Stephen King (15 December 1841 – 8 October 1915) was an English sketcher,

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the ...

, and

explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...

. He was part of the last John McDouall

Stuart Expedition (1861–1862) John McDouall Stuart (7 September 18155 June 1866), often referred to as simply "McDouall Stuart", was a Scottish explorer and one of the most accomplished of all Australia's inland explorers. Stuart led the first successful expedition to tra ...

, successfully crossing Australia from south to north, and was appointed Surveyor of the Overland Telegraph party sent out by Darwent and Dalwood in 1870. He was called Stephen King Jr. during the lifetime of his father, a pioneer of Gawler, and to a lesser extent continued through his life. His father has been called here and elsewhere Stephen King JP.

Stephen King JP

King was born at

Holton le Clay Holton-le-Clay is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, around south of Grimsby. History Ditched enclosures and boundaries of possible prehistoric or Roman origin have been found, and earthworks of ...

, Lincolnshire, England on 17 August 1806, the eldest son of Stephen King Sr., farmer, of

Kelby Kelby is a village in the civil parish of Culverthorpe and Kelby, in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies south-west from Sleaford, north-east from Grantham and south-east from Ancaster. Kelby was formerly a chape ...

, near Braceby, Lincolnshire and his wife Hannah née Witty. He followed his father as a farmer and grazier in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

, and married Martha, the fifth daughter of William Robinson, of

Ashwell, Rutland Ashwell is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is about north of Oakham. Toponymy The village's name means 'spring or stream with ash trees'. Demography The population of the civil parish w ...

, and had one daughter Matilda. The three of them migrated to South Australia aboard ''Orleana'', arriving in January 1839. He lodged an application with John Reid, H. D. Murray, and T. Stubbs for purchase of Gawler Special Survey of 4,000 acres, which was successful, and King selected an area called Nuncalta on the North Para River, and there established a homestead and sheep station "Kingsford", around from Gawler. Around 1845, King founded the Victoria Flour Mill in

Gawler Gawler, established in 1839, is the oldest country town in the state of South Australia. It was named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is about north of the st ...

, "opposite Miss Calton's Old Spot Inn", named for his daughter not the monarch. Finding it unable to cope with demand, he had it converted to steam power and renamed it the Victoria Steam Flour Mill. He sold the business to Walter Duffield in 1847; the mill was destroyed by fire in 1867. He purchased many of the allotments offered in the first sales of the Town of Gawler. He also had extensive squatting leases or rights near Sheaoak Log,

Templers Templers may refer to: * Templers, South Australia is a town in South Australia * Templers (religious believers) The German Templer Society, also known as Templers, is a Radical Pietist group that emerged in Germany during the mid-nineteenth ...

, and on the River Wakefield. near Rhynie, and stocked them with sheep and cattle from Tasmania and South Africa. Then came the Victorian gold rush, when most able-bodied men were moving east in search of the precious metal. Around 1851 King fitted out a small party of men from his station with horses and dray to try their luck. They travelled overland via Wentworth and Swan Hill to the diggings with six months' provisions. They had some success, and divided the gold as arranged, and were all able to go farming on their own land, purchased from the proceeds of their journey. Nor did they forget the generosity of Mr. King. With increasing value of his (leasehold) land, it had become too valuable for grazing, and King was obliged to send his stock further north to Baldina, then to Outalpa, and spent large sums of money in sinking wells. Then came a dreadful drought, when many pastoralists had heavy stock losses, and King was forced to sell up in a buyer's market, losing all his rural properties including Kingsford. He found employment in 1865 as Special Magistrate for the Government at

Port Augusta Port Augusta (''Goordnada'' in the revived indigenous Barngarla language) is a coastal city in South Australia about by road from the state capital, Adelaide. Most of the city is on the eastern shores of Spencer Gulf, immediately south of the ...

and

Melrose Melrose may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Melrose, Scottish Borders, a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland ** Melrose Abbey, ruined monastery ** Melrose RFC, rugby club Australia * Melrose, Queensland, a locality in the South Burnett R ...

