Charles Tompson
Encyclopedia
Charles Tompson was an Australia
n public servant and it is claimed he was the first published Australian-born poet.
Tompson was born in 1806 at Sydney
, eldest child of Charles Tompson (1784?-1871), a farmer, and his wife, Elizabeth, née Boggis. Tompson senior had been convicted at Warwick, England, in March 1802, and arrived in Sydney aboard the Coromandel in May 1804. Tompson junior was educated at the Henry Fulton
's school at Castlereagh
, and entered the New South Wales public service. In 1826 he published Wild Notes, from the Lyre of a Native Minstrel, by Charles Tompson, jun., the first volume of verse by one of the native-born to be published in Australia. Tompson was just 20 years old when his volume was published. Considered as juvenilia it has some merit, but its chief interest lies in its having been the first of its kind. He wrote some verse and much prose in later life, none of which has been collected in a volume.
One poem, Australia. A Translation of the Latin Prize Poem of S. Smith, a Student of Hyde Abbey School, Winchester, appeared in the Sydney Gazette
for 17 December 1829, and was published shortly after as a two-paged pamphlet, now very rare.
Tompson married Hannah Morris at St Matthew's, Windsor, on 12 April 1830; by 1831 he was living in Kent Street, Sydney, and had become a clerk in the colonial secretary's office. Tompson remained there until 1836 when he returned to his Doon Moor Cottage, Penrith where he was a clerk of petty sessions. Later he was clerk at Camden.
Tompson was then appointed third clerk in the Legislative Council of New South Wales, rose to be clerk of parliaments in the legislative council, and, in 1860, clerk of the legislative assembly
, where he was much liked by members as a courteous and obliging officer. He retired on a pension on 31 January 1869 and died at Sydney on 5 January 1883.
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 public servant and it is claimed he was the first published Australian-born poet.
Tompson was born in 1806 at 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...
, eldest child of Charles Tompson (1784?-1871), a farmer, and his wife, Elizabeth, née Boggis. Tompson senior had been convicted at Warwick, England, in March 1802, and arrived in Sydney aboard the Coromandel in May 1804. Tompson junior was educated at the Henry Fulton
Henry Fulton
Henry Fulton was an Irish-Australian clergyman and schoolmaster.-Early life:Fulton was born in England and educated at Trinity College, Dublin from 1788, graduating B.A. in 1792. In the late 1790s he was a clergyman in the Diocese of Killaloe, Ireland. Fulton became involved in the Irish Rebellion...
's school at Castlereagh
Castlereagh, New South Wales
Castlereagh is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Castlereagh is located 67 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.-History:The suburb is one of the...
, and entered the New South Wales public service. In 1826 he published Wild Notes, from the Lyre of a Native Minstrel, by Charles Tompson, jun., the first volume of verse by one of the native-born to be published in Australia. Tompson was just 20 years old when his volume was published. Considered as juvenilia it has some merit, but its chief interest lies in its having been the first of its kind. He wrote some verse and much prose in later life, none of which has been collected in a volume.
One poem, Australia. A Translation of the Latin Prize Poem of S. Smith, a Student of Hyde Abbey School, Winchester, appeared in the Sydney Gazette
Sydney Gazette
The Sydney Gazette was the first newspaper in Australia. Governor King authorised the publication of what was initially called 'The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser in 1803. Subsequently the first edition was published 5 March...
for 17 December 1829, and was published shortly after as a two-paged pamphlet, now very rare.
Tompson married Hannah Morris at St Matthew's, Windsor, on 12 April 1830; by 1831 he was living in Kent Street, Sydney, and had become a clerk in the colonial secretary's office. Tompson remained there until 1836 when he returned to his Doon Moor Cottage, Penrith where he was a clerk of petty sessions. Later he was clerk at Camden.
Tompson was then appointed third clerk in the Legislative Council of New South Wales, rose to be clerk of parliaments in the legislative council, and, in 1860, clerk of the legislative assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
, where he was much liked by members as a courteous and obliging officer. He retired on a pension on 31 January 1869 and died at Sydney on 5 January 1883.