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David Blackburn (Royal Navy officer)

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David Blackburn
Silhouette of David Blackburn
Born(1753-01-01)1 January 1753
Newbury, Berkshire, England
Died10 January 1795(1795-01-10) (aged 42)
Haslar Naval Hospital, Gosport, Hampshire, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationRoyal Navy officer
Known forMaster of HMS Supply in the First Fleet to New South Wales

Lieutenant David Blackburn (1 January 1753 – 10 January 1795) was a Royal Navy officer.[1] He was Commanader of the ship HMS Sirius on its voyage to Norfolk Island in March 1790[2] having been Master of HMS Supply in the First Fleet that established the British settlement in New South Wales, Australia in 1788.[3]

Early life and family

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Blackburn was born on 1 January 1753 at Newbury, Berkshire, England. He was eldest son of Rev. John Blackburn (d.1762) and his wife Elizabeth (née Martineau, b.1725). His family moved to Norwich after John's death in 1762. Also living at Norwich was his aunt, Dame Sarah Martineau (1725–1800) who wrote comforting letters to family members,[4] including her sister-in-law and niece – David's mother and sister respectively – concerning her nephew's well-being and death. These letters are held at the State Library of New South Wales and the National Library of Australia.[5][6][7]

Career

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He joined the Royal Navy on 5 May 1779, serving as a midshipman in HMS Victory. He was serving as master of HMS Flora in the West Indies in 1785.

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Letter from David's aunt, Sarah Martineau, to his mother
Blackburn is seen fifth from left in Algernon Talmage's sketch for his 1937 painting "The Founding of Australia"

In April 1787 he was appointed master of Supply, part of the First Fleet that established British settlement in New South Wales. During this time he wrote a series of letters to family members, including his sister Margaret (b. 1762) and friends, many of which are still extant.[8] These letters describe the events of the voyage and the early days of settlement, including Blackburn's participation in the expedition to Norfolk Island to establish a settlement there in February 1788.[8] Blackburn's letters record the change in his feelings towards the voyage. Initially reluctant to join the Fleet,[9] shortly before the Fleet left he told his sister in a letter that "my dislike to the voyage begins gradually to wear off".[3]

Supply was part of the advance party of ships which arrived in Botany Bay on 18 January.[10] Governor Arthur Phillip's letters to Blackburn are held at the National Library of Australia.[11] Blackburn joined Phillip's expedition in search of a better location for the settlement,[8] and describes Sydney Harbour as "excellent and extensive".[10]

Death

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He died of illness on 10 January 1795 at Royal Hospital Haslar, Gosport, Hampshire, England.[8]

Legacy

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Blackburn's Club or Whip is the only wooden object which survives from the First Fleet. Its cat o' nine tails are attached to an Aboriginal truncheon. It is thought not to have been used on Aboriginal Australians. The whip, along with his papers and letters, remained as revered, precious objects of a celebrated seafarer in the Blackburn family's possession until the 1990s when they went under the hammer at Christie's, London where a South Australian dealer purchased the club/whip (along with a small cosh which Blackburn probably carried for self-defence). The South Australian Museum eventually purchased both.[12][2]

See also

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References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to David Blackburn.
  1. ^ Correspondence between Lieut. David Blackburn R.A. and his sister Margaret Blackburn 1785–1795. State Library New South Wales. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b Daley, Paul (28 January 2019). "Why Blackburn's whip is a shocking reminder of Australia's history". Guardian. UK. Retrieved 16 January 2024. Profound evocations: the whip owned by David Blackburn, commander of HMS Sirius.
  3. ^ a b Hirst, Warwick (2005). "Blackburn, David (1753–1795)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. Supplementary Volume. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Letter from Sarah Martineau to Elizabeth - her "sister" - [i.e. sister-in-law who was David's mother]..." Sarah Martineau 1720-1800. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  5. ^ "File 5: Blackburn family miscellaneous papers, being mainly correspondence relating to David Blackburn's death, 1779–1796". State Library NSW. Retrieved 15 January 2024. (7 Feb. 1795); 10 letters of condolence from family and friends to Margaret Blackburn: correspondents include sister Eliza Burrows, aunt S[Sarah] Martineau, friends Laetitia and Richard Knight, and agent B. Robertson (2)
  6. ^ "Papers of David Blackburn (as filmed by the AJCP) [microform] : [M971] 1785–1796". State Library of NSW. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Letter to Mrs Elizabeth Blackburn (née Martineau) from her sister-in-law Sarah Martineau, 7 Feb 1795". Alamy LTD. 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "David Blackburn (1753–1795)". Discover Collections. State Library of NSW. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  9. ^ "Elizabeth Blackburn – Letter received from her son David Blackburn, 1787". Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Margaret Blackburn – Letters (14) received from her brother David Blackburn, 1787–1791". Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  11. ^ "Capt. A. Phillip to Blackburn, 25 September 1788". National Library of Australia. 1788. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  12. ^ Jones, P. (2019). "Oche and Dust". Hurst. ISBN 978-1-84904-839-2. Retrieved 26 December 2023.


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