, but lost that position in a series of retrenchments. His last Government appointment was as inspector of timber, located in Western Australia, being responsible for

jarrah ''Eucalyptus marginata'', commonly known as jarrah, in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tree with rough, fibro ...

imports for the

South Australian Railways South Australian Railways (SAR) was the organisation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Australian Natio ...

. He retired in poor health to his home on Kensingston Terrace, where he died aged 76 years.

Recognition

King Street, Gawler, was named for him, and Victoria Terrace and Victoria Place may have referred to the Mill, destroyed by fire in 1867, or its successor, demolished before 1900.

Stephen King Jr.

Stephen King Jr. was born on the family property "Kingsford" on the

North Para River The North Para River is a river located in the Barossa Valley of the Australian state of South Australia. The river's name is based directly on the Kaurna word ''pari'' which means river. The "north" descriptor distinguishes it from the South ...

near Gawler, the third (at least) in a line of eldest sons to be named "Stephen". He was educated by private tutors A. K. Varley, James Fawsett, and Dr. W. M. Dickenson, then at the

Adelaide Educational Institution Adelaide Educational Institution was a privately run non-sectarian academy for boys in Adelaide founded in 1852 by John Lorenzo Young.B. K. Hyams'Young, John Lorenzo (1826–1881)' ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 6, Melbourne Uni ...

. He also received training from Canon Coombs and

Dean Russell Dean Russell (born 8 May 1976) is a British politician and author who was the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Watford (UK Parliament constituency), Watford from the 2019 United Kingdom general election, 201 ...

, presumably with a view to joining the Anglican clergy,

Stuart expedition

He left his father's station in 1861, and joined Stuart's transcontinental party, enduring great hardships on the journey, which lasted from 1 October 1861 to February 1863, and on 25 July 1862 reached the north coast of Australia and hoisted the

Union Jack The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. It is sometimes a ...

on the shores of Adam Bay, from Darwin. Apart from his duties as explorer and surveyor, he made sketches of the expedition for the leader, and it was King who marked the letters "J. McD. S" on the tree later discovered G. R. McMinn. A sister constructed a flag used to welcome the returning party. In 1863, he was employed by C. B. Fisher and Benjamin Rochfort droving cattle from Pekina Station to Gunnawarrah, near

Swan Hill, Victoria Swan Hill is a List of cities in Australia, city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia on the Murray Valley Highway and on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River, Victoria, Loddon River. At the , ...

The Top End

In 1864, King joined

B. T. Finniss Boyle Travers Finniss (18 August 1807 – 24 December 1893) was the first premier of South Australia, serving from 24 October 1856 to 20 August 1857. Early life Finniss was born at sea off the Cape of Good Hope, Southern Africa, and lived in ...

's expedition to the Northern Territory, and was put in charge of stock being carried by the steamer ''South Australian'' for the projected settlement at Adam Bay. The sheep were landed at

Escape Cliffs Escape Cliffs is a place on the northern coast of the Northern Territory of Australia, on the western coast of the Cape Hotham peninsula, and the eastern shore of Adam Bay, near the mouth and estuary of the Adelaide River. It lies about 60&nb ...

, and then he had charge of the horse party, with F. H. Litchfield's expedition to the head of the

Adelaide River The Adelaide River is a river in the Northern Territory of Australia. Course and features The river rises in the Litchfield National Park and flows generally northwards to Clarence Strait, joined by eight tributaries including the west branc ...

and back. During that journey King contracted

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

, and in a high fever was perilously ill. He was carried back to the depot in a

litter Litter consists of waste products that have been discarded incorrectly, without consent, at an unsuitable location. The waste is objects, often man-made, such as aluminum cans, paper cups, food wrappers, cardboard boxes or plastic bottles, but ...

, a week's march, and Dr. Ninnis sent for. The doctor arrived after a ride of two days, and ordered the patient's return to Adelaide. :Litchield discovered the Finniss and Reynolds Rivers, and found gold in the gorge of an ancient stream at the base of Mount Bennett (lat. 12.55 S.). On his return to Adelaide in February 1860, King was employed by the Government Survey Department in various surveying projects around the colony.

