Person Page - 8470

     Lady Albinia Frederica Hobart-Hampden was born in 1861 at London, England.² She was the daughter of Frederick John Hobart-Hampden, Lord Hobart and Catherine Annesley Carr.¹ She married Reverend Stuart Alexander Donaldson, son of Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson and Amelia Cowper, on 2 August 1900.³ She died on 24 July 1932.¹
     In 1886 she was granted the rank of an Earl's daughter.¹ Her married name became Donaldson.

     Reverend Stuart Alexander Donaldson was born NSW BDM index no. V18553659 42B/1855 on 4 December 1854 at New South Wales, Australia^G. He was the son of Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson and Amelia Cowper.^1,2 He married Lady Albinia Frederica Hobart-Hampden, daughter of Frederick John Hobart-Hampden, Lord Hobart and Catherine Annesley Carr, on 2 August 1900.³ He died on 29 October 1915 at age 60.³
     He was educated at Eton College, Windsor, Berkshire, England^G.³ He graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England^G, in 1877 with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)³ He was an assistant master between 1878 and 1904 at Eton College, Windsor, Berkshire, England^G.³ He graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England^G, in 1880 with a Master of Arts (M.A.)³ He was Master between 1904 and 1915 at Magdalene College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England^G.³ He graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England^G, in 1905 with a Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.)³ He was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) by Trinity College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England^G, in 1910.¹ He held the office of Vice-Chancellor of Magdalene College, Cambridge between 1912 and 1913.⁴

     Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson was born on 16 December 1812 at Westminster, London, England^G.^2,3 He was the son of Stuart Alexander Donaldson and Betty Cundale.¹ He married Amelia Cowper, daughter of Frederick Cowper and Susanna Lydia Nash, on 21 February 1854 at St. George's Church, St. George Street, Hanover Square, London, England^G.^4,1 He died on 11 January 1867 at age 54 at Carleton Hall, Cumberland, England^G.^1,5
     He was Merchant; pastoralist; magistrate; politician; Premier of NSW. He emigrated to Australia^G arriving on 1834.¹ He held the office of Magistrate of New South Wales in 1838.¹ He held the office of Member of the Council [New South Wales] between 1848 and 1859.¹ He held the office of First Minister and Colonial Secretary [New South Wales] in 1856.¹ He held the office of Finance Minister [New South Wales] between 1856 and 1857.¹ He held the office of Premier of New South Wales between 6 June 1856 and 25 August 1856.⁴ He was appointed Knight Bachelor in 1860.¹ In April 1860 he unsuccessfully contested the seat of Dartmouth, and later, Barnstaple.⁵ He lived at Bere Court, Pangbourne, Berkshire, England^G.¹ At the age of fifteen he entered his father's firm, which was one of the major traders with Australia. He spent part of 1830 in Hamburg and Berlin, and travelled in the silver-mining regions of Mexico between 1831 and 1834; in 1866 he published his letters on his experiences there under the title Mexico Thirty Years Ago.??In 1835 Donaldson migrated from England to Australia to work with his father's correspondent Richard Jones, who was the leading merchant in Sydney. Donaldson became Jones's partner in 1837 and bought his business from the beginning of 1838. This made him immediately a substantial broker, buyer, and exporter of wool and whale oil, as well as an importer and wholesaler on a grand scale. He acquired 250,000 valuable acres of sheep-runs in New England. Building on the capital and credit of the family firm, he became promoter and director of banking, insurance, steamshipping, railway, and copper-mining companies. His profits increased markedly once gold was discovered in 1851.??Donaldson had been appointed a magistrate as early as 1838, in which year he organized the Australian Club, the first club for gentlemen in the colony; in 1856 he was a founder member of the Union Club, its main rival. The capital, youthful energy, affability, bachelorhood, and self-regard that involved him in managing the social life of his peers drew him also into electoral politics, with the franchise limited to men of property. In the legislative council of New South Wales he held the rural seat of Durham, in the Hunter valley, at four polls between 1848 and 1853, when he returned to England on business. While there he married, on 21 February 1854, Amelia, the daughter of Frederick Cowper of Carleton Hall, Penrith, Cumberland. Following his return to Australia, Donaldson won the suburban seat of Sydney Hamlets in 1855 and retained it in 1856 at the first election under a new constitution (with a broader franchise) which conferred responsible government on the colony.??After two weightier conservatives failed to form a ministry, the governor turned to the clubman Donaldson as a safe alternative. Donaldson assembled his team in April 1856 and was sworn in as colonial secretary and first premier of New South Wales on 6 June. He and his backers hoped that he might gain support from some of the liberal parliamentarians, but the factional and administrative complexity of moving to responsible government brought his ministry down on 25 August 1856. Its liberal successor lasted for five weeks only. In the ensuing conservative ministry led by Henry Parker (October 1856–September 1857) Donaldson was colonial treasurer and, briefly, commissioner for railways. He was also a member of the senate of the University of Sydney from 1851 to 1861.??Having reached the limit of honour in Australia, Donaldson consolidated his wealth, placed his sheep stations in the hands of two brothers-in-law, and in 1859 retired to England. He was knighted on 23 August 1860. In that year he assumed the chair of the General Association for the Australian Colonies, an investors' lobby in London, and he joined company boards. From his arrival in England he looked for a seat in the House of Commons: The Times described him in April 1860 as ‘a returned Australian gentleman who has been hovering about several English constituencies in the last few months’. He was the official but unsuccessful Liberal candidate at by-elections for Dartmouth in August 1859, Harwich in April 1860, and Bath in February 1861. A moderate conservative in the fast-changing Australian colonies, he presented himself as a moderate liberal in the United Kingdom, an admirer of Lord Palmerston who opposed church rates and supported a £6 franchise and the secret ballot. Donaldson visited his investments in Australia in 1861 and 1864. But his health declined drastically, and he was diagnosed with heart problems; he became gaunt where he had once been portly, and he lost his voluble joviality (which some people called bumptiousness). He died at his father-in-law's seat, Carleton Hall, on 11 January 1867, survived by his wife, their four young sons, who included St Clair George Alfred Donaldson (1863–1935), and one infant daughter. In 1841 Donaldson had arranged a cabin passage from Sydney to London for Mrs Maria Leicester and her four-month-old son, whose paternity he acknowledged.??Barrie Dyster

