John Bigge
Encyclopedia
John Thomas Bigge was an English judge and royal commissioner.
Bigge was born at Benton House, Northumberland
, England
, the second son of Thomas Charles Bigge
, High Sheriff of Northumberland
in 1771. He was educated at Newcastle Grammar School
, Westminster School
(1795) and in 1797 entered Christ Church, Oxford
(B.A., 1801; M.A., 1804).
Bigge was called to the Bar in 1806 and was appointed Chief Judge of Trinidad in 1814, a post he held for the next four years.
, Lord Bathurst
had wanted to examine whether transportation
was an effective deterrent to crime. The commissioner may also have been appointed in response to complaints to London from leaders of the community of free settlers including John Macarthur
.
On 5 January 1819, Bigge was appointed a special commissioner to examine the government of the Colony of New South Wales
by Lord Bathurst, the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
. His brief was to determine how far the expanding colony of New South Wales could be “made adequate to the Objects of its original Institution”, which were understood to be purely to be a penal colony. He was to come to Australia
to investigate all aspects of the colonial government, then under the governorship of Lachlan Macquarie
, including finances, the church and the judiciary, and the convict system.
Together with his secretary Thomas Hobbes Scott
, Bigge arrived in Sydney
on 26 September 1819, per the ship, John Barry. Bigge finished gathering evidence February 1821
and on 10 February, sailed back to England aboard the ship, Dromedary.
While Bigge was in Australia, there was noticeable friction between himself and Governor Macquarie and he spent much time in the company of the Macarthur's.
Bigge’s first report was published in June 1822
and his second and third reports in 1823
. Elements of Bigge’s reports criticised Governor Macquarie’s administration including his emancipist
policy, expenditure on public works and management of convict
s. Macquarie answered criticisms to the secretary of state, Lord Bathurst
in 1822. Bigge's reports are now viewed as not showing sufficient detachment and although there were many excellent recommendations, there were also trifling recommendations and hyper-critical detail.
In 1823, many of Bigge’s recommendations from his second report were incorporated into the NSW Judicature Act which legislated to provide for the colony’s government and judicial system. It also provided for a separate administration for Van Diemen's Land
(Tasmania).
The third report was the most impartial and least contentious. It afforded a generally clear picture of farming and grazing in the Sydney district and west of the Blue Mountains. It did not sufficiently acknowledge the important developments of the Illawarra district and tended to suggest falsely that agriculture was drooping under Macquarie. Otherwise it was well presented and included useful accounts of the state of revenue, trade and the country's economic position.
In 1824
, Governor Brisbane
approved the sale of crown land
in accordance with one of Bigge’s recommendations. Previously only a nominal ‘quit’ rent was required for grants by the crown.
The establishment of the limits of location
resulted from Bigge's recommendations.
From 1823, Bigge was given a similar appointment to examine the government of the Cape Colony, Mauritius and Ceylon.
Bigge was born at Benton House, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England
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...
, the second son of Thomas Charles Bigge
Thomas Charles Bigge
Thomas Charles Bigge was High Sheriff of Northumberland for 1771.He was the son of William Bigge , another former High Sheriff of Northumberland, of Benton House, Little Benton, Northumberland....
, High Sheriff of Northumberland
High Sheriff of Northumberland
This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Northumberland.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post...
in 1771. He was educated at Newcastle Grammar School
Royal Grammar School, Newcastle
Royal Grammar School Newcastle upon Tyne, known locally and often abbreviated as RGS, is a long-established co-educational, independent school in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It gained its Royal Charter under Queen Elizabeth I...
, Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
(1795) and in 1797 entered Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
(B.A., 1801; M.A., 1804).
Bigge was called to the Bar in 1806 and was appointed Chief Judge of Trinidad in 1814, a post he held for the next four years.
The Bigge Inquiry
Since 18171817 in Australia
See also:1816 in Australia,other events of 1817,1818 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales- Lachlan Macquarie...
, Lord Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst KG PC was a British politician.-Background and education:Lord Bathurst was the elder son of Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst, by his wife Tryphena, daughter of Thomas Scawen...
had wanted to examine whether transportation
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
was an effective deterrent to crime. The commissioner may also have been appointed in response to complaints to London from leaders of the community of free settlers including John Macarthur
John Macarthur (wool pioneer)
John Macarthur was a British army officer, entrepreneur, politician, architect and pioneer of settlement in Australia. Macarthur is recognised as the pioneer of the wool industry that was to boom in Australia in the early 19th century and become a trademark of the nation...
