Matthew Moorhouse

Matthew Moorhouse (1813 – 29 March 1876)^[1] was an English pioneer in Australia, pastoralist, politician, and Protector of Aborigines in South Australia. He was in charge of the armed party that murdered 30-40 Maraura people, which may have included women and children, now known as the Rufus River massacre.^[2][3]

Matthew Moorhouse, c.1870

Early life and arrival in Australia

Moorhouse studied medicine and obtained the degree of M.R.C.S. in 1836. He was practising medicine in Hanley, Staffordshire, when the Crown appointed him Protector of Aborigines in South Australia from 20 June 1839, a position he held until 1856.^[4][5]

He arrived in South Australia in June 1839, along with the Rev. Ridgway William Newland, on Sir Charles Forbes.^[6]

Career

Piltawodli

As Protector, he lived at Piltawodli mission and camp for some years, working closely with the German missionaries, Christian Teichelmann and Clamor Schürmann (and later Samuel Klose), who learned and taught in the Kaurna language. There is only one remaining page of Moorhouse's diary, containing several Kaurna songlines not recorded elsewhere, but much information about the Kaurna people has been gleaned from his reports and official correspondence.^[7] In July 1845, the whole site, including the school, was dismantled on the orders of Governor George Grey,^[7] who thought it best to take the children away from their parents, and a new "Native School" run by the government, which taught only in English, was established near what is now Kintore Avenue,^[7] and designated "The Location". The Aboriginal students proved to be every bit as bright and teachable as their white contemporaries,^[8] but their number remained small and Moorhouse re-purposed the schoolhouse as temporary accommodation for the Irish orphan girls who arrived in June 1849.^[9] The Native School closed in 1851, and became the nucleus of the Destitute Asylum. The remaining children were taken to Poonindie Mission at Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula).^[10]

The Rufus River Massacre

In 1841, there was a dispute between European overlanders and the Mataura people, a sub–group of the Barkindji.^[11] The overlanders had been engaging in sexual relations with Barkindji women without giving the Barkindji the food and clothing that was promised in return.^[12] Moorhouse led a group of armed settlers to the Rufus River near Wentworth following a report that about 150 Barkindji warriors appeared to be readying to attack. The settlers opened fire on the Barkindji before they were within spear-throwing range, claiming at least 35 killed and 16 injured, though Aboriginal oral tradition suggests this is a conservative figure.^[11][12] Moorhouse's official account which was sent to the Governor of South Australia, George Grey claims that "the result was, to the natives, the death of nearly 30, about 10 wounded, and four (one adult male, one boy, and two females) taken prisoners". Most of the wounded would be expected to die from their wounds, because Aboriginal medicine was ill-equipped to deal with gunshot wounds.^[12] The report of Protector Moorhouse was largely supported by James Collins Hawker.^[13]

Parliamentary career

In January 1855 Moorhouse had the duties of comptroller of the Destitute Poor Establishment, and superintendent of the Female Immigrant Depot added to his responsibilities as Protector of Aborigines.^[14] He retired on 31 March 1856,^[4] and went to England, where he lectured on South Australia and promoted migration. He then visited North America, where he travelled extensively by railroad and investigated various systems of education.^{[citation needed]}

He was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly for the City of Adelaide (13 March 1860 – 9 November 1862).^[1] In 1860 and for 10 days in October 1861, he was commissioner of Crown lands and immigration in the first Waterhouse ministry.

Later life

He became a successful pastoralist in the northern district for several years, only practising medicine in emergencies. Moorhouse purchased shares in properties near Riverton and Saddleworth, but soon sold out and with Joseph Fisher and others bought 27,700 acres (11,200 ha) near the Hummocks. Moorhouse managed the station until Robert Barr Smith bought it in 1870.

Moorhouse died after a short illness on his station Bartagunyah near Melrose, South Australia on 29 March 1876, leaving a widow, two sons and a daughter.

