A History of Charles James Fox Campbell

ARCH 2002

ARCHIVES ASSIGNMENT

A HISTORY OF CHARLES JAMES FOX CAMPBELL

SUE SCOTT

2026482

Contents

Page 1Title Page

Page 2Contents

Page 3Introduction and Aims

Page 4Method

Page 5Method and Results

Page 6Results

Page 7Results

Page 8Results

Page 9Results

Page 10Results

Page 11Results

Page 12Discussion

Page 13Discussion

Page 14Discussion

Page 15-16References and Bibliography

Appendix 1E-mail communications

Appendix 2“Lochend” Landscape Study (copy of)

Appendix 3Australian Heritage Database (copy of Lochend listing)

Appendix 4Campbelltown Exhibition Poster and Leaflet (Historical Society)

Appendix 5Document Copies (where possible)

Appendix 6WestTerraceCemetery Site Location Map for Charles Campbell

Introduction

This is an archival based research project into the life of Mr Charles James Fox Campbell. This subject was chosen as he is the name sake of the Adelaide suburb of Campbelltown in South Australia. Following are the aims of this research project.

Aims

This research project has multiple aims.

An original piece of research.
To give the researcher some experience of the historical research process.
Use of one or more South Australian document repositories.
To focus on primary sources.

Specific to the research into the history of a person, Charles Campbell, whom lived in the Adelaide area, the following were the main aims of research.

To trace details of Charles Campbell’s life, such as – where he lived, when and who he married, what house he built or jobs he did.
To trace any material remains such as buildings, gravestones and personal artefacts that can be associated to Charles Campbell.
To consider the limitations of the use of documents to research the history of Charles Campbell as an individual.
To consider what kinds of people are more visible in documents and why.
What information about Charles Campbell is missing from the documentary record and why.
If Charles Campbell’s life may be interpreted differently from material remains of an archaeological site as opposed to documents.

Method

This archival research project began with a simple internet search on the subject in question “Charles Campbell”. This search turned up numerous results. Of the useful results was a link to the local City of Campbelltown Council at where Charles Campbell was found to be a big part of Campbelltown’s heritage both historically and in terms of material remains which will be discussed further in the results section of this report.

Publications on the council website were very useful in providing historical information about the origin, and life of Charles Campbell with leads to primary sources such as birth, marriage and death records, land title records, the material remains of a dwelling, and a burial place.

With regards to the dwelling, named “Lochend”, it was discovered that it is listed on the Australian Heritage Database and has had a Landscape Conservation Study and Landscape Design Options Report pre-paired (see appendices 2 for a copy). In efforts to obtain a copy of this study it lead to making contacts with in the Campbelltown City Council such as Skana Gallery (see appendices 1 for details of email correspondence), and consulting with very helpful June Laws of the Campbelltown Historical Society. It was also discovered via June Laws that Charles Campbell and Lochend were being featured in an exhibition entitled “History and People: Campbelltown” at the MigrationMuseum in Adelaide (Appendices 4)

It is here, with in the method of research that the previously stated aims of the project were fulfilled. These were:

An original piece of research – A history of Charles Campbell.

To give the researcher some experience of the historical research process – making contacts, tracking documents down.

Use of one or more South Australian document repositories –various registrars (birth, marriage and death, land title), library facilities.

To focus on primary sources – death certificate, obituaries, newspaper articles, heritage management plans.

For details of research material gained and used for this project see appendices 5. All effort was made to include copies of all information found.

Results

This section of the report will consider the following:

The details of discovered through the research into Charles Campbell’s life, such as – where he lived, when and who he married, what house he built or jobs he did.
The material remains such as Lochend, and Charles Campbell’s grave at West Terrace.

Charles James Fox Campbell arrived in South Australia in 1838, droving the first herd of cattle overland from New South Wales. Campbell was actually born in 1807 at Kingsburgh House on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He was born in to the prominent Campbell family of Melford Argyllshire. Charles Campbell’s actual decent was from the Campbell’s of Lochend, whose aristocratic lineage can be traced back over three hundred years (No Name, .

The Campbell family is also found to have been related to the wife of Governor Macquarie of New South Wales, Elizabeth Campbell, perhaps an influence on Charles Campbell’s parents to migrate to Australia in 1821. The Campbell family migrated to Sydney where they had been given a large grant of land near Parramatta. Sadly at the age of 20, Charles Campbell was orphaned and devoted himself to pastoralism and came to Adelaide. (Map courtesy of Jones 2000)

Campbell bought two TorrensValley sections, sections 303 and 310. Mortgage pressure however resulted in the sale of “Section 310 in forty gardening blocks, and eighty acres of Section 309 were marketed in tonine larger blocks” (Warburton, 1986, p73). This left Campbell with room to build a dwelling with sixty acres around the homestead. Campbell built “Lochend”, named after ancestral descendents, a modest size river stone built cottage, which he later enlarged to a six roomed cottage. Lochend will be discussed separately in further detail.