Sources  
S. Draper, ‘Donaldson, Sir Stuart Alexander’, AusDB, vol. 4 · B. Dyster, ‘Prosperity, prostration, prudence: business and investment in Sydney, 1838–1851’, Wealth and progress: studies in Australian business history, ed. A. Birch and D. S. Macmillan (1967), 51–76 · Votes and proceedings, New South Wales Legislative Council (1848–56) · Votes and proceedings, New South Wales Legislative Assembly (1856–9) · Ford's Australian Almanac (1844) [Sydney] · Ford's Australian Almanac (1847) [Sydney] · Ford's Australian Almanac (1851–) [Sydney] · P. Loveday and A. W. Martin, Parliament, factions and parties: the first thirty years of responsible government in New South Wales, 1856–1889 (1966) · The Times (15 Jan 1867) · Sydney Morning Herald (23 March 1867) · C. T. Dimont and F. de W. Batty, St Clair Donaldson: archbishop of Brisbane and bishop of Salisbury (1939) · Sydney Morning Herald (1835–59) · The Times (5 Aug 1859) · The Times (10 Aug 1859) · The Times (30 March 1860) · The Times (3 April 1860) · The Times (16 April 1860) · The Times (21 April 1860) · The Times (23–5 April 1860) · The Times (13 Feb 1861) · The Times (23 Feb 1861) · DNB
Archives  
Mitchell L., NSW · State Library of New South Wales, Sydney, Dixson Library, letters from and family corresp. |  Mitchell L., NSW, Macarthur MSS · Mitchell L., NSW, Riley MSS · University of Melbourne, James Graham letter-books
Likenesses  
photograph, 1856, Mitchell L., NSW · C. Silvy, carte-de-visite, 1860, NPG · photograph, repro. in Dimont and Batty, St Clair Donaldson
Wealth at death  
under £40,000: probate, 19 March 1867, CGPLA Eng. & Wales
____

DONALDSON, Sir STUART ALEXANDER (1812-1867), premier, merchant and pastoralist, was born on 16 December 1812, the third son of Stuart Alexander Donaldson and his wife, Betsy, née Cundall, of Snab Green, Lancashire, England. His father's London firm, Donaldson, Wilkinson & Co. (in 1838 Donaldson, Lambert & Co.) had colonial interests; in 1828 Donaldson senior wrote Observations on the Cultivation of Tobacco in the Australian Colonies and in that year and 1837 helped petitioners from Sydney.