See also

• Kaurna
• List of massacres of Indigenous Australians
• Henry Inman (police commander)
• James Rigby Beevor
• Maria (brigantine)
• James Brown (Australian pastoralist)

References

1. "Mr Matthew Moorhouse". Former members of the Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
2. "Friction between overlanders and Australian Aboriginals". State Library of South Australia. 16 July 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
3. "Papers Relative To The Affairs Of South Australia—Aborigines", Accounts and Papers 1843, Volume 3 (London: William Clowes and Sons), p. 267-310.
4. Lane, Jo, ed. (January 2013). "Protector of Aborigines Out Letter-Book 7: December 8th, 1892 to September 4th, 1906: Including List of Addressees, and Subject Index" (PDF). Transcribed and indexed by Jo Lane. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
5. Gara, Tom (2017). "5. The Aboriginal Presence in Adelaide, 1860s–1960s". In Brock, Peggy; Gara, Tom (eds.). Colonialism and its Aftermath: A history of Aboriginal South Australia. Wakefield Press. pp. 65–81. ISBN 9781743054994.
6. Barry Leadbeater. "Shipping & Passenger Lists South Australia". FamilyHistorySA. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
7. Amery, Rob. "Piltawodli Native Location (1838-1845)". German missionaries in Australia. Griffith University. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
8. "The Natives and the Native Location". The Southern Australian. South Australia. 29 October 1841. p. 3. Retrieved 12 April 2020 – via Trove.
9. "Local Intelligence". South Australian Register. South Australia. 13 June 1849. p. 2. Retrieved 13 April 2020 – via Trove.
10. Harris, Rhondda (6 February 2014). "Pirltawadli". SA History Hub (1 June 2017 (updated spelling) ed.). Retrieved 7 December 2019. ...revised version of an entry first published in The Wakefield Companion to South Australian History, edited by Wilfrid Prest, Kerrie Round and Carol Fort (Adelaide: Wakefield Press, 2001)
11. "Lake Victoria A special place". Murray Darling Basin Authority. Australian Government. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
12. Rufus River Massacre:
    • Rufus River, 9 February 2015", Wentworth Shire Council, retrieved 26 September 2018
    • "Rufus River Massacre", Culture Victoria, retrieved 25 September 2018
    • "Rufus River Massacre", Murray River Heritage 13 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 19 February 2014
    • Coulthard-Clark C. (2001), "Rufus River", Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles (Allen & Unwin)
    • Foster R., Nettelbeck A. (2011), Out of the Silence, p. 32-39 (Wakefield Press)
    • "Friction between overlanders and Australian Aboriginals". State Library of South Australia. 16 July 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
    • "Inquiry into the circumstances attending the death of a number of natives on the Murray". South Australian Register. 25 September 1841. pp. 3–4 – via Trove.
    • Burke H., Roberts A., Morrison M., Sullivan V., The River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation (2016), "The space of conflict: Aboriginal/European interactions and frontier violence on the western Central Murray, South Australia, 1830–41", Aboriginal History, 40: 145-179
    • Tolmer A. (1882), Reminiscences of an Adventurous and Chequered Career at Home and at the Antipodes—Vol. I, chap. 20 (London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington).
    • The Rufus River Massacre", Sovereign Union of First Nations and Peoples in Australia
    • Fatal Affray With The Natives In South Australia: Report of Mr. Moorhouse to His Excellency the Governor", Port Phillip Patriot and Melbourne Advertiser, 14 October 1841, p. 2 - via Trove.
13. "Early Experiences of Colonial Life.—No. XXXII". South Australian Chronicle And Weekly Mail. South Australia. 15 December 1877. p. 19. Retrieved 21 March 2020 – via Trove.
14. "The Government Gazette". South Australian Register. South Australia. 19 January 1855. p. 3. Retrieved 20 March 2020 – via Trove.

Sources

• "Moorhouse, Matthew (1813–1876)]". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. 1974. pp. 283–284. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
• Serle, Percival (1949). "Moorhouse, Matthew". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.
• "Four Reports from the Protector of the Aborigines in South Australia", Accounts and Papers 1843, Volume 3 (London: William Clowes and Sons), p. 320–328.
• "Saddleworth: The Story of the Rainberd murders—Memories of Matthew Moorhouse", Chronicle (Adelaide), pp. 46–47, 23 February 1933 – via Trove.
• Steiner, Marie (2003), "Matthew Moorhouse: A controversial colonist", Journal of the Historical Society of South Australia, 31: 55–68.

Further reading

• SA Protector of Aborigines: Out Letter Book I (May 21, 1840 to Jan 6, 1857)  —First Sources
• Some Known Conflicts in New South Wales  —Australian Frontier Conflicts
• Sign Sites - Palmer Gardens / Pangki Pangki  —City of Adelaide
• Colonial Frontier Massacres in Central and Eastern Australia 1788-1930  —University of Newcastle (Australia)
• SA Protector of Aborigines: Out Letter Book I (May 21, 1840 to Jan 6, 1857)  —First Sources
• Newspaper articles mentioning "Matthew Moorhouse"  —Trove