Thomas Lipson
Encyclopedia
Thomas Lipson, R.N. generally known as Captain Lipson was born in Dartmouth
, England, he joined the Royal Navy at an early age and had a successful if unspectacular career, ending as Harbour Master of Port Adelaide
from 1836 to 1855.
on 30 July 1812
They travelled to South Australia on the "Cygnet" with six children:
Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
, England, he joined the Royal Navy at an early age and had a successful if unspectacular career, ending as Harbour Master of 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...
from 1836 to 1855.
Career
- 1793 Lipson joined the Royal Navy as a first-class volunteer on the Windsor CastleHMS Windsor Castle (1790)HMS Windsor Castle was a 98-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 3 May 1790 at Deptford Dockyard.-Dardanelles:Windsor Castle was part of Robert Calder's fleet at the Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1805...
under Captain Sir Thomas ByardThomas ByardCaptain Sir Thomas Byard was an officer of the British Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary Wars. He is best known for his service in two significant battles, fighting at the Battle of Camperdown in 1797 and the Battle of Tory Island in 1798. In these engagements Byard was highly praised for...
. (At the age of 9 or 10!!) - In 1797 he served under Byard on the BedfordHMS Bedford (1775)HMS Bedford was a Royal Navy 74-gun third rate. This ship of the line was launched on 27 October 1775 at Woolwich.-Early service:In 1780, Bedford fought at the Battle of Cape St Vincent...
, at the Battle of CamperdownBattle of CamperdownThe Battle of Camperdown was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797 between a Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch Navy fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter... - In 1798 in the FoudroyantHMS Foudroyant (1798)HMS Foudroyant was an 80-gun third rate of the Royal Navy. She was built at Plymouth Dockyard and launched on 31 March 1798.Goodwin gives the launch date for Foudroyant as 31 March, 25 May, and 31 August. The text highlights this discrepancy and attributes the August date to Lyon's Sailing Navy...
under Byard at the Battle of Tory IslandBattle of Tory IslandThe Battle of Tory Island, was a naval action of the French Revolutionary Wars, fought on 12 October 1798 between French and British squadrons off the northwest coast of Donegal, then in the Kingdom of Ireland...
. He was present at the Battle of the NileBattle of the NileThe Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
and the taking of Toulon; during the rest of the war as midshipman and master's mate in the Princess Charlotte, RubyHMS Ruby (1776)HMS Ruby was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 26 November 1776 at Woolwich.She was converted to serve as a receiving ship in 1813, and was broken up in 1821....
, and IsisHMS Isis (1774)HMS Isis was a 50-gun Portland-class fourth-rate of the Royal Navy. She saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
. He then served for short periods on the NeptuneHMS Neptune (1797)HMS Neptune was a 98-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She served on a number of stations during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and was present at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805....
, AmphionHMS Amphion (1798)HMS Amphion was a 32-gun fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She served during the Napoleonic Wars.Amphion was built by Betts, of Mistleythorn, and was launched on 19 March 1798....
and HydraHMS Hydra (1797)HMS Hydra launched in 1797 was a fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, armed with a main battery of twenty-eight 18-pounder guns.She was built to the design of the captured French frigate Melpomene .-Service:... - In 1803, he joined the MontaguHMS Montagu (1779)HMS Montagu, sometimes spelled Montague, was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 28 August 1779 at Chatham Dockyard....
and assisted at the blockade of the enemy's ports from BrestBrest, FranceBrest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
to the DardanellesDardanellesThe Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
. He was present on 22 August 1805, in Admiral Cornwallis's attack on the French fleet close to Brest harbour, when the Montagu engaged with L'Alexandre (described in the reference as a ship of 80 guns). - On 24 January 1808, Lipson was nominated Acting Lieutenant of the SabrinaHMS Sabrina (1806)HMS Sabrina was an 18-gun Royal Navy ship-sloop of the Cormorant class, launched in 1806 at Southampton and sold in 1816.-Design:The Cormorant class was designed by Sir William Rule and Sir John Henslow as 16-gun ship-sloops...
off CadizCádizCadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
; the promotion was made official on 29 June 1809. - In 1810 he was made Senior Lieutenant of the Bonne CitoyenneHMS Bonne Citoyenne (1796)Bonne Citoyenne was a 20-gun corvette of the French Navy, which the Royal Navy captured and recommissioned as the sloop-of-war HMS Bonne Citoyenne. Her most famous action was her capture of the French frigate Furieuse on 6 July 1809 for which her crew would earn the Naval General Service Medal. Her...