At 15, after private tuition, Donaldson junior entered his father's firm. He progressed rapidly and was encouraged to travel. His notes of a trip from Hamburg to Berlin in 1830 show a bright turn of humour and acute observation. His qualities were soon recognized by his father's Sydney associates, Alexander Riley and Richard Jones, who asked him to send Stuart to the colony to stimulate the business of the London firm. Instead Donaldson went in 1831 to Mexico and later described his experiences vividly in Mexico Thirty Years Ago, as Described in a Series of Private Letters, by a Youth (London, 1866). He returned to England in May 1834 and when Richard Jones renewed his offer Donaldson accepted, left England in the Emma Eugenia and arrived at Sydney on 5 May 1835.

Donaldson soon won a place in commercial life and the 'exclusive' circle at the Macarthurs' Vineyard and Camden estates. He did well at Richard Jones & Co., became a partner in 1837 and manager when Jones retired next year. In 1839 he was appointed agent for Lloyds of London. With success came his social coup when he took a leading part in founding the Australian Club in 1838; he served as treasurer, trustee, committeeman and in 1857-67 vice-president. In 1856 he was a founding member of the Union Club. Donaldson senior reflected these triumphs when he wrote 'I am not surprised at the gratification you appear to feel by the confidence reposed in you by the elite of your society'.

Donaldson also exploited the new outlets of pastoral expansion. In 1839 he sent James Graham as his agent to Melbourne, bought town and suburban land there and became a trustee of the Port Phillip Association. Early in 1840 he went to the New England district and took up the runs of Tenterfield and Clifton. With some 250,000 acres (101,174 ha) and 34,000 sheep, he saw himself as a 'sheep and cattle proprietor on a scale Suffolk people don't accustom themselves to think'. In 1841 he formed a business partnership with William Dawes and went to England. Donaldson was severely affected by the depression of the early 1840s and on his return in 1844 he found his business had been mismanaged and Richard Jones insolvent. The adversities of the London firm in the colony and New Zealand made Donaldson's financial position more precarious, but by 1851 he could boast that he had liquidated his debts and realized more than £30,000; his new interests included a tweed factory near Newcastle, shareholdings in many colonial companies and a trusteeship of the New South Wales Savings Bank. The gold rush brought him great wealth. In February 1853 he went to England and on 21 February 1854 married Amelia, daughter of Frederick Cowper of Carleton Hall, Cumberland. Donaldson returned to Sydney and in 1855 became consul-general for Sardinia.

In 1838 Donaldson became a magistrate but claimed that 'a politician I mean never to be'. He declined to stand for Port Phillip in 1845 and said he preferred moderate leaders in public affairs. However, his links with the Australian Club, William Charles Wentworth and Robert Lowe and his improving finances drew him into politics. In February 1848 he won a by-election for Durham, and was returned by that electorate in July 1848, July 1849 and September 1851. He resigned in 1853 and was elected for Sydney Hamlets in February 1855. One contemporary described him as 'an animated and impetuous speaker', and others as 'bumptious' and full of 'self-esteem'; to close acquaintances he was a 'rattling, prattling, jovial companion' whose opinions always commanded attention. Charles Cowper thought him 'useless to the liberals'.

