- Ralph Darling
General Sir Ralph Darling, GCH (1772cite web |url=http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A010270b.htm |title=Darling, Sir Ralph (1772 - 1858) |accessdate=2007-08-14 |work=Australian Dictionary of Biography , Volume 1 |publisher=MUP |year=1966 |pages=282-286] –2 April 1858 ) was a British colonial Governor and the seventhGovernor of New South Wales (from19 December 1825 to22 October 1831 ).Early career
Darling entered the
British Army as an ensign in 1793 in the45th Regiment of Foot , and in August 1796 was appointed military secretary to SirRalph Abercromby . Having commanded a regiment at theBattle of Corunna , Darling subsequently was promoted to brevet-colonel in 1810, major-general in 1813, deputy adjutant general in 1814 and was on theRoyal Horse Guards staff in 1815.From February 1819 to February 1824, Darling commanded the British troops on
Mauritius , before serving as acting-governor of the island for the last three years of his stay, exhibiting administrative ability. It was largely on account of this service that Darling was appointed the seventhGovernor of New South Wales in 1824.Governor of New South Wales, 1825-1831
Darling initiated the construction, from 1826, of the convict-built Great North Road, linking the Hawkesbury settlements around
Sydney with those in theHunter Valley .When Darling was commissioned as Governor, the Colony’s western boundary — set in 1788 at 135 degrees east longitude — was extended by 6 degrees west to the 129th meridian. This line of longitude subsequently became the border dividing
Western Australia andSouth Australia . To the south, everything beyond Wilson’s Promontory, the southeastern ‘corner’ of the Australian continent, ceased to be under the control ofNew South Wales and was placed under the authority of theLieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land . ProclaimedVan Diemen's Land as a separate government.Controversy
During his tenure Darling was accused of tyrannical misrule by, amongst others, newspapers in Australia (including the "Australian" run by
William Wentworth andRobert Wardell ) and England. Allegations included that he ordered the torture of prisoners Joseph Sudds and Patrick Thompson as an example to others, leading to the death of Sudds.Late life
Ralph Darling was knighted for his various services in 1835 and received his promotion to general in 1841. He died in
Brighton on2 April 1858 , survived by his widow, at least one son and several daughters.Family
On
13 October 1817 , Darling married Elizabeth Dumaresq (bornMacau 10 November 1798 , died3 September 1868 ). He was older brother of Major-GeneralHenry Darling , father of His Excellency SirCharles Henry Darling , KCB.Named after Ralph Darling
The following features are named after Ralph Darling or members of his immediate family:
*theDarling River
*Darling Harbour
*theDarling Downs
*theDarling Scarp
*theSydney suburbs of Darlinghurst and Darling Point
*Darling Point Road, within Darling Point(Strictly speaking, Darling Point and Darlinghurst were named in honour of Darling's wife Henrietta.)
References
Additional resources listed by the "ADB":
*"Historical Records of Australia", series 1, vols 12-17; E. S. Hall [sic] , "Reply in Refutation of the Pamphlets of Lieut-Gen R. Darling" (Lond, 1833), by R. Robison; L. N. Rose, ‘The Administration of Governor Darling’, "Journal and Proceedings" (Royal Australian Historical Society), vol 8, part 2, 1922, pp 49-96 and vol 8, part 3, 1922, pp 97-176; "Parliamentary Debates" (Great Britain) (3), 29, 30; "Parliamentary Papers" (House of Commons, Great Britain), 1828 (538), 1830 (586), 1830-31 (241), 1831-32 (163, 620), 1835 (580); A. S. Forbes, Sydney Society in Crown Colony Days (State Library of New South Wales); manuscript catalogue under Ralph Darling (State Library of New South Wales).External links
* [http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?dID=41&aID=3&pID=38 Darling's Commission] as NSW Governor (document scans, discussion)
* [http://whitewolf.newcastle.edu.au/words/authors/C/ClarkeMarcus/prose/OldTales/ironcollar.html Detailed discussion] of the Sudds and Thompson case
* [http://www.kittybrewster.com/ancestry/darling.htm Family tree]Further reading
*cite book|author=Brian H. Fletcher|title=Ralph Darling: A Governor Maligned|publisher=
Oxford University Press |date=1984|pages=473|ISBN=0-19-554564-8
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