William Dickson (Falklands)
Encyclopedia
William Dickson, born Dublin, Ireland (died 26 August 1833) was an Irish-born settler in Port Louis
in the Falkland Islands
during a pivotal time in its history, following the removal of the Argentine military presence and leading up to the Port Louis Murders, also known as the Gaucho Murders, during which he was killed in 1833.
, where land forces were strong, but navies were frequently quite undermanned. As such he protested verbally, but departed without a fight on 5 January.
Initial British plans for the Islands were based upon the continuation of Vernet's settlement at Port Louis. William Dickson was requested to fly the British flag whenever ships were in harbour. Dickson held this office until his death on 26 August of the same year during the so-called Gaucho Murders.
and Indian gauchos led by Antonio Rivero
ran amok in Port Louis
. The gang killed five settlers including William Dickson. The survivors (13 men, 3 women and 2 children) took refuge on Turf Island in Berkley Sound until they were rescued by the British sealer Hopeful in October 1833.
Port Louis
-Economy:The economy is dominated by its port, which handles Mauritius' international trade. The port was founded by the French who preferred Port Louis as the City is shielded by the Port Louis/Moka mountain range. It is the largest container handling facility in the Indian Ocean and can...
in the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
during a pivotal time in its history, following the removal of the Argentine military presence and leading up to the Port Louis Murders, also known as the Gaucho Murders, during which he was killed in 1833.
Appointment as British Representative
On 2 January 1833, Captain Onslow, of the brig-sloop HMS Clio, arrived at Louis Vernet's settlement at Port Louis to request that the flag of the United Provinces of the River Plate be replaced with the British one, and for the administration to leave the islands. While Lt. Col. José María Pinedo, commander of the schooner Sarandí, wanted to resist, his numerical disadvantage was obvious, particularly as a large number of his crew were British mercenaries who were unwilling to fight their own countrymen. Such a situation was not unusual in the newly independent states in Latin AmericaLatin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, where land forces were strong, but navies were frequently quite undermanned. As such he protested verbally, but departed without a fight on 5 January.
Initial British plans for the Islands were based upon the continuation of Vernet's settlement at Port Louis. William Dickson was requested to fly the British flag whenever ships were in harbour. Dickson held this office until his death on 26 August of the same year during the so-called Gaucho Murders.
Gaucho Murders
On 26 August 1833, armed with weapons provided by American sealers, a gang of creoleCreole
- Languages :A Creole language is a stable, full-fledged language that originated from a pidgin or combination of other languages.Creole languages subgroups may include:* Arabic-based creole languages* Dutch-based creole languages...
and Indian gauchos led by Antonio Rivero
Antonio Rivero
Antonio “El Gaucho" Rivero was a Gaucho who murdered the five leading members of the settlement of Port Louis on the Falkland Islands on 26 August 1833.-Biography:...
ran amok in Port Louis
Port Louis
-Economy:The economy is dominated by its port, which handles Mauritius' international trade. The port was founded by the French who preferred Port Louis as the City is shielded by the Port Louis/Moka mountain range. It is the largest container handling facility in the Indian Ocean and can...
. The gang killed five settlers including William Dickson. The survivors (13 men, 3 women and 2 children) took refuge on Turf Island in Berkley Sound until they were rescued by the British sealer Hopeful in October 1833.
See also
- Louis Vernet
- Origins of Falkland IslandersOrigins of Falkland IslandersFalkland Islanders derive from various origins. Chief among these are the numerically small but internationally diverse early 19th century inhabitants of the Falkland Islands, comprising and descended in part from settlers brought by Luis Vernet, and English and American sealers; South American...
- Puerto SoledadPuerto SoledadPuerto Soledad was a Spanish military outpost and penal colony on the Falkland Islands, situated at an inner cove of Berkeley Sound .-Port St...
- Re-establishment of British rule on the Falklands (1833)
- List of Governors of the Falkland Islands