Donaldson soon won repute in the Legislative Council by his speeches on finance and the running of government departments. At the hustings in 1851 he had angered Sir Thomas Mitchell who demanded a public apology; it was published promptly in the press but Mitchell thought it insolent and challenged Donaldson to a duel. Both men were poor marksmen and after the affray remained unreconciled. With good humour Governor Sir Charles FitzRoy overlooked the offence, and Donaldson continued to advocate economy in the government. In December 1851 he moved that the council refrain from voting money in excess of the schedules prescribed by the Australian Colonies' Government Act of 1850, until their items were submitted for scrutiny. Triumphant, he then moved that the council reject the estimates and petition for the abolition of the schedules. Although supported by most elected members, his motion was narrowly defeated. He supported Wentworth's opposition to Earl Grey's Constitution proposals in 1848 and 1850. He was a member of both Grievances Committees and supported the 1851 Electoral Act. Donaldson was in England when Wentworth's Constitution bill was debated, but unlike Wentworth he adhered to an Upper House elected on a restricted franchise. He favoured a reduced price for crown land, and local control of land revenue. Among other legislative interests he had voted in 1848 in favour of the introduction of 'exiles' but, because Grey failed to send free immigrants as promised, he became an opponent of transportation and in 1850 denounced it as 'incompatible with the introduction of free institutions'. He also advocated steam communication with Britain, the introduction of cotton and tobacco growing and free trade. To encourage Caroline Chisholm, he successfully moved the allocation of £10,000 for her Family Colonization Loan Society in 1852.

In the first elections under responsible government Donaldson was returned for Sydney Hamlets to the Legislative Assembly. The formation of the first ministry proved difficult. (Sir) Edward Deas Thomson failed, and James Macarthur, doubting his own ability to win support in the assembly, recommended Donaldson to the governor. Hitherto he had worked with so many factions that one Sydney paper was at a loss to discover his political principles. Donaldson preferred to call himself a liberal conservative who believed that 'a spicy opposition is always of service in a Colony, both to Governors and Governed'. On 22 January 1856 Governor Sir William Denison called on Donaldson to form a ministry. He wrote to his brother John that he hoped 'to reconcile the contending interests, to repress the selfishness of faction, to amalgamate the views of widely differing men and then to originate and carry out a colonial policy which will bear the test of examination … and all this in a colony perpetually changing in its social state and advancement politically'. Attempting to unite all the most talented politicians in the most acceptable combinations, he chose Thomas Holt, (Sir) William Manning, (Sir) John Darvall and George Nichols; the ministry was sworn in on 6 June. Only Manning had administrative experience, but James Macarthur attended cabinet meetings, nominally as a minister without portfolio. However, the arrangements proved untenable. Donaldson's relations were strained with Deas Thomson whose centralized administration, Donaldson believed, hampered the running of his department. He was also disheartened by the opposition of (Sir) James Martin, (Sir) Terence Murray, (Sir) Henry Parkes and Cowper: 'we found the Assembly so intractable and we could not go on from night to night with majorities of two and three'. In July he learnt that his brother James had died, a tragedy that 'left a blank in me that never can be filled'. After defeat on a vote impugning the propriety of appointing judges to the Upper House, the ministry resigned on 25 August.

The measures proposed by the ministry were well suited to the colony's need and the resignation, particularly over a minor question, was condemned as hasty and imprudent. The only fundamental ministerial difference had been on the question of the Upper House, where Donaldson and Darvall favoured the elective principle. The ministry had agreed on the general questions of electoral representation, land, commercial and fiscal policy and law reform. Donaldson's reply to critics was, 'my colleagues and myself are all too independent of office to cling to it'.

The Cowper ministry that followed held office for five weeks. At the October elections Donaldson was defeated in the Sydney Hamlets but elected unopposed for the South Riding of Cumberland. As treasurer in the Parker ministry until 7 September 1857, Donaldson played a part in rearranging government administration into four main departments each represented in parliament by a minister, and in making the office of auditor-general a permanent and non-political office. In 1857 he was appointed a commissioner for railways and was elected for Cumberland in January 1858. In 1851-61 he was a member of the Senate of the University of Sydney. He had supported its foundation and his brother John helped to select the academic staff. Donaldson returned to England in June 1859, leaving his two brothers-in-law to manage his pastoral holdings.

