James and John Chambers were early settlers in the colony of South Australia. They left England in 1836, became wealthy pastoralists, and were closely connected with John McDouall Stuart's expeditions across the continent of Australia.
Overview James and John, sons of William and Elizabeth (née Wilson) Chambers, their wives Catherine and Mary (who were sisters) and their young families were among the first colonists, James arriving on the Coromandel at Holdfast Bay on 17 January 1837. The plan had been that by leaving on an earlier ship James would arrive in plenty of time to organise accommodation for the rest of the family, but unfavourable winds forced the Coromandel to delay its departure until 9 September. The ship was further delayed at Cape Town, partly because insufficient and inferior food supplies had brought about so much illness that Captain William Chesser (died 14 February 1840) feared many passengers would die on the voyage.The grateful passengers presented Chesser with a purse of gold sovereigns in recognition of his concern. At the later enquiry, the ship's owners and second mate Adams (who was so disliked by the seamen that ten "jumped ship" and settled in Coromandel Valley) insisted that rations were more than adequate and Chesser exceeded his instructions in procuring extra. They arrived 17 January 1837, around two weeks late.
The rest of the family, which included sister Priscilla Chambers, had a trouble-free voyage in the James Renwick, arriving off Largs Bay on 10 February 1837. Catherine and Mary's brother James Redin also emigrated, arriving with his wife on the Navarino on 21 February 1856.
Margaret Goyder Kerr, in her book Colonial Dynasty – the Chambers family of South Australia, makes the point that the two men were physically quite different, both in build and temperament, and John wore a green satin patch over his blind right eye, so would never be confused by contemporaries. The historian however has great difficulty: they both signed their names "J. Chambers" and were involved in similar (and often the same) activities so that it is difficult if not impossible at many points to determine which brother is involved.Kerr, Margaret Goyder Colonial dynasty: the Chambers family of South Australia Rigby Limited, Adelaide, 1980.
James Chambers
James Chambers "Jemmy" (21 September 1811 – 7 August 1862), born in Ponders End, LondonHeaton, J.H Australian Dictionary of Dates and Men of their Time George Robertson, Sydney 1879Not a reliable source but old and fascinating. was a successful grazier and pastoralist in South Australia; with brother John a major sponsor of John McDouall Stuart's expeditions across the continent.
He was the first to drive a team of bullocks between Adelaide and Port Adelaide, and Adelaide and Glenelg, effectively creating the Port Road and Bay Road. He ran sheep on a commonage licence in the area now known as Coromandel Valley.
He bought a town acre at the first land sale, and imported horses from Van Diemens Land (he and brother John had experience as horse dealers in England)'Chambers, John (1815–1889)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 26 February 2012
They built a house on Montefiore Hill in North Adelaide, at the site later occupied by John Langdon Bonython's Carclew.
He opened a livery stable in North Adelaide, He bought bullocks and wagons from Cape Town and coaches from England, he tendered successfully for the mail contract to Burra around 1845 (endorsed by postmaster-general John Watts)Captain John Cliffe Watts followed his brother Henry Watts as Postmaster-General from 1841 to 1861, succeeded by James William Lewis, then in 1870 the Post Office was amalgamated with the Telegraph Office and Charles Todd was appointed as its head. and built a substantial business carrying passengers to the mining areas north of Adelaide, including Gawler's expeditions into the country.
He provided the horses and carts for Alexander Tolmer's gold escort from Mount Alexander to Adelaide in 1852.
He was involved with the South Australian Jockey Club, and served as Clerk of Course in 1850.
He sold his business to Simms & Hayter in 1853 for around £14,000 and holidayed in Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, where he had gained his horse-dealing experience. With his new-found knowledge of what was needed in South Australia, he was able to return in 1856 on the ship AlbueraStratton, J., (ed.), Biographical Index of South Australians 1836 – 1885, SA Genealogy and Heraldry Society, Adelaide (1986), Volume I, p. 255. with a useful selection of horses, cattle and sheep.
He and John dissolved their partnership and between 1854 and 1857 sold 1700 sq. miles (4403 km²) for £48,000, retaining 270 sq. miles (699 km²) in the north.
Mining James and his business partner William Finke found copper on one of their northern properties and on 23 July 1857 were issued with lease no 5 on some eighty acres that became known as the Oratunga Mine.
He and Finke founded "Great Northern Copper Mining Company" and sold eleven mines, most notably Nuccaleena and Oratunga No.2 to that company, which originally consisted of eleven shareholders. The floating of the Great Northern Mining Company on the London Stock Exchange in 1860 was marked by irregularities, shady deals, deception and outright fraud. The first application for mining leases was refused by the Commissioner of Crown Lands Charles Bonney, but his replacement John Bentham Neales, M.P. took it on himself not only to grant them without going through the normal procedures, such as checking claims of the proponents, gaining approval from Major Freeling of the Survey Department (who objected to both applications), the Lands Office, and obtaining the signatures of the Chief Secretary and the Governor, but personally rushed the signed form to mining captains John Hart, George F. Dashwood, and Thomas Hancock (manager of the North Rhine Mining Company and secretary of Great Northern), as their ship to London was waiting on the tide at Glenelg. The prospectus they prepared gave an unrealistic picture of the ore bodies, falsely claimed the Government was planning a railway to the mine (the survey was to Mount Remarkable), that the Burra proprietors had offered a large sum for the mine, and that it had the Governor (Sir Richard MacDonnell)'s endorsement, and falsely named John Morphett as a director. While the float was underway, ownership of the leases passed from Chambers and Finke to John Baker M.L.C. and Paxton.
