Henry Inman (police commander)
| Henry Inman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Henry Inman June 4, 1816 Portsea Island, Hampshire, England |
| Died | November 18, 1895 (aged 79) |
| Resting place | All Saints Churchyard, North Scarle, Lincolnshire |
| Education | Private tutors, St Paul’s School Southsea, St Bees Theological College. |
| Occupation | Cavalryman, Police Superintendent, Clergyman |
| Employer | South Australia Police |
| Organization | Colony of South Australia |
| Known for | Founder and first to command the South Australia Police 1838, dismissed 1840. |
| Notable work | Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand, awarded 1836, First Carlist War |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Fooks Lipson (1820–1898), a daughter of Captain Thomas Lipson RN. |
| Parent(s) | Revd Dr James Inman DD (1776–1869) and Mary Inman (1782–1870) |
Henry Inman (1816–1895) was an English cavalry officer, pioneer of South Australia, founder and first commander of the South Australia Police, overlander and Anglican clergyman.
Inman was born 4 June 1816 at Portsea Island, Hampshire, the youngest son among seven children of Revd Dr James Inman DD (1776–1869) and Mary Inman (1782–1870). His father, Professor of Mathematics at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth, sailed in Australian waters in 1803 as astronomer for Matthew Flinders. His mother, a daughter of Revd Richard Williams, rector of Oakham, Rutland, was a direct descendant of the mother of Sir Isaac Newton by her second husband. His eldest brother, James Williams Inman, was headmaster of The King's School, Grantham, Lincoln. Inman was educated privately, then at St Paul’s School, Southsea, his father being chairman of the school board.
In 1833, at age 17, Inman enlisted for the Portuguese Liberal Wars, in which England was formally neutral, first serving at the court of Empress Dona Maria II of Portugal, and then as a cadet lancer. Returning to England in 1834, in 1835 he joined the British Auxiliary Legion in the First Carlist War in Spain as a lieutenant in 1st (Queen Isabella’s) Lancers, commanded by William Wakefield. Wakefield’s brother was influential in plans to establish a free colony in South Australia, where Inman’s father, another supporter of the colony, was among the first land investors. For individual gallantry in action Inman was awarded the Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand, then later promoted to captain and adjutant of the 8th Regiment.
After the war, carrying a letter of introduction from Colonel Torrens, chairman of the Colonization Commission in England, to Colonel William Light, Surveyor General in South Australia, Inman sailed for Adelaide on the Royal Admiral, intending to join Light’s survey parties. Arriving in January 1838, for the next four months Inman entered a short-lived partnership as a commission agent with two former Royal Admiral shipmates, Porter Helmore and Charles Calton. He also became a fast friend of pioneer entrepreneur J. B. Hack, who persuaded him not to join Light’s hard-pressed surveyors. Hack knew that the