The Overland Telegraph Line

From December 1868 to March 1870, King worked for

George Goyder George Woodroffe Goyder (24 June 1826 – 2 November 1898) was a surveyor in the Colony of South Australia during the latter half of the nineteenth century. He rose rapidly in the civil service, becoming Assistant Surveyor-General by 1856 ...

in the survey of Darwin township, then from August 1870 was employed as surveyor by

Darwent & Dalwood Darwent & Dalwood was a partnership of Joseph Darwent and William Dalwood put together expressly to tender for work on the Overland Telegraph Line. The partners Accountant Joseph Darwent (c. 1824 – 20 October 1872) arrived in South Australia abo ...

, who had contracted to construct the northernmost of the

Overland Telegraph Line The Australian Overland Telegraph Line was an electrical telegraph system for sending messages the between Darwin, in what is now the Northern Territory of Australia, and Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. Completed in 1872 (with a li ...

. The contract over, King joined the Government service under (later Sir) Charles Todd, and R. C. Patterson. He led the advance party as far as

Powells Creek Powells or Powell's may refer to: Places * Powell Islands (Powells), Raa Atoll, Maldives Cities, towns, communities * Powells Corners, Ontario, Canada United States * Powells Crossroads, Tennessee * Powells Point, North Carolina * Powellton, Cal ...

. During this period he opened the first track for teams from Elsie Creek to the

Roper River The Roper River is a large perennial river located in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory of Australia. Location and features Formed by the confluence of the Waterhouse River and Roper Creek, the Roper River rises east of Mataranka ...

landing, and constructed a jetty near Leichhardts Bar. He also opened up the first track to Daly Waters. It was about this time that the overdue return to base station of work parties under Walter Rutt and R. C. Burton was causing concern. They were presumed stranded north of Elsie Creek, and short of stores, but their exact whereabouts was unknown. King and Giles were despatched with teams and packhorses, and arrived in time to relieve them, but not before they had been driven to the expedient of killing some of their draught cattle.

Return to Adelaide

In 1874, King returned to the Survey Department, and until 1893 was employed in a range of projects around the colony, but with health failing, less arduous work was found for him in Adelaide. In 1912 he retired to his home "Calta Wurlie", on Kensington Terrace,

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

. He died on 8 October 1915 at the age of 74, and was buried in

North Road Cemetery North Road Cemetery is located in the Adelaide suburb of Nailsworth, approximately 5 km north of the central business district. It is 7.3 hectares (18 acres) in size and there have been over 26,000 burials since its foundation in 1853. The ...

Nailsworth, South Australia Nailsworth is a suburb four km north of Adelaide, South Australia. The suburb borders Sefton Park, Prospect, Broadview, Medindie Gardens and Collinswood. The North Road Cemetery is located within the suburb and was founded by Bishop A ...

, leaving a widow, three sons, and five daughters. Prior to his death, King and his cousin and brother-in-law J. W. Billiatt (then living in

Devonshire Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the wes ...

, England) were the last survivors of the John McDouall Stuart exploration party, which successfully crossed Australia from south to north.

Recognition

King was granted honorary membership of the SA branch of the

Royal Geographical Society of Australasia The Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, formerly the Geographical Society of Australasia, was an Australian organisation formed in 1883 until it split up into various state organisations in the 1920s. The South Australian and Queensland b ...

. He was made an honorary member of the

Australian Natives' Association The Australian Natives' Association (ANA) was a mutual society founded in Melbourne, Australia in April 1871. It was founded by and for the benefit of White native-born Australians, and membership was restricted to that group. The Association's ...

. The following places were named for him: *King River (a tributary of the

Katherine River Katherine River is located in the Northern Territory, Australia. Its headwaters are in Nitmiluk National Park, it flows through the town of Katherine, Northern Territory, Katherine, and is a major tributary of the Daly River (Northern Territory), ...

); named by G. R. McMinn *Kings Creek, Litchfield Council Area; named by W. P. Auld in 1865 *Kings Pond; named by McDouall Stuart in 1863 *King Place,

Jabiru, Northern Territory Jabiru is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Built in 1982, the town is completely surrounded by Kakadu National Park. At the 2016 census, Jabiru had a population of 1,081. It is named after the black-necked stork often seen in the ...

