954:, MN 736, Papers of Sir Archibald Paull Burt, ACC 2829A, 2850A, 2855A Library catalogues description: Business and official letter books (1861-1895), the copy letters written after 4 November 1879 being written by his son and executor Septimus Burt; indexes to Supreme Court Civil Sittings and Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Books 1-11 (incomplete); notebooks of Supreme Court Civil Sittings (1861-1867), of Supreme Court Civil Sittings and Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes (1867-1879) and of Supreme Court Criminal Sittings (1861-1879)
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502:, and despite failing health during his last years, remained Chief Justice until his death in November, 1879. He had been a towering figure in Western Australian society and left an indelible mark on the legal profession. Sir Archibald had not courted popularity but he had earned, for himself and the new Supreme Court, widespread respect.
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as policy did not favour the appointment of locally born barristers to the judiciary. Sir
Archibald began to look elsewhere for judicial office, eventually accepting the post of Civil Commissioner and Chairman of Quarter Sessions in Western Australia. He had hoped that this would be a stepping stone
470:
The initial years of the
Supreme Court were characterised mainly by the lack of work. Western Australia was a small colony with few legal issues. Civil work consisted mainly of insolvency and probate, and criminal offences were rare. The size of the profession was so small that only four barristers
490:
As Chief
Justice, Sir Archibald gained a reputation for applying the letter of the law. However, considering the conditions of a frontier colony like Western Australia this was necessary and gained Burt widespread respect. He was no stranger to controversy in his time as Chief Justice. In 1869 he
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In 1835 and 1836 Burt was awarded compensation by the
British government for relinquishing slaves in Saint Christopher. The claim on 5 October 1835 for 3 enslaved, yielded £67 0s 3d to Burt himself. Two claims were awarded on 15 February 1836, to Burt and Francis Spencer Wigley (who became
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in the West Indies, where both he and his father owned slaves. He studied law in
England and returned to Saint Christopher where he served as speaker of the house of assembly, attorney-general and chief justice. In 1861, Burt was appointed as the colony of Western Australia's inaugural
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of Saint
Christopher in 1830, although he had not been eligible for the bar in England as he was still under the age of majority. He established a legal practice in 1833 and by 1838 had been commissioned as one of the island's few
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was named in honour of the Burt family "for their significant contributions to the justice system and for their wider contributions to public service", in particular
Archibald Burt, his son Septimus, and Septimus's grandson
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In the early years of the court, Sir
Archibald was conspicuous for his support of maintaining the division between barristers and solicitors, and also for his domination of the legal fraternity. He often gave advice to the
247:) and George Henry Burt, a sugar planter from a prominent family on the island. His father served a term as speaker of the colonial house of assembly and owned several plantations, as well as over 100 slaves.
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He arrived in
Western Australia with his wife, Louisa Bryan, and five children on 29 January 1861. In June of that year, the Supreme Court ordinance was proclaimed, thus establishing the
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Burt likely spent his earliest years on his father's plantations, possibly on the
Brothersons estate of 300 acres (120 ha) in the
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337:. He received an annual salary of £300 (equivalent to $ 40,000 in 2023) but was permitted to continue his private practice.
306:, executive council, and administrative committee, as well as speaker of the house of assembly. He also served as the island's
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In 1857, he briefly occupied the position of Chief Justice on his native island but the appointment was not confirmed by the
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Burt was widowed in 1870 and was predeceased by two of his adult sons, who both died in 1872. He died at his home in
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in Basseterre, Saint Christopher. The couple had twelve children, two of whom died in infancy. His seventh son
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211:(1 September 1810 – 21 November 1879) was a British lawyer, politician and judge. He grew up on the island of
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937:. Journal and proceedings (Western Australian Historical Society), Vol. VI Pt. V (1966), p. 65-83,
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jailed three newspaper owners for criticism of his handling of the revocation of an ex-convict's
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299:. He was eventually called to the bar of the Middle Temple while on a trip to England in 1845.
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May it Please Your Honour: A History of the Supreme Court of Western Australia from 1861-2005
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Arnott, Georgina; Attwood, Bain (2020). "Looking the other way: Henrietta Drake-Brockman's
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in 1888), for 3 and 4 slaves, netting a total of £119 7s 9d for seven enslaved people.
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Island Off the Coast of Asia: Instruments of statecraft in Australian foreign policy
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Burt held a number of public posts on Saint Christopher, serving on the island's
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became attorney-general of Western Australia, while his daughter Louisa married
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In 1836, Burt married Louisa Emily Bryan, the daughter of a local physician, at
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Sir Archibald Burt : first Chief Justice of Western Australia 1861-1879
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As his tenure continued, Sir Archibald gave up any hope of returning to the
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318:(which included Saint Christopher) from 1855 to 1860. He was identified by
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823:"Our Constitution - Constitutional Centre of Western Australia exhibition"
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and Executive Council that was at odds with that of the Attorney General,
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375: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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Burt has been suggested as a model for the character of Andrew Rae in
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In 1849, Burt was appointed attorney-general of Saint Christopher and
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Brief (Law Society of Western Australia), June 1989, p. 24-27
467:. Sir Archibald was appointed Chief Justice and Advocate General.