With Sir Charles Nicholson, Sir William Burton, Sir George Macleay and Wentworth, Donaldson was active in the General Association for the Australian Colonies, formed in London in 1855. He was its chairman in 1860 and, when accused in 1863 of planning a penal settlement at Port Essington, he vigorously denied the charge in his Copies of Letters to Sir Daniel Cooper. He was knighted in 1860 and visited the colony on private business in 1861 and 1864. In April 1860 he unsuccessfully contested the seats of Dartmouth and later of Barnstaple in the House of Commons. Plagued by ill health he withdrew from public affairs and on 11 January 1867 died at Carleton Hall, Cumberland, survived by his wife. Their eldest son, Stuart, was master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, in 1904-15 and vice-chancellor in 1912-13; the second, Sir Hay Frederick, was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, won repute as an engineer and in 1916 was drowned with Kitchener in the Hampshire; the third, St Clair George, became bishop of Brisbane and later of Salisbury; the youngest, Seton John Laing, was accidentally drowned while at Eton. The only daughter, Mary Ethel, married Rev. Algernon Lawley in 1896.

Select Bibliography

Historical Records of Australia, series 1, vols 21, 23, 24, 26; C. T. Dimont and F. de Witt Batty, St. Clair Donaldson (Lond, 1939; Votes and Proceedings (Legislative Council, New South Wales), 1848-56; Votes and Proceedings (Legislative Assembly, New South Wales), 1856-59; Empire (Sydney), 7 Mar 1856; Sydney Morning Herald, 23 Mar 1867; John and Stuart Alexander Donaldson papers (State Library of New South Wales); Macarthur papers, vol 27-28, 34 (State Library of New South Wales); Riley papers (State Library of New South Wales).

Author: Sandra Draper

___

Donaldson fought a duel on 27 September 1851 with the NSW Surveyor-General, Sir Thomas Mitchell. The matter was reported by The Sydney Morning Herald and picked up by other newspapers. The matched pair of .50 calibre French muzzle-loading percussion duelling pistols believed to have been used in the duel, belonging to Mitchell, were purchased for the National Museum of Australia collection in 1983.

The following report from The Sydney Morning Herald was published by The Maitland Mercury on 4 October 1851:

THE LATE DUEL.
(From the S.M. Herald, Sept. 30.)
It was generally known in Sydney on Sunday, that, on the previous evening, a hostile meeting had taken place between Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Thomas L. Mitchell and Mr. Stuart A. Donaldson, M.L C. The correspondence which has appeared during the last few days in the Sydney Morning Herald, explains the origin of the misunderstanding ; but it may be proper to refer briefly, in this place, to the circumstances as they occurred. On the occasion of Mr. Donaldson's speech on the hustings at the late election for the county of Durham, he was reported to have complained that, in this colony, 'the Surveyor-General's department costs £40,000 per annum.'
In a letter which Sir Thomas Mitchell addressed to this journal, and which was published by us on Friday last, he contradicted Mr. Donaldson's alleged statement; and added, that 'he left the public to stamp its own reprobation upon a monstrous charge so falsely or so carelessly made to his prejudice.' Upon the appearance of this letter, Mr. Dobie, on behalf of Mr. Donaldson, demanded the withdrawal of the word 'falsely,' and was referred by Sir Thomas to Lieutenant Burrowes. After some conferences, two notes were exchanged by these gentlemen in the names of their respective friends, and which were as follows :—
(1.)?Sydney, 20th September, 1851.?SIR,—I withdraw the words 'charges so falsely,' in my letter to the Sydney Morning Herald of this date. I regret having used them, feeling assured that you did not mean to say that my department cost £40,000 per annum.—I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant,?(Signed) T. L. MITCHELL.?S. A. Donaldson, Esq.
(2.)?Sydney, 26th September, 1851.?SIR,—I now beg to say that the remarks made by me on the hustings at the nomination for the county of Durham, with reference to the control and administration of the crown lands, applied to the expenditure in the management of such lands in general, of which the Surveyor-General's department forms only a portion, and not to the Surveyor-General's department alone, such expenditure, amounting to upwards of £40,000 per annum, being withdrawn by Acts of the Imperial Parliament from the control of the local legislature.—I have the honour to be. sir, your obedient servant,?(Signed) S. A. DONALDSON.?Sir T. L. Mitchell.
These notes were forwarded by Mr. Dobie and Lieutenant Burrowes to this office for publication, and they accordingly appeared in Saturday's Herald; and it was hoped that such mutual explanations had ended this unpleasant affair. It seems, however, that Lieutenant Burrowes had drawn up Sir Thomas's note in a manner which did not meet his approval, and so further communications took place, which were not included with those sent to us for publication. Upon Sir Thomas perceiving this on Saturday morning, he addressed the following note to Mr. Donaldson :—
8 A.M., Carthona, September 27th, 1851.?SIR,—In the note Mr. Dobie delivered to me yesterday, you observe that mine sent to you from hence is no answer to yours. I wish it to be considered the only reply I meant to give you.
I wholly disapprove of the notes since proposed and exchanged between that gentleman, and my friend who happened to be at hand yesterday ; and I hasten to say that I am now on my way to see a friend who will, I trust, endeavour to place this matter on a more satisfactory footing than it has yet arrived at.—I am, sir, your obedient servant,?T. L. Mitchell.?S. A. Donaldson, Esq.
Sir Thomas, however, again had recourse to the advice of Lieutenant Burrowes, who, with Mr. Dobie, endeavoured once more to adjust the matters in dispute. The omission or the retention of an apparently trifling word in the proposed draft of another note on the part of Sir Thomas was found to be a difficulty which neither of the principals would remove, and a hostile meeting was declared the only alternative. Both parties met at half-past four on Saturday afternoon, at a secluded spot near the Water Reserve—Sir Thomas attended by Lieutenant Burrowes, and Mr. Donaldson by Mr. Dobie. They each exchanged three shots, and in the last fire a ball passed through Mr. Donaldson's hat, and another was within an inch of Sir Thomas's throat. The seconds then interfered, and the combatants left the ground.^6,2,7