*King Street, Urapunga *King Street, Union Town, Northern Territory (probably)

Family

Stephen King, JP. (17 August 1806 – 15 January 1882) was married to Martha King née Robinson (1814 – 7 July 1881), arrived SA aboard ''Orleana'' in January 1839 with their daughter Matilda. *Matilda King (c. 1837 – 29 April 1909) married Charles Algernon Wilson (c. 1818 – 20 June 1884) on 22 May 1860. He was Registrar of the Supreme Court. She was a noted collector and painter of Australian native botanical specimens; did work for

Richard Schomburgk Moritz Richard Schomburgk (5 October 1811 – 24 March 1891), generally known as Richard Schomburgk, was a German botanist and curator of the Adelaide Botanic Garden. Family Schomburgk was born in Freyburg, Saxony, the son of Johann Friedrich L ...

. *Victoria King (8 October 1839 – 5 May 1917 ) married Edward Regia Hallett (6 April 1837 – 10 July 1909), sheepfarmer and son of

John Hallett John Hallett is the name of: * John Hallett (Australian politician) (1917–1999), member of the Australian House of Representatives * John Hallett (South Australian politician) (1804–1868), businessman, pastoralist and politician in the Colony ...

on 8 December 1863, lived at Winninnie then Kensington *Stephen King Jr. (15 December 1841 – 8 October 1915) married Louisa Mercy Margaret Barnes (c. 1858 – December 1951) of

Blinman Blinman is a locality incorporating two towns in the Australian state of South Australia within the Flinders Ranges about north of the state capital of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide. It includes the highest surveyed town in South Australia, wi ...

on 24 December 1877. :*Stephen Robinson King (1879 – ) married Alwine Emma Baum ( – ) followed King family naming convention :*Victoria Louisa Mercy King (1881 – ) :*Martha Annie Ramsay King (1890 – ) :*Dorothy Ellen Mary King (1894 – ) :*Stuart Gawler King (1896 – ) *Ann Elizabeth King (c. 1844 – 15 February 1950) married cousin John William Billiatt (1842 – 6 April 1919) on 15 September 1863. *Alice King (1847 – 1910) maybe married James Dean ( – ) in 1876? *Frances Mary King (14 August 1849 – ) *Wilhelmina Robinson King (1853 – 1944) married Frederic William Vickery in 1874 *Martha Freer King (1856 – ) Was Maria King (c. 1808 – 31 January 1891), who married

(30 August 1804 – 10 June 1868), and mother of Edward Regia Hallett, who married Victoria King, a sister ? He was the cousin of fellow expedition member John William Billiatt.John William Billiatt
Flinders Rangers Research He was not related to explorer John King (1838–1872), sole survivor of the famous

Burke and Wills expedition The Burke and Wills expedition (originally called the Victorian Exploring Expedition) was an exploration expedition organised by the Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) in Australia in 1860–61. The exploration party initially consisted of ninet ...

Historic photos

File:Stephen King jun c 1865.jpg, Stephen King, surveyor and explorer SA and N File:Sixth Stuart Expedition 1861 PRG280 1 15 1109.jpg, 1861. Auld Billiatt Thring, Frew Kekwick Waterhouse King. Absent: Stuart Nash McGorrery File:Sixth Stuart Expedition 1900 B62691.jpg, 1900. Nash King, Auld Thring File:Sixth Stuart Expedition 1904 B62690.jpg, 1904. Nash Gorrery, Auld Thring King State Library of South Australia has
collection of photos relating to Stephen King

Notes

References

* Lawrenson, E. (1970). Adelaide : Pioneers' association of South Australia. Retrieved from http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2546371 {{DEFAULTSORT:King, Stephen Jr. 1841 births 1915 deaths Australian explorers Explorers of South Australia Stuart expedition (1861–1862) People educated at Adelaide Educational Institution Burials at North Road Cemetery People from Gawler, South Australia