Nathaniel Hailes Explained

Nathaniel Hailes (1802 – 24 July 1879) was an English journalist who had a considerable career in South Australia as a land agent and in administration. He contributed to various newspapers under the byline "Rifleman" and as "Timothy Short".

History

Hailes was born in London, and moved in influential literary and artistic circles: he was a sufficiently close friend of Lady Byron to dissuade her from publishing a paper on female education; he knew Hazlitt, Rev. Rowland Hill, Allan Cunningham, De Quincey, Edward Irving, Dr Chalmers, and Sir Walter Scott.^[1]

In 1838 he was appointed superintendent of the Buckinghamshire contingent of emigrants to South Australia, which arrived at Holdfast Bay in March 1839.^[2] Mr and Mrs Hailes and their three children settled in North Adelaide.

He founded an auction company in 1839, with premises on Hindley Street,^[3] in 1840 with William Patey Peek as Hailes & Peek, later in King William Street. His last sale was his own property "Woodside", somewhere in the vicinity of Auldana.^[4] His son Nathaniel S. Hailes acted in his place from 1851.^[5]

He started a newspaper, Adelaide Free Press, which ceased publication after barely a month (October – November 1841) due, no doubt, to an overcrowded market rather than any lack of quality.^[6]

He was a member of the Adelaide City Council 1841–1842, elected on 31 October 1840. Aldermen were J. H. Fisher, A. H. Davis, M. Smillie and G. Stevenson; councillors were N. Hailes, J. Brown, C. Mann, J. Hallett, W. Blyth, W. G. Lambert, H. Watson, T. Wilson, E. Rowlands, E. W. Andrews, J. Frew, W. H. Neale, S. East, W. Sanders and J. V. Wakeham. The mayor, as chosen by the council was James Hurtle Fisher.^[7]

In 1842 he succeeded J. E. Barnard as Clerk of the Peace at Port Lincoln, coincident with Charles Driver succeeding James Macdonald as its Government Resident^[8] and a year later took over the duties of Deputy Registrar of Births, Marriages, and Deaths for the District from Driver.^[9] His duties brought him into contact with the local Aboriginal people, and he wrote much on their language and customs.He was appointed executor to the town's postmaster, J. B. Harvey, and as such defended his memory in the face of anonymous accusations.^[10]

He is reported as having brief stint in Mount Gambier, and contributing a lively column "Random Shots at Flying Game" to the Border Watch newspaper under the byline "Rifleman"^[11] but corroboration is difficult to find.

He served as secretary to the South Australian Institute from its foundation in 1856^[12] to 1859.^[13]

This was followed by an appointment to the Labour Prison at Dry Creek^[14] but, again, details are hard to find.

Hailes died at the residence of his eldest daughter Mrs H. Taylor, Hanson-street, Adelaide, on 24 July 1879 aged 76 years.

Family

Hailes was married to Eliza Hailes (c. 1815 – 17 January 1893)^[15] Their children included

• daughter married Taylor
• Alice Hailes married Benjamin Holroyd^[16] of Port Lincoln, on 31 January 1861.^[17]
• Nathaniel Simpson Hailes married Janet Low (c. 1830 – 15 April 1852)^[18]
• Elizabeth Sarah Hailes (16 November 1839 – 30 December 1926),^{[19] [20]} married Walter Rutt (1842 – 18 May 1924)^{[21] [22]} on 30 August 1873^[23]
• Frederick Hailes (13 February 1841 – 7 September 1856)^[24]
• Edith Hailes (27 November 1846 – 24 February 1847)

Publications

Personal Recollections of a Septuagenarian series of (almost) weekly articles published in the South Australian Register from 15 December 1876^[25] to 17 July 1878^[26] in 46 instalments.

Notes and References

1. Book: . Notable South Australians . 204–205. WikiSource lacks p.204.
2. News: Imports . . II . 62 . South Australia . 30 March 1839 . 1 February 2023 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
3. News: Advertising . . I . III . South Australia . 24 December 1839 . 1 February 2023 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
4. News: Sales by Auction: N. Hailes at Home! . . X . 1581 . South Australia . 3 September 1855 . 1 February 2023 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
5. News: Auctioneer's Licence . . XV . 1365 . South Australia . 28 February 1851 . 2 February 2023 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
6. News: South Australia . . XXXIX . 4825 . New South Wales . 9 November 1841 . 31 January 2023 . 2 . Trove.
7. Web site: Manning Index: Adelaide City Council . Manning . 1 February 2023.
8. News: South Australia . . 19 . New South Wales, Australia . 4 June 1842 . 1 February 2023 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
9. News: Local intelligence . . I . 2 . South Australia . 8 July 1843 . 1 February 2023 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
10. News: Port Lincoln . . I . 16 . South Australia . 14 October 1843 . 1 February 2023 . 7 . National Library of Australia.
11. News: Letter to the Editor . . 76 . 8014 . South Australia . 6 June 1936 . 1 February 2023 . 3 . Trove.
12. News: The South Australian Institute . . XX . 3083 . South Australia . 22 August 1856 . 1 February 2023 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
13. News: IV — Education and the Fine Arts . . II . 397 . South Australia . 18 October 1859 . 1 February 2023 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
14. News: Obituary . . XLIV . 10,214 . South Australia . 9 August 1879 . 1 February 2023 . 6 (Supplement) . National Library of Australia.
15. News: Family Notices . . XXV . 6953 . South Australia . 18 January 1893 . 2 February 2023 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
16. News: The Week's News . . XXXII . 1743 . South Australia . 27 February 1875 . 1 February 2023 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
17. News: Family Notices . . XXV . 4461 . South Australia . 1 February 1861 . 2 February 2023 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
18. News: Family Notices . . XVI . 1750 . South Australia . 23 April 1852 . 2 February 2023 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
19. Web site: South Australian Pioneer Families – Old Colonist arrivals, births & marriages . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170924115752mp_/http://www.familyhistorysa.org/colonists.html . 2017-09-24 . 2023-02-01 . FamilyHistorySA.
20. News: 31 December 1926 . Before the Public . VII . 1 (Home Edition) . News . 1,081 . South Australia . 2 February 2023 . National Library of Australia.
21. News: 12 June 1912 . Concerning People . LXXVII . 6 . . 20,463 . South Australia . 2 February 2023 . National Library of Australia.
22. News: 19 May 1924 . Obituary . 12 . The Advertiser . South Australia . 2 February 2023 . National Library of Australia.
23. News: 1 September 1873 . Family Notices . 2 . . South Australia . 2 February 2023 . National Library of Australia.
24. News: Family Notices . . XI . 1801 . South Australia . 9 September 1856 . 2 February 2023 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
25. News: Personal Recollections of a Septuagenarian . . XLI . 9388 . South Australia . 15 December 1876 . 1 February 2023 . 6 . Trove.
26. News: Personal Recollections of a Septuagenarian . . XLIII . 9882 . South Australia . 17 July 1878 . 1 February 2023 . 6 . Trove.