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district. He was sent to England to attend a private school in
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Archibald Paull Burt, first Chief Justice of Western Australia
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on 21 November 1879, aged 69, with his death attributed to
526:. The prominent of Burt's children in colonial society led
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Burt was born on 1 September 1810 in the British colony of
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Recipients of payments from the Slavery Abolition Act 1833
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as "reputed to be the ablest lawyer in the West Indies".
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639:(Melbourne: Monash University Publishing, 2018), 15.
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460:to returning to his native island at a later date.
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1034:Judges of the Supreme Court of Western Australia
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876:"Profile of the electoral division of Burt (WA)"
825:. Government of Western Australia. 27 April 2020
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258:, and was then admitted to study law at the
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1064:19th-century Saint Kitts and Nevis lawyers
1049:Attorneys general of Saint Kitts and Nevis
774:. Canberra: National Centre of Biography,
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435:Learn how and when to remove this message
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67:18 June 1861 – 21 November 1879
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907:Geoffrey Bolton & Geraldine Byrne,
766:"Burt, Sir Archibald Paull (1810–1879)"
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161: 1836; died 1870)
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607:"Sir Archibald Paull Burt (1810–1879)"
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605:Reader, Xavier; Lydon, Jane (2023).
545:of the legs. He was interred at the
373:adding citations to reliable sources
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291:, as well as serving as an honorary
1019:Chief justices of Western Australia
902:Archibald Burt - detailed biography
848:and denial in Australian history".
712:Legacies of British Slave-ownership
683:Legacies of British Slave-ownership
654:Legacies of British Slave-ownership
574:Australian House of Representatives
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1044:Saint Kitts and Nevis slave owners
1029:Colony of Western Australia judges
976:Chief Justice of Western Australia
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771:Australian Dictionary of Biography
465:Supreme Court of Western Australia
55:Chief Justice of Western Australia
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878:. Australian Electoral Commission
240:). He was the son of Eliza Anne (
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272:Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla
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613:. National Centre of Biography.
522:, who became the state's third
360:needs additional citations for
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1039:19th-century Australian judges
933:McClemans, Sheila Mary (1966)
915:Bennett, John Michael (2002).
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268:President of Saint Christopher
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136:East Perth, Western Australia
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512:St. George's Anglican Church
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559:Henrietta Drake-Brockman
278:West Indies legal career
262:in April 1825, aged 14.
206:Sir Archibald Paull Burt
1054:People from Saint Kitts
335:Robert James Mackintosh
333:by lieutenant-governor
986:Sir Henry Wrenfordsley
485:George Frederick Stone
471:actively practised in
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238:Saint Kitts and Nevis
919:. Federation Press.
475:in the early 1860s.
369:improve this article
320:Willoughby Shortland
107:Archibald Paull Burt
611:Legacies of Slavery
547:East Perth Cemetery
532:six hungry families
304:legislative council
297:lieutenant-governor
222:six hungry families
949:Papers, 1861-1895
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88:Henry Wrenfordsley
25:Sir Archibald Burt
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983:Succeeded by
926:978-1-86287-438-1
850:History Australia
785:978-0-522-84459-7
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341:Western Australia
284:called to the bar
234:Saint Christopher
224:" of the colony.
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129:21 November 1879
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980:1861 - 1879
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362:verification
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293:aide-de-camp
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245: McTair
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183:Francis Burt
180:(son-in-law)
178:George Leake
148:Louisa Bryan
131:(1879-11-21)
83:Succeeded by
77:New position
62:
44:Burt in 1860
18:
1009:1879 deaths
1004:1810 births
882:28 February
829:27 February
721:26 November
692:26 November
663:26 November
528:John Horgan
500:West Indies
138:, Australia
120:Saint Kitts
73:Preceded by
998:Categories
585:References
543:erysipelas
539:East Perth
395:newspapers
312:chancellor
252:Capisterre
228:Early life
190:Profession
113:1810-09-01
794:1833-7538
282:Burt was
193:Barrister
169:Relations
63:In office
802:70677943
516:Septimus
481:Governor
331:Anguilla
310:and was
900:(1989)
807:23 July
572:in the
524:premier
409:scholar
314:of the
308:coroner
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143:Spouse
473:Perth
416:JSTOR
402:books
195:Judge
175:(son)
157:(
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921:ISBN
884:2024
831:2024
809:2011
798:OCLC
790:ISSN
780:ISBN
723:2018
694:2018
665:2018
388:news
126:Died
103:Born
858:doi
534:".
371:by
243:née
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