.
On 5 January 1819, Bigge was appointed a special commissioner to examine the government of the Colony of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
by Lord Bathurst, the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet level position responsible for the army and the British colonies . The Department was created in 1801...
. His brief was to determine how far the expanding colony of New South Wales could be “made adequate to the Objects of its original Institution”, which were understood to be purely to be a penal colony. He was to come to 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...
to investigate all aspects of the colonial government, then under the governorship of Lachlan Macquarie
Lachlan Macquarie
Major-General Lachlan Macquarie CB , was a British military officer and colonial administrator. He served as the last autocratic Governor of New South Wales, Australia from 1810 to 1821 and had a leading role in the social, economic and architectural development of the colony...
, including finances, the church and the judiciary, and the convict system.
Together with his secretary Thomas Hobbes Scott
Thomas Hobbes Scott
Thomas Hobbes Scott was an English-born clergyman, active in Australia.Scott was born in Kelmscott, Oxford, England, one of the youngest of eight children of James Scott, sometime vicar of Itchen Stoke, Hampshire, and chaplain ordinary to George III, and his wife Jane Elizabeth, née Harmood.Scott...
, Bigge arrived in 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 26 September 1819, per the ship, John Barry. Bigge finished gathering evidence February 1821
1821 in Australia
See also:1820 in Australia,other events of 1821,1822 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales- Major-General Lachlan Macquarie...
and on 10 February, sailed back to England aboard the ship, Dromedary.
While Bigge was in Australia, there was noticeable friction between himself and Governor Macquarie and he spent much time in the company of the Macarthur's.
Bigge’s first report was published in June 1822
1822 in Australia
See also:1821 in Australia,other events of 1822,1823 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales- Major-General Sir Thomas Brisbane...
and his second and third reports in 1823
1823 in Australia
See also:1822 in Australia,other events of 1823,1824 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales- Major-General Sir Thomas Brisbane...
. Elements of Bigge’s reports criticised Governor Macquarie’s administration including his emancipist
Emancipist
An emancipist was any of the convicts sentenced and transported under the convict system to Australia, who had been given conditional or absolute pardons...
policy, expenditure on public works and management of convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
s. Macquarie answered criticisms to the secretary of state, Lord Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst KG PC was a British politician.-Background and education:Lord Bathurst was the elder son of Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst, by his wife Tryphena, daughter of Thomas Scawen...
in 1822. Bigge's reports are now viewed as not showing sufficient detachment and although there were many excellent recommendations, there were also trifling recommendations and hyper-critical detail.
In 1823, many of Bigge’s recommendations from his second report were incorporated into the NSW Judicature Act which legislated to provide for the colony’s government and judicial system. It also provided for a separate administration for Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
(Tasmania).
The third report was the most impartial and least contentious. It afforded a generally clear picture of farming and grazing in the Sydney district and west of the Blue Mountains. It did not sufficiently acknowledge the important developments of the Illawarra district and tended to suggest falsely that agriculture was drooping under Macquarie. Otherwise it was well presented and included useful accounts of the state of revenue, trade and the country's economic position.
In 1824
1824 in Australia
See also:1823 in Australia,other events of 1824,1825 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales- Major-General Sir Thomas Brisbane...
, Governor Brisbane
Thomas Brisbane
Major-General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet GCH, GCB, FRS, FRSE was a British soldier, colonial Governor and astronomer.-Early life:...
approved the sale of crown land
Crown land
In Commonwealth realms, Crown land is an area belonging to the monarch , the equivalent of an entailed estate that passed with the monarchy and could not be alienated from it....
in accordance with one of Bigge’s recommendations. Previously only a nominal ‘quit’ rent was required for grants by the crown.
The establishment of the limits of location
Nineteen Counties
The Nineteen Counties were the limits of location in the colony of New South Wales defined by the Governor of New South Wales Sir Ralph Darling in 1826 in accordance with a government order from Lord Bathurst, the secretary of State. Counties had been used since the first year of settlement, with...
resulted from Bigge's recommendations.
From 1823, Bigge was given a similar appointment to examine the government of the Cape Colony, Mauritius and Ceylon.