Edward Boyd (surveyor)

Last updated March 26, 2019

Edward Boyd (1794 – 2 November 1871) was a Surveyor General of Tasmania, (then the colony of Van Diemen's Land, now a state of Australia).^[1]

Surveyor General of Tasmania is a position originally created for the colony of Van Diemens Land.

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Early life

Boyd was born in England and educated at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He joined the British army and became a captain in 1826 before retiring in 1829 to become deputy surveyor general in Van Diemen's Land.^[1]

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Army military academy

The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry and cavalry officers of the British and Indian Armies.

Career in Australia

In July 1829 Boyd arrived in Hobart. Four years later Boyd was in dispute with the Surveyor General George Frankland about having to open a survey branch in Launceston. Bad health prevented Boyd from surveying Launceston and he was transferred back to Hobart after his failure at Launceston. When Frankland died, Boyd became Surveyor General, however his poor performance led to the governor seeking a replacement^[1] (this was to be Robert Power in July 1841).^[2]

Hobart is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. With a population of approximately 225,000, it is the least populated Australian state capital city, and second smallest if territories are taken into account. Founded in 1804 as a British penal colony, Hobart, formerly known as Hobart Town or Hobarton, is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney, New South Wales. Prior to British settlement, the Hobart area had been occupied for possibly as long as 35,000 years, by the semi-nomadic Mouheneener tribe, a sub-group of the Nuennone, or South-East tribe. The descendants of these Aboriginal Tasmanians often refer to themselves as 'Palawa'.

George Frankland was an English surveyor and Surveyor-General of Van Diemen's Land .

Robert Power was a British army officer and Surveyor General of Tasmania,.

Late life and legacy

Boyd rejoined the British army and was promoted Major in the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot in November 1841, seeing service in Ghazipur, India. Boyd retired in 1850; he received the rank of lieutenant-colonel in 1854. He died in London aged 77 on 2 November 1871 .^[1]

Major is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world.

The 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1694. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot to become the 1st Battalion, the Worcestershire Regiment in 1881.

Ghazipur, is a town in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ghazipur city is the administrative headquarters of the Ghazipur district, one of the four districts that form the Varanasi division of Uttar Pradesh. The city of Ghazipur also constitutes one of the five distinct tehsils, or subdivisions, of the Ghazipur district.

External links

Edward Boyd appointed Surveyor-General The Hobart Town Courier, 11 Jan 1839. Trove, National Library of Australia

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References

1 2 3 4 Stancombe, G. H. (1966). "Boyd, Edward (1794–1871)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . Canberra: Australian National University. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
↑ Love, A. R. (1967). "Power, Robert (1794–1869)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . Canberra: Australian National University. Retrieved 21 June 2012.

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[adb-1] 1 2 3 4 Stancombe, G. H. (1966). "Boyd, Edward (1794–1871)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . Canberra: Australian National University. Retrieved 21 June 2012.

[2] Love, A. R. (1967). "Power, Robert (1794–1869)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . Canberra: Australian National University. Retrieved 21 June 2012.