Saxe Bannister
Encyclopedia
Saxe Bannister was the first Attorney-General of New South Wales, Australia
, and a writer.
Bannister was born in Steyning
, Sussex
, son of John Bannister. He matriculated at The Queen's College, Oxford
, in December 1808 and graduated B.A.
1813, M.A. 1815. He volunteered for active service when Napoleon
escaped from Elba. With a captain's commission, he was on his way to Belgium when the Battle of Waterloo
ended the war. He retired from the army on half-pay, and was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn
.
Bannister was appointed the first attorney-general of New South Wales in March 1823, and he arrived in Sydney
early in 1824. On 17 May 1824 he was sworn in at the first sitting of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
. He had been given a salary of £1200 a year with the right to practise as a barrister, but he became discontented with his position, and in October 1825 was in conflict with Governor Thomas Brisbane
on the question whether he was bound to draft a bill which seemed to him to be repugnant to the laws of England
. He appears to have taken his office and his responsibilities far too seriously, and though Governor Ralph Darling
spoke of Bannister as "often misled by an injudicious zeal, but indefatigable, conscientious and honourable in the highest degree", he found it extremely difficult to work with him. In September 1826, in a dispatch to under-secretary Hay, Darling described one of Bannister's letters to the governor as "very offensive and insolent".
In April 1826 Bannister wrote to Darling to say that he could no longer hold his office at its present remuneration, and on 13 October 1826 he was informed that his resignation had been accepted. This furnished Bannister with a grievance for the rest of his long life. He left for England on 22 October 1826 and afterwards did a large amount of writing; the British Museum
Catalogue lists about 30 of his publications. Many are pamphlets but among the longer works are: Statements and Documents relating to Proceedings in New South Wales in 1824, 1825 and 1826 (1827), Humane Policy; or Justice to the Aborigines (1830), British Colonization and Coloured Tribes (1838), and William Paterson
, the Merchant Statesman (1858).
Bannister died at Thornton Heath
, England, on 16 September 1877, survived by his wife and a daughter, Mrs Wyndham.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and a writer.
Bannister was born in Steyning
Steyning
Steyning is a small town and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, four miles north of Shoreham-by-Sea...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, son of John Bannister. He matriculated at The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, founded 1341, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Queen's is centrally situated on the High Street, and is renowned for its 18th-century architecture...
, in December 1808 and graduated B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
1813, M.A. 1815. He volunteered for active service when Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
escaped from Elba. With a captain's commission, he was on his way to Belgium when the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
ended the war. He retired from the army on half-pay, and was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
.
Bannister was appointed the first attorney-general of New South Wales in March 1823, and he arrived in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
early in 1824. On 17 May 1824 he was sworn in at the first sitting of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
Supreme Court of New South Wales
The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales...
. He had been given a salary of £1200 a year with the right to practise as a barrister, but he became discontented with his position, and in October 1825 was in conflict with Governor Thomas Brisbane
Thomas Brisbane
Major-General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet GCH, GCB, FRS, FRSE was a British soldier, colonial Governor and astronomer.-Early life:...
on the question whether he was bound to draft a bill which seemed to him to be repugnant to the laws of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He appears to have taken his office and his responsibilities far too seriously, and though Governor Ralph Darling
Ralph Darling
General Sir Ralph Darling, GCH was a British colonial Governor and Governor of New South Wales from 1825 to 1831.-Early career:...
spoke of Bannister as "often misled by an injudicious zeal, but indefatigable, conscientious and honourable in the highest degree", he found it extremely difficult to work with him. In September 1826, in a dispatch to under-secretary Hay, Darling described one of Bannister's letters to the governor as "very offensive and insolent".
In April 1826 Bannister wrote to Darling to say that he could no longer hold his office at its present remuneration, and on 13 October 1826 he was informed that his resignation had been accepted. This furnished Bannister with a grievance for the rest of his long life. He left for England on 22 October 1826 and afterwards did a large amount of writing; the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
Catalogue lists about 30 of his publications. Many are pamphlets but among the longer works are: Statements and Documents relating to Proceedings in New South Wales in 1824, 1825 and 1826 (1827), Humane Policy; or Justice to the Aborigines (1830), British Colonization and Coloured Tribes (1838), and William Paterson
William Paterson (banker)
Sir William Paterson was a Scottish trader and banker.- Early life :...
, the Merchant Statesman (1858).
Bannister died at Thornton Heath
Thornton Heath
Thornton Heath is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Croydon. It is situated south-southeast of Charing Cross.-Geography:...
, England, on 16 September 1877, survived by his wife and a daughter, Mrs Wyndham.