(Map courtesy of Jones 2000)

Campbell married Martha Levi in 1850 and had four sons between 1851 and 1857. Two of his sons were “named after their maternal uncles Philip and Edmund Levi” (Warburton, 1986, p73). Campbell was closely linked as a business associate to the Levis. Phillip Charles John Campbell was born at Lochend on 5th May 1851 (Jones 2000). Frederick Lionel Campbell was born of South Terrace on 26th July 1852 (Jones 2000). Edmund Dalmahoy Campbell was born on 24th December 1855 and William Alexander Campbell was born at Lochend on 10 June 1857 Jones 2000).

Charles Campbell was a Justice of the Peace and is also recorded as having stood for the East Torrens Electorate of the Legislative Councilseat in the House of Assembly in 1851, only to be beaten by G. M. Waterhouse, whom later became Premier of South Australia and then Premier of New Zealand (Cockburn 1984). Mr Campbell apparently did not address the electors or publicly thank those who had voted for him, this was done via an advertisement by Campbell’s Committee later (Cockburn 1984). Campbell was also a keen sportsman and was a member of the Adelaide Hunt Club and entertained guests at his Lochend dwelling.

Charles Campbell also had some influential friends. It is written that Campbellwas a “close friend and financier of Captain Charles Sturt”( He is also linked to Joseph Hawdon and George Strickland Kingston. These associations give us an idea of Campbell’s place in society. Apparently Sturt named Campbell’s Creek in tribute to Charles Campbell (

The Lochend residence was leased out to the Scott family in the 1850’s andCampbell moved to establish his family on a sheep-run at the north-west bend of the River Murry. However in March 1859 Campbell died. He actually died due to a small wound on his hand that turned septic. It was reported in the Adelaide Observer that “Mr Charles James Fox Campbell, occasioned by what appeared at first a very slight accident – the cutting of his hand with a piece of broken glass. In absence of prompt surgical treatment the wound became inflamed, and erysipelas ensued. A message was dispatched to Adelaide, and Mr Edmund Levi proceeded immediately to the Murray accompanied by Dr Gosse. On their arrival the doctor found the case hopeless and it terminated fatally on the evening of Saturday, the 5th” (see appendix 5 for copy).

Charles James Fox Campbell was laid to rest in an above ground vault at West Terrace Cemetery Adelaide (see appendix 6 for location and map). His inscription reads “in memory of Charles James Fox Campbell, departed this life March 5th 1859 at the north west bend of the River Murry”.

Now that this report has discussed the details of Charles Campbell’s life that were discovered through the archival research process, we will move on to consider in more detail the material remains of Campbell’s life such as Lochend, and his grave at West Terrace.

Lochend (Picture below courtesy of Campbelltown City Council)

Lochend is located upon “a 0.2ha allotment, on Section 744, in the Hundred of Adelaide” (Jones 2000, 1.1), with in the suburb of Campbelltown. The dwelling Lochend was built by Charles James Fox Campbell as his town house in c.1844. It has associations with prominent architect George Strickland Kingston. This association is based upon a rough sketch plan of a building that is headed “C Campbell 7/10/44” with room dimensions and door and window openings associated with Kingston(Jones 2000). Lochend was listed on the Register of the National Estate in 1997 with a criterion H1 and D2. It is listed because it is “a significant representative example of an early cottage in the Adelaide metropolitan area” (Australian Heritage Database). Lochend was described in a 1852 Payneham rate book as “stone house, six rooms, four acres garden and fifty six acres” (Jones 2000). Described as:

“LOCHEND. TO BE LET A residence on the Torrens three and a half miles from Town, having every convenience, a 50-acre paddock and two extensive gardens, one of five acres planted with choice fruit trees in full bearing. This is the residence of C.J.F. Campbell, Esq, who is about to leave the colony” (Jones 2000, 2.1).

It is known that Campbell was a keen sportsman and kept a pack of staghounds at Lochend for hunting purposes and that by the 1850’s was not the principle residence for Campbell and family (Jones 2000).

Although leased for a period, Lochend was sold in 1858 to James Scott (see appendices for copy of Observer newspaper). This paragraph of print obtained from Campbelltown Library entitled James Scott charts Lochend’s immediate ownership after its sale. For further information about the dwelling Lochend there is a copy of the landscape conservation survey by Jones 2000 available in the appendices and further reading can be found in the bibliography section at the end of this report.

West Terrace Cemetery Burial Place

Charles James Fox Campbell was buried at WestTerraceCemetery. He is laid to rest in an above ground alter style horizontal slab black/grey slate burial monument. This is surrounded by an iron picket fence approximately five feet tall. The iron fence has an incorporated lockable gate entrance to one side. This was locked and has probably saved the grave from vandalism over time. The alter style monument is largely plain and un- decorative. The front end of the monument contains an engraved epitaph surrounded by a simple scroll like design. The epitaph itself is very practical and to the point reading:

“In Memory of Charles James Fox Campbell, Departed this life March 5th 1859 at the North West bend of the River Murry”.

