William Scott (politician)

William Scott (1795 – 2 January 1866), often called "Captain Scott", was a vigneron, businessman and politician of Magill, South Australia.

History

Captain Scott and his family arrived in South Australia on the Canton from Liverpool in April 1838^[1] and lived a quiet, unobtrusive life.^[2] Arriving with the Scotts were his sister Elizabeth and her husband David Wylie M.A. (ca.1799 – 8 March 1853) who opened a school at Tranmere and taught many of the Scott children.^[3]

Scott was an elder and regular lay preacher of the Scotch Baptist Church, which met in Hindley Street in the 1840s,^[4] then of the Magill Baptist Church, which was founded in Gladstone Avenue, Magill in 1858.^[5] Scott was a friend of Congregationalist Thomas Quinton Stow.

Scott was granted Section 274 of 80 acres at Magill, which he named "Brookside", adjacent to "Tranmere", Section 273 of 67 acres which was granted to his brother-in-law David Wylie. He commenced farming but gave that away to act as an agent at Port Adelaide, which proved lucrative. He was appointed a "brother" of the Trinity House Board, later renamed the Marine Board.^[6]

Scott was elected to the South Australian Legislative Council unopposed for the Port Adelaide electorate in 1853, then for the single statewide province in 1857, 1860 and 1862 until resigning on 10 June 1863.^[7]

Family

Scott was married, perhaps to Mary or Ann.^[1]

• Eldest daughter Jane (Jean?) Margaret Scott ( – 26 September 1902) married Joseph Herbert Thornley (1829 – 9 January 1900), a prominent banker,^[8] in 1867.
• William David Scott (ca.1830 – 18 August 1891) was Master of the Supreme Court after a partnership with William Bakewell.^[9]
• David Wylie Scott (March 1833 – 2 December 1887) was editor of the Port Adelaide News and a farmer at Barossa and Belalie (near Jamestown). He married Margaret Cochrane Little (25 June 1825 – 17 May 1919), a noted flower painter, in 1861.^[10] He also lived at Mount Crawford and Alberton. He wrote a book biblically disproving geology as a science.^[11]
• Robert John Scott (ca.1835 – 5 August 1911) captain of the First Adelaide Rifles and vigneron of "Brookside", Magill, later of Largs Bay. In 1885 he was convicted of indecent conduct, but escaped punishment on the grounds of insanity, and was sent to the Parkside Asylum.^[12]
• Mary Wylie Scott (ca.1838 – 5 March 1906) married Luigi Holmann Savrini on 14 January 1884. Savrini was a noted bass singer.
• James Cochrane Scott (29 September 1839 – 23 September 1904)^[13] married Annie Vincent Burns, a granddaughter of Robert Burns. They lived at Largs^[14]
• Janet Jamieson Scott (ca.1841 – 12 September 1923) of "Brookside", Magill, died at Largs Bay.

Scott died at his home "Brookside", Magill and was buried in the West Terrace Cemetery. He was not related to other South Australian MLC's Abraham Scott and Henry Scott. The "Brookside" home was still in the hands of J. Scott, but the vineyard was owned by J. Taylor Holmes.

References