ann Harris (Irish ancestry) from Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal. They had five children, Catherine Esther (b:1850) Charles Henry (b:1852) William Phillip (b:1854) Walter Weech (b:1855) and Marian Nancy (b:1857).
Migration to Australia
In late 1853, the Forwoods, accompanied by their first two children, Catherine Ester (b:1850) and Charles Henry (b:1852), left PortsmouthPortsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, England bound for Australia. They arrived in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
on Christmas Eve 1853 and were met by Charles’s mother Mary Ann Forwood, his brother William Henry and sister Emma Catherine who had completed the voyage earlier in the same year.
Forwood established a law practice in Melbourne on his arrival in 1853 and became a successful barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
of Law. During this time the family lived at Nerrena (renamed Kinnoull) Sorrett Avenue, Malvern
Malvern, Victoria
Malvern is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington. At the 2006 Census, Malvern had a population of 9,422.-History:...
.
In September, 1857 his wife Esther died and was buried on the 15 September 1857 in Kilda Cemetery. Eighteen months later, aged 36, on the 21 August 1861 Rossiter married Prudence Winch De La Fontaine in Melbourne. They had four children, Frank Owen (b:1862) Edward William (b:1864) Florence De La Fontaine (b:1865) Alfred Ernest Albert (b:1867).
In mid 1871, aged 45, Rossiter was elected to the board of the Polynesia Company and sailed to Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
aboard the SS Baclutha on the 4 October 1871. He arrived in Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
, Fiji on the 18 of October 1871. Whilst in Fiji he served as a judge and was appointed Attorney General to Fiji in 1872, a position he served in for two years. He spent a number of years in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
where he practiced law.
In 1888 Rossiter returned to Melbourne, via Sydney where he was in poor health. On the 31 July 1888, Prudence Winch died and was buried in St. Kilda Cemetery. It was during a protracted illness in 1889 that Rossiter wrote his autobiography An account of an English Country family since 1700 which he completed in Melbourne on the 31 July 1889, plus a subsequent addition to the original An account of the Settlement of Fiji, completed on the 31 October 1889.
Rossiter died in Melbourne at the age of 63 years. He was buried at St. Kilda Cemetery beside his first and second wives Esther and Prudence, his mother Mary Ann Forwood and three of his children, Alice, Ellen Marion and Florence M.