In the parliamentary enquiry under Townsend which followed, James Chambers refused to answer questions, Finke avoided it by travelling interstate, Baker claimed parliamentary privilege and absented himself, and Neales claimed he was following a precedent. The directors judiciously reduced their holdings from 1500 shares each to 200 or 300 while prices were buoyant.
Exploration He largely outfitted John McDouall Stuart for four of his six northern expeditions, brother John claiming to have supplied everything for the first, (though Stuart credited William Finke) and the Government providing for the sixth. This last expedition set out with great ceremony on 25 October 1861 from James's residence on Montefiore Hill, North Adelaide, where he died of complications from a carbuncle without learning of its successful outcome.
Family James Chambers married Catherine Redin (17 May 1809 – 20 June 1875) of Newton, Lincolnshire, in England on 6 August 1836. It is not known whether she came to Australia on the Coromandel or the James Renwick a month later. Her sister married John Chambers; her brother James Watson Redin (15 April 1813 – 22 August 1871) also emigrated, lived at Aldinga, South Australia. The children of James and Catherine were: Elizabeth Chambers (1837 – 18 April 1882) married John Holden Newman (1835 – 11 November 1863) on 21 January 1862. Elizabeth married again, to Edward John Peake on 29 June 1867. It is not known whether she had any further children. Elizabeth Catherine Newman (19 December 1862 – 25 April 1864) John Holden Newman jnr. (13 March 1864 – 29 August 1911) married Beatrice Emma Tate (daughter of professor Ralph Tate) and moved to England. James Chambers jnr. (1839–1893) residence "Wattaburrie" Port Elliot, married Emily Norall (c. 1840 – 19 January 1918) Emily Chambers (4 February 1867 – ) Catherine Chambers (6 March 1869 – c. 22 September 1949) married surveyor Walter Robert Gething ( – 10 June 1934) on 30 December 1899; moved to Mica Street, then Wolfram Street, Broken Hill. She returned to Adelaide in 1939, This article, one of several to spell "Catherine" with a "K", is a nice summary of James Chambers' contribution to the Stuart expeditions. eight years after her husband, who died there in 1934. James Chambers (5 January 1877 – ) married Mary Alice Provis ( – 6 October 1943) on 20 January 1900 had a son 27 December 1903. She later married Fred Sinden. Catherine Chambers (1843–1904) married her cousin, auctioneer John Barker ( – 21 May 1925) on 11 March 1872.John Barker was a son of Alfred Barker (c. 1812 – 24 January 1880) and Priscilla (1816 – 31 December 1900) The town of Katherine, Northern Territory was named after her.Katherine Town Council: About Katherine . Retrieved on 15 December 2008. Alfred Edward Barker ( – 25 June 1925) Priscilla Mary Barker (1883 – 11 June 1918) Eleanor Kate Barker ( – 2 August 1954) Anna Chambers (9 December 1845 – 2 October 1907) married Peleg Whitford Jackson (c. 1834 – 24 April 1912) on 25 November 1869, previously of the firms Victorian Coach Company, Cobb & Co and Murray & Jackson, steamboat proprietors. They lived variously in Albury, New South Wales, Charleville, Queensland, Beechworth, Victoria and Brighton, Victoria and had six children. Hugh Chambers (1848 – 20 December 1893) married Agnes May Ward (c. 1847 – 26 May 1923) on 3 December 1872 and lived at the family residence on Montefiore Hill. Hugh Lindsay Chambers (3 October 1873 – 30 October 1873) Nina Chambers (13 September 1874 – 1955) of Prospect, was a prominent Prospect socialite Ruby Chambers (28 March 1876 – 21 September 1934) of 4 Robe Terrace, Medindie, was also a prominent socialite
Rita Gay Chambers (16 December 1879 – 1949) married John Whinham Packard (1878–1951) on 28 October 1905 Alan Ward Chambers (27 August 1881 – 27 January 1943) moved to Whakatane, New Zealand Stuart Hansford Chambers (13 November 1883 – 1969) married Ruby Rogers Skinner (died 1967) on 3 June 1911.
Barker & Chambers John Barker and Catherine, Hugh Chambers and Agnes, formed the company Barker and Chambers, with major property investments "Comongin Holdings" in Queensland, later became McLean & Barker & Co.
They ran the "horse bazaar" on Sturt Street, Adelaide, also on Grenfell Street and Gay's Arcade, which in November 1884 was destroyed by fire and rebuilt as part of Adelaide Arcade.
When cattle dealer Edward Meade Bagot (1822 – 27 July 1886) (founder of Bagot, Shakes and Lewis), disappeared in 1886, John Barker organised the search party.
Recognition Chambers Creek and Chambers Hill (in the Adelaide Hills) were named for James Chambers.
Chambers Pillar, River Chambers, and Chambers Range in Central Australia were named for James by Stuart. Chambers Creek in the Hundred of Noarlunga, and Mount Chambers Gorge near Lake Frome were named after James and John.
Chambers Bay, which Stuart originally named Elizabeth Bay, east of present-day Darwin, where the British flag was first raised, was named for his eldest daughter Elizabeth by Stuart. It was named Chambers Bay to thank the sisters for making a large flag for Stuart.
Katherine River (and hence the town Katherine) was named for his second daughter Catherine.
Anna Creek, after which Anna Creek Station was named, was named for James Chambers' daughter Anna, by Peter Warburton in 1858. Anna's Reservoir was also named for Anna.
John Chambers