WARBURTON George Edward Egerton – Redcoat Settlers in Western Australia

NAME: George Edward Egerton WARBURTON	Name variations: Egerton-Warburton.
Birth date and Place	25 Mar 1819 Northwich, Cheshire, England [WO76-350-227/228].
Baptism date and Place	27 Aug Wallazey Parish Church, Cheshire [Cheshire Archives].
Occupations pre-WA	Officer in the British Army.
Marriage date and Place	(1st) 23 Nov 1842 Strawberry Hill, Albany, Western Australia [WABDM Reg.#44]. (2nd) 14 Apr 1873 Albany, Western Australia [WABDM Reg.#3553].
Spouse	(1st) Augusta SPENCER. (2nd) Emily Rosina Martha COGHLAN.
Children	(1st marriage): George Augustus b.1843, Albany, Western Australia [WABDM Reg.#271]. Rowland b. 1845 Albany, Western Australia [WABDM Reg.#669]. Alice b. 1847, Strawberry Farm, Albany, Western Australia [WABDM Reg.#1019]. Horace Egerton b. 1848, Strawberry Hill, Albany, Western Australia [WABDM Reg.#1208]. Augustus Egerton b. 1850 Strawberry Hill, Albany, Western Australia [WABDM Reg.#1442]. Mary b. 1851, Strawberry Hill, Albany, Western Australia [WABDM Reg.#1777]. Emma b. 1853, Albany, Western Australia [WABDM Reg.#2121]. Reginald b. 1855, Albany, Western Australia [WABDM Reg.#2857]. Philip Egerton b. 1856, Albany, Western Australia [WABDM Reg.#3421]. Randal b. 1860, Albany, Western Australia [WABDM Reg.#5497]. Anne b. 1864, Albany, Western Australia [WABDM Reg.#8052]. (2nd marriage): Francis Joseph Egerton b. 1876, Albany, Western Australia – not verified. Cecil William Egerton b. 1878, St Werburgh, Western Australia – not verified.
Death date and Place	20 Mar 1889 Mt Barker, Western Australia [WABDM Reg.#170].
Burial date and Place	March 1889 St Werburgh’s Chapel and Cemetery, Mt Barker, Western Australia [Find a Grave].
Will and Probate	Will: 16 Mar 1884. Probate: 2 Apr 1889 Supreme Court of Australia. [Cons. 3403-1889-934].
Obituaries	Albany Mail and King George’s Sound Advertiser 23 Mar 1889. Western Mail 30 Mar 1889.

BRITISH ARMY
Regiment	81st (Loyal Lincoln Volunteers) Regiment. 51st (2nd Yorkshire West Riding) The Kings Own Light Infantry. 78th (Highland) Regiment. 51st (2nd Yorkshire West Riding) The Kings Own Light Infantry.
Commission date & Rank	6 Oct 1837 Ensign 81st (without purchase) aged 18 years 8 months [WO76-350-227/278].
Service/Campaigns	Van Diemen’s Land 1839 & Western Australia 1839 to 1845.
Promotions	2 Nov 1838 51st Ensign (removed). 28 May 1843 Lieutenant 78th (without purchase). 29 May 1843 51st (without purchase).
Medals, Clasps and Badges	None.
Regimental Courts Martial	None.
Arrival Australian State: Ship and Date	*Egyptian*. Embarked at Chatham 23 Mar 1839 [WO12-6200-547]. Arr. 23 Aug 1839 Hobart Town, dep. 9 Apr 1839 Sheerness, England [DPS].
Arrival Western Australia: Ship and Date	Runnymede 8 Jun 1840 from Hobart [TROVE].
Military Postings within Western Australia	King George’s Sound 8 Jun 1840 to 30 Jun 1842. Perth HQ 1 Jul to 30 Sep 1842. King George’s Sound 1 Oct 1842 to 31 Dec 1845. [All sourcing from WO12-6202 to 6208]. See Additional Details below.
Retirement/Resignation date and Place	31 December 1845 [WO12-6208-62].
War Office Reference -Statement of Services	WO76-350-227/278.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS
While the official War Office Musters and Pay Lists indicate that Warburton was posted to King George’s Sound for almost his entire Army service in Western Australia, this does not reflect where he was physically ‘on the ground’. For example Bignell’s First the Spring p.38 writes ‘Warburton in August 1840 walked to Perth a distance of 300 miles carrying a load for the greater part of the way and sleeping in the open air for fifteen nights.’ This would have been a regular occurrence as he was in command of an area of at least 100 miles radius, including Kojonup. Each quarter from October 1844 to December 1845, Warburton and a servant were paid 1½d. per day for ‘rations’ on shore; undoubtedly as they moved about the southern half. Warburton seems to have kept a fairly low profile given his considerable land holdings, his status as possibly the only officer of the British Army detachments to have settled permanently in the Colony, and the respect he seems to have generated in the community. Nonetheless, shy as he may have been of public exposure, Warburton did hold the position of Superintendent, Albany Convict Depot from 1852 to 1855. This seems ironic given a remark he wrote in a letter (recipient unknown) in February 1849: ‘Anything rather than convict labour, though some foolish colonists here wish for it, I sincerely pray they never obtain it’ [Bignell:p.59]; written less than 18 months before the first convicts arrived in Western Australia. We are fortunate to have access to the private papers of his family. Click here to view the documents by the State Library of Western Australia.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

While the official War Office Musters and Pay Lists indicate that Warburton was posted to King George’s Sound for almost his entire Army service in Western Australia, this does not reflect where he was physically ‘on the ground’. For example Bignell’s First the Spring p.38 writes ‘Warburton in August 1840 walked to Perth a distance of 300 miles carrying a load for the greater part of the way and sleeping in the open air for fifteen nights.’ This would have been a regular occurrence as he was in command of an area of at least 100 miles radius, including Kojonup. Each quarter from October 1844 to December 1845, Warburton and a servant were paid 1½d. per day for ‘rations’ on shore; undoubtedly as they moved about the southern half.

Warburton seems to have kept a fairly low profile given his considerable land holdings, his status as possibly the only officer of the British Army detachments to have settled permanently in the Colony, and the respect he seems to have generated in the community. Nonetheless, shy as he may have been of public exposure, Warburton did hold the position of Superintendent, Albany Convict Depot from 1852 to 1855. This seems ironic given a remark he wrote in a letter (recipient unknown) in February 1849: ‘Anything rather than convict labour, though some foolish colonists here wish for it, I sincerely pray they never obtain it’ [Bignell:p.59]; written less than 18 months before the first convicts arrived in Western Australia.

We are fortunate to have access to the private papers of his family. Click here to view the documents by the State Library of Western Australia.

Redcoat Settlers in Western Australia 1826-1869