     Lady Isabel Augusta Hobart-Hampden was the daughter of Frederick John Hobart-Hampden, Lord Hobart and Catherine Annesley Carr.¹ She married Sir Mortimer Reginald Margesson, son of Reverend Reginald Whitehall Margesson and Louisa Sophia Murray, on 10 November 1886.¹ She died on 1 July 1946.¹
     In 1886 she was granted the rank of an Earl's daughter.¹ Her married name became Margesson. She held the office of Justice of the Peace (J.P.) for Worcestershire.²

     Sir Mortimer Reginald Margesson was born on 16 March 1861.² He was the son of Reverend Reginald Whitehall Margesson and Louisa Sophia Murray.² He married Lady Isabel Augusta Hobart-Hampden, daughter of Frederick John Hobart-Hampden, Lord Hobart and Catherine Annesley Carr, on 10 November 1886.² He died on 6 April 1947 at age 86.²
     He was educated at Harrow School, Harrow, London, England.² He was appointed Knight in 1928.²

     Reverend Reginald Whitehall Margesson was born on 5 December 1827.² He was the son of Reverend William Margesson and Mary Frances Cooke.² He married Louisa Sophia Murray, daughter of Reverend David Rodney Murray and Frances Portal, on 3 May 1860.² He died on 3 October 1901 at age 73.²
     He was the Rector at Blendworth, Southampton, Hampshire, England^G.¹

     Lady Henrietta Vere Hobart-Hampden was born in 1864.² She was the daughter of Frederick John Hobart-Hampden, Lord Hobart and Catherine Annesley Carr.¹ She married, firstly, James Ford Hughes on 17 July 1889.¹ She married, secondly, Reverend Arthur Danvers Melancthon Bidlake, son of Alfred Danvers Bidlake, on 27 August 1915.¹ She died on 10 February 1957.¹
     From 17 July 1889, her married name became Hughes. Her married name became Bidlake.

     James Ford Hughes married Lady Henrietta Vere Hobart-Hampden, daughter of Frederick John Hobart-Hampden, Lord Hobart and Catherine Annesley Carr, on 17 July 1889.¹ He died on 9 June 1914.

     Reverend Arthur Danvers Melancthon Bidlake was the son of Alfred Danvers Bidlake.¹ He married Lady Henrietta Vere Hobart-Hampden, daughter of Frederick John Hobart-Hampden, Lord Hobart and Catherine Annesley Carr, on 27 August 1915.¹ He died on 4 July 1956.¹
     He graduated with a Master of Arts (M.A.)¹

     Alfred Danvers Bidlake lived at Stroud, Gloucestershire, England^G.¹