Arthur Fydell Lindsay (c. 1816 – 10 May 1895) was a politician in the early days of the colony of South Australia.

History

Lindsay was born in Boston, Lincolnshire, and emigrated to South Australia on HMS Buffalo arriving in December 1836 in company with Governor Hindmarsh, James Hurtle Fisher (the Resident Commissioner), Osmond Gilles (Treasurer), and the Rev. C. B. Howard (Colonial Chaplain), and was present at the proclamation of the province under the historic gum tree at Glenelg.

Lindsay was trained as a surveyor and worked in that profession for a number of years, notably laying out the town of Hindmarsh[1] for the Governor (who with his wife personally owned the land) in a partnership with the Governor's son John as "Lindsay & Hindmarsh". In July 1839 they transferred ownership of the land to A. F. Lindsay and George Milner Stephen.[2] then took up a farm in the Encounter Bay district.

Lindsay served as the first member of the House of Assembly for the single-person electorate of Encounter Bay for the terms March 1857 – April 1860,[3] when his colleagues were Benjamin Herschel Babbage and Henry Strangways. He was succeeded by (the unrelated) John Lindsay, then served the same electorate April 1870 – December 1871, with Emil Wentzel; and September 1873 – April 1878, with William Rogers and James Boucaut. He argued strongly for the construction of light railways on the narrow gauge system, but received little support, though he was later largely vindicated.[4]

He donated land for St. Augustine's church at Victor Harbor (he also gave land for the Methodist and Presbyterian churches), and was their third lay reader, serving in that position for over twenty years.[5]

Family

Lindsay married Charlotte Henrietta Leworthy (c. 1823 – 6 February 1915) on 20 July 1852; they had a farm "Edyell" in Victor Harbor. Their children included:

  • Eleanor Charlotte "Nora" Stewart (1879-1966), ballet teacher[8]

His brother, solicitor Richard Fydell Lindsay (c. 1819 – 13 July 1861) married Isabella Leworthy (c. 1829 – 29 March 1905).[9] He was convicted for assaulting John Hindmarsh (son of Governor Hindmarsh) in November 1860.[10]

He was not related to John Lindsay, who followed him as a representative for Encounter Bay.

References

  1. ^ "The Late Mr. A. F. Lindsay". South Australian Register. 11 May 1895. p. 6. Retrieved 6 April 2015 – via Trove.
  2. ^ Parsons, Ronald Hindmarsh Town, Corporation of the Town of Hindmarsh 1974 ISBN 0 9598793 0 7
  3. ^ "Arthur Fydell Lindsay". Former members of the Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Death of Mr. A.F. Lindsay". The Advertiser. 11 May 1895. p. 5. Retrieved 6 April 2015 – via Trove.
  5. ^ "Church History". Anglican Parish of Victor Harbor. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Death of Recluse". The Mail. 31 May 1930. p. 6. Retrieved 6 April 2015 – via Trove.
  7. ^ "Advertising". The Register. 25 April 1903. p. 4. Retrieved 6 April 2015 – via Trove.
  8. ^ Royans, Jack (1990). "Stewart, Eleanor Charlotte (Nora) (1879–1966)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  9. ^ "Leworthy, Betty" (PDF). State Library of South Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  10. ^ "Criminal Sittings". South Australian Weekly Chronicle. 1 December 1860. p. 6. Retrieved 6 April 2015 – via Trove.
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