(Picture Sue Scott)

The epitaph itself is simply engraved into the slate with no evidence of leaded infill or anything like that. It is interesting to note that Campbell is buried alone in West Terrace with no other family. This is perhaps due to his wife Martha re-marrying. Campbell’s grave is with in twenty rows of the entrance to West Terrace suggesting perhaps some sort of prominence or perhaps the position is simply due to an early and untimely death. The monument is not particularly well kept. The iron picket fence is severly rusted and the monument cracked. There is no evidence of associated items such as vases or flowers.

The iron picket fencing, the locked gate and the alter style monument suggest an element of wealth to this burial. The simple engraving and epitaph wording suggest a practical and to the point pioneer type burial.

Following the consideration on the material remains of Charles James Fox Campbell’s life we will move on to the discussion.

Discussion

This section of the report will consider firstly:

The limitations of the use of documents to research the history of Charles Campbell as an individual.

What kinds of people are more visible in documents and why.
What information about Charles Campbell is missing from the documentary record and why.
If Charles Campbell’s life may be interpreted differently from material remains of an archaeological site as opposed to documents.

Documents are fragmented, easily misplaced or destroyed. Documents can only help historical archaeologists so far. Documents also only exist where people have created them. This research project was initially based on documentary evidence which did lead to the material remains that we discussed earlier. The document evidence used for this research project was limited to what was created and still existed. Things like the newspaper coverage and obituary were available due to Campbell’s prominence in South Australia, had he been an average person of little means, the research would have been far more difficult. Because Campbell owned, sold and built on land there are some records left. Past research into Charles Campbell reveals that the leasing of his Lochend property was advertised and recorded in rate books as mentioned earlier. His marriage to Martha Levi and births of his four sons were in South Australia, unlike his own birth, and were therefore traceable through birth, marriage and death records at the State Archives. Campbell’s brief brush with politics also put him in print as previous researchers have cited (Cockburn, 1984). Had Charles Campbell not been such a prominent pastoralist of substantial means he may not have been so documentarily visible today.

Charles Campbell’s material remains suggest he had some sort of wealth. Not an over the top kind of wealth, but comfortable. With out the documents we may not have known that Campbell built or resided in Lochend. This modest river-stone cottage suggests a modest man. The close proximity to the River Torrens of the dwelling suggests an element practicality, and perhaps wealth, in order to acquire a property so close to a water supply. The acreage around the property suggest some sort of agricultural or pastoralist pursuits. This suggests a person trying to get on in life. The fact that the dwelling had six rooms suggests a large family was housed there. Campbell’s burial site complements the Lochend dwelling material remains from a purely archaeological prospective. The iron picket fence and alter style monument suggest wealth. The simplicity and practicality of the epitaph suggest modesty and hard work. Next we shall conclude.

Conclusion

Charles Campbell was a good subject to research due to his notoriety in the community and city of Adelaide. He was reasonably easy to gather information on as he owned property, was in business and dabbled in politics. Sixteen years of residence and enormous respect lead to a committee petitioning for the area to be named Campbelltown after Charles Campbell in 1868. The first meeting of the District Council of Campbelltown was held on the 2nd March 1868. As mentioned earlier Sturt named Campbell’s Creek in tribute to Campbell. This was obviously a well liked gentleman. Actual research into Charles Campbell was made easier due to efforts by the local historical society and the council due to their interest in the historical dwelling Lochend. Over this entire research project it was found to be an interesting introduction into archival research as it highlighted the importance of documents, pitfalls of archival research, lack of documents, the types of people that show up in documents and the frustration and hard work it takes to research a subject.

References

Australian Heritage Database. Australian Heritage Places Inventory. (accessed 18/08/05).
Cemetery Authority. 2005. Location of Charles Campbell burial.
Cockburn. R. 1984. What’s in a Name: Nomenclature of South Australia. Ferguson Publications.
Gallery. S. Campbelltown City Council. Informal e-mail communications with regards to Charles Campbell and Lochend. 2005.
Jones. D. 2000. Lochend Landscape Conservation Study & Landscape Design Options Report. The University of Adelaide. For City of Campbelltown.
Laws. J. Campbelltown Historical Society. Informal telephone conversations regarding Charles Campbell and Lochend. 2005.
No Name. Document. James Scott c.1800- 17 July 1867. From Campbelltown Library, Local History Section. LH BI 00173.
No Name. 1859. The AdelaideObserver. Death of Mr Charles Campbell. 12th March, p8, Col. d.
No Name. No Date. (accessed 15/08/05)
Warburton. E, 1986, From the River to the Hills Campbelltown 150 years, p73, The Corporation of the City of Campbelltown.

Bibliography

Hassell. River Torrens Study. 1979.
Weidenhofer. L & T. City of Campbelltown Heritage Survey. 1996.
South Australian Almanac. 1843.
Pastoral Pioneers of South Australia, Vol 2.
Peake. A. G. 1987. Sources for South Australian History. Tudor Australia Press, Dulwich. SA.
Heritage South Australia January 2001, Number 18. Heritage South Australia. Government of South Australia, p4-5.

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Appendix 3

Appendix 4

Appendix 5

Appendix 6