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| Edward Gibbon Wakefield |
In 1828, Edward Gibbon Wakefield sat behind the heavy doors
of Newgate Gaol, contemplating a bold idea. News of the proposed South
Australia Colony had reached him, and from his cell he imagined how a new
society might be built — not haphazardly, but deliberately, with structure,
purpose, and a carefully engineered population.
Wakefield believed that South Australia, envisioned by some
as a kind of southern utopia, needed a sound colonisation scheme. He devised
one from scratch. Land, he argued, should be sold at higher prices to attract
settlers of means and character. Instead of relying on convict labour, the
colony should offer free passage to skilled tradesmen and artisans — people who
could build a functioning society from the ground up.
Remarkably, his theory became reality. In 1836, South
Australia was proclaimed, and Adelaide — its carefully planned capital — was
laid out according to principles Wakefield had championed.
Wakefield’s presence in Newgate was not the result of
political martyrdom, but scandal. Born
in 1796, educated in London and Edinburgh, he became a King’s Messenger,
carrying diplomatic dispatches across Europe during the Napoleonic Wars and
even at the time of Waterloo. In 1816, he married Eliza Pattle, a wealthy
heiress, receiving £70,000 upon the marriage and the promise of more when she
reached twenty‑nine.
The couple moved to Genoa with Eliza’s mother and household,
where Wakefield continued diplomatic work. Their first child, Nina, was born
there. Later, back in London, Eliza gave birth to their second child,
Jerningham — but complications set in, and she died four days later. The
children were raised by Wakefield’s sister Catherine.
With his fortune diminished and ambition undimmed, Wakefield
sought another wealthy match. What followed became infamous: the 18127 Shrigley
Abduction.
Wakefield and his brother William lured fifteen‑year‑old
Ellen Turner from her school with a false message claiming her mother was ill.
Their aim was simple — marry the girl and secure her inheritance. The scheme
collapsed almost immediately. The brothers were arrested, tried, and sentenced
to three years in Newgate Gaol.
Prison did little to curb Wakefield’s appetite for schemes.
He attempted to overturn his late father‑in‑law’s will in court, and though
unsuccessful, he managed to avoid prosecution for the perjury and forgery he
was accused of during the proceedings.
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| Ellen Turner of Pott Shrigley |
New Ambitions: Canada and New Zealand
By the late 1830s, Wakefield’s influence on South Australia
had waned, but he found new arenas for his ideas. He became involved with the
New Zealand Association and took a keen interest in political unrest in Canada.
It was in Canada that his impact was greatest. Working
unofficially — the British Government refused to employ him formally — he
served as a key adviser to John Lambton, Lord Durham. Wakefield’s influence
contributed to the eventual union of Upper and Lower Canada.
Meanwhile, his family carried his colonial ambitions into
the Pacific. In 1839, he sent his brother William and his son Jerningham to New
Zealand to help establish settlements. Another brother, Arthur, followed and
became a leading figure in Nelson on the South Island.
Edward Gibbon Wakefield died in Wellington on 16 May 1862.
His legacy is scattered across Australasia — sometimes celebrated, sometimes
controversial, always significant.
In South Australia, the town of Port
Wakefield bears his name. Wakefield Street in Adelaide, however, honours
his brother Daniel Bell Wakefield, the solicitor who drafted the Act
proclaiming the city.
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