George Hall (British administrator)

George Hall Esq. was a British administrator in the 19th century.

George Hall Esq.
Spouse(s)	Julia (née Gawler)[1] (married 1847)
Private secretary to the Governor of South Australia
In office 1838–1840
Governor	George Gawler
acting Colonial Secretary of South Australia
In office July–October 1840
Governor of Parkhurst Prison
In office 1843[2] – 1861[3]

South Australia

George Hall Esq. was Private Secretary to the Governor of South Australia George Gawler[4] and Clerk of the Legislative Council[5] in 1840, including a period acting as Colonial Secretary of South Australia while Robert Gouger was unwell.[6] He was Clerk of the Council from 18 October 1838 through to 1840.[7]

Parkhurst Prison

After his time in South Australia, Hall was governor of Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of Wight.[1] In his time as Governor of Parkhurst Prison, Hall proposed sending boys who were convicted in Britain to colonies as Parkhurst apprentices, whereupon they would receive a pardon on arrival in a colony, but be expected to serve out an apprenticeship before being eligible to return to Britain. This proposal was rejected by the Colony of South Australia,[8] but accepted in Swan River Colony and forced on the Colony of New Zealand.[2] Hall was an early advocate of using juvenile prison to rehabilitate young offenders to society rather than teaching them to be better criminals in their adult life. He sought to teach them a trade or other skills to avoid a life of crime.[9]

Personal life

Hall married Julia, eldest daughter of Col George Gawler on 21 September 1847 at St. John's, Derby.[10]

Legacy

From his time in South Australia, two minor geographic features were named after him. Edward John Eyre named Mount Hall (33.05779017°S 134.48124893°E) on Eyre Peninsula after him[11] and his boss (and future father-in-law) George Gawler named Hall's Bay (now Hall Bay, 34.0351°S 135.247°E) after him.[12]

References

1. "PERSONAL NOTES FROM ENGLAND". The Register. Adelaide. 2 January 1902. p. 6. Retrieved 8 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
2. Anthony G. Flude (2003). "CONVICTS SENT TO NEW ZEALAND! The Boys from Parkhurst Prison". Retrieved 9 February 2016.
3. Ann Barrett. "Parkhurst Prison Warders G-L". Isle of Wight Ancestors and Genealogy. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
4. "The South Australian Register". South Australian Register. Adelaide. 24 April 1841. p. 3. Retrieved 8 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY". South Australian Register. Adelaide. 30 May 1840. p. 6. Retrieved 8 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "THE LAST GAZETTE". South Australian Register. Adelaide. 27 June 1840. p. 6. Retrieved 8 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "Legislative Council (Tables C, D)", Statistical Record of the Legislature 1836-2007 (PDF), p. 14, archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2011, retrieved 8 February 2016
8. "THE PARKHURST BOY QUESTION". The South Australian. Adelaide. 25 January 1845. p. 3. Retrieved 8 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
9. Ivan Rudoph (2013). "George Hall – Biography". Eyre – The Forgotten Explorer. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
10. "Marriages". The Spectator. 25 September 1847. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
11. "Placename Details: Mount Hall". Property Location Browser. Land Services, Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, Government of South Australia. 20 February 2012. SA0028977. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
12. "Placename Details: Hall Bay". Property Location Browser. Land Services, Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, Government of South Australia. 2 October 2009. SA0028958. Retrieved 10 February 2016.