on the South American station. He served afterwards in the HMS Laurustinus (described in the reference as a ship of 24 guns), and the BarfleurHMS Barfleur (1768)HMS Barfleur was a 90-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, designed by Sir Thomas Slade on the lines of the 100-gun ship Royal William, and launched at Chatham Dockyard on 30 July 1768, at a cost of £49,222. In about 1780, she had another eight guns added to her quarterdeck, making...
on the Brazilian and Mediterranean stations. - In 1814 and 1815 in the Iphigenia, HMS Torrent (described in the reference as a ship of 80 guns), and Royal SovereignHMS Royal Sovereign (1786)HMS Royal Sovereign was a 100-gun first rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, which served as the flagship of Admiral Collingwood at the Battle of Trafalgar. She was the third of seven Royal Navy ships to bear the name. Designed by Sir Edward Hunt, she was launched at Plymouth Dockyard on 11...
, on the North American and home stations. Captain Lipson was awarded a medal and two clasps for general actions during the war. - In January 1817 he was in charge of the revenue cutter "Lapwing", when she parted from her cables and was driven from her anchorage in Mill Bay, Plymouth, and went ashore high and dry over a ridge of rocks "with comparatively but little damage". He was in command of the Lapwing on 11 May 1818 when 17 casks of contraband spirits were seized.
-
- The Lapwing (built 1808 in MevagisseyMevagisseyMevagissey is a village, fishing port and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately five miles south of St Austell....
, CornwallCornwallCornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
) was to turn up later in South Australia - she was brought to Port Adelaide in May 1850 and sold to merchant Ephraim Teakle. She made regular voyages to the Perth, Western AustraliaPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and Melbourne, Victoria. In 1852 she was sold to Captain George HallGeorge Hall (Australian politician)George Hall, M.L.C., often styled "Captain Hall", was a South Australian shipping agent, company director and politician....
, William PaxtonWilliam Paxton (Australian businessman)William Paxton was a South Australian colonist who arrived in 1840, became one of the investors in the Burra copper mines and returned to England in July 1855, a wealthy man....
and Captain Henry Simpson (d. 26 April 1884), and in April 1853 transferred to Captain William Francis Jnr. She was wrecked at Port Elliot on 6 September 1856 during a gale, when the government moorings gave way. The crew escaped unharmed but two sailors died when they attempted to return to the vessel. The ship was not insured and Captain Francis was bankrupted.- He was appointed Commander on 4 March 1819.
- In 1836 Commander Lipson was appointed by the Admiralty as Naval Officer for South Australia, by the Colonial Government as Harbour-Master at Port Adelaide and Administrator of Marine Affairs, and by the Hon. Commissioners of H.M. Customs as Collector for South Australia. He made several surveys of the South Australian coast for the Home Government.
- In 1840 he resigned the Customs position, but held the former two until 1855, when he was given rank as Post-Captain and retired on a life pension.
- Captain Lipson died on Oct. 25th, 1863.
- The Lapwing (built 1808 in Mevagissey
Character
"One particular trait in the character of the lamented gentleman should not he lost sight of, and that is that general urbanity and affability which at all times marked his conduct in his intercourse with persons of inferior rank in life. An old acquaintance, though he might he in humble garb, was to him an old friend, and was recognised as such wherever met, and many a time has his warm heart flushed his happy face on meeting a subordinate or tradesman busy about his ordinary duties. Open-hearted, candid, and outspoken himself, he sought and felt delight in association with similar minds, wherever he found them"Family
Thomas Lipson married Elizabeth Emma Fooks (1791 – 30 May 1880) of Melcombe RegisMelcombe Regis
Melcombe Regis is an area of Weymouth in Dorset, England.Situated on the north shore of Weymouth Harbour and originally part of the waste of Radipole, it seems only to have developed as a significant settlement and seaport in the 13th century...
on 30 July 1812
They travelled to South Australia on the "Cygnet" with six children:
- eldest daughter Emma (Mary Ann) Catherine Berry Lipson (1813 – 28 April 1876) married G. S. Kingston M.L.C. on 4 December 1856 (his third marriage, reported as her second though details of the first yet to hand)
- second daughter Eliza Anne Lipson (died 15 March 1845) married John Allan on 25 February 1840, farming at "Allanvale" in the WimmeraWimmeraThe Wimmera is a region in the west of the Australian state of Victoria.It covers the dryland farming area south of the range of Mallee scrub, east of the South Australia border and north of the Great Dividing Range...
district of VictoriaVictoria (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....
.
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- subject of book "First She Lived : the journey of Eliza Lipson Allan" by Rhonda Poholke ISBN 9780646496375
- third daughter Mary Fooks Lipson (died 20 January 1898) married Henry InmanHenry Inman (police commander)Henry Inman , cavalry officer, Pioneer of South Australia, founder and first commander of the South Australia Police, overlander, Anglican clergyman.-Origins:...
(1816 – 1895) 19 January 1839 - daughter Louisa Lipson (1829 – 5 August 1918) married James Collins Hawker (ca.1821 – 15 May 1901) Comptroller of Customs, son of Admiral Edward Hawker and brother of G. C. HawkerGeorge Charles HawkerGeorge Charles Hawker was an Australian settler and South Australian politician.-Early life:Hawker was born in London, the second son of Admiral Edward Hawker and his first wife Joanna Naomi, née Poore. He was educated partly on the continent, and entered Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1836 George...
, on 24 October 1850. Their last home was "Ashford" on Strangways Terrace, North Adelaide. - son Berry James Lipson (1816 – 1872) was a clerk in the Colonial Secretary's office. He was convicted of larceny in 1851. A Mr. Lipson left Adelaide alone on the schooner "Amicus" in 1853.
- youngest son Thomas Hardy Lipson (1823 – 18 March 1862) was a customs officer at Port Adelaide
- third daughter Mary Fooks Lipson (died 20 January 1898) married Henry Inman
- subject of book "First She Lived : the journey of Eliza Lipson Allan" by Rhonda Poholke ISBN 9780646496375
Recognition
- Lipson Street, Port AdelaidePort AdelaidePort 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...
, was named for him, as were: - Lipson Cove, midway between Tumby BayTumby Bay, South AustraliaTumby Bay is a coastal town situated on the Spencer Gulf, on the eastern coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, 45 km north of Port Lincoln...
and Port NeillPort Neill, South AustraliaPort Neill is a small coastal town on the eastern side of the Eyre Peninsula, in South Australia about 3km off the Lincoln Highway between the major towns of Whyalla and Port Lincoln... - LipsonLipson, South AustraliaLipson is an historic farming town on the Eyre Peninsula, located only 12 km from Tumby Bay, South Australia. At the 2006 census, Lipson had a population of 209....
, a small township near Port LincolnPort Lincoln, South Australia- Transport :Port Lincoln is the port for the isolated narrow gauge Eyre Peninsular Railway.There is also a subsidiary port at Proper Bay which may be restored to use for iron ore traffic. The export of iron ore through Port Lincoln has been approved by the South Australian Government. Port... - Lipson Island, near Port Lincoln
- Lipson's Breakwater, a natural rocky headland at Port ElliotPort Elliot, South AustraliaPort Elliot is a town in South Australia toward the eastern end of the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula. It is situated on the sheltered Horseshoe Bay, a small bay off the much larger Encounter Bay...
- Lipson's Island, Port Elliot
- Lipson Reach, on the North Arm, Port Adelaide
- A plaque at the wharf, Port Adelaide, is dedicated to him.
- Street names with a possible connection are: Lipson Place, Port Lincoln, Lipson Avenue, KadinaKadina, South AustraliaKadina is a town located on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia, approximately 144 kilometres north-northwest of the state capital of Adelaide. The largest town of the Peninsula, Kadina is one of the three Copper Triangle towns famous for their shared copper mining history...
, Lipson Road, WallarooWallaroo, South AustraliaWallaroo is a port town on the western side of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, 160 kilometres north-northwest of Adelaide. It is one of the three Copper Triangle towns famed for their historic shared copper mining industry, and known together as "Little Cornwall", the other two being Kadina ...
and Lipson Grove, HawthornHawthorn, South AustraliaHawthorn is a suburb of Adelaide in the City of Mitcham. It is bounded to the north by Cross Road, to the south by Grange Road, to the west by Sussex Terrace and to the east by Belair Road.The Belair train line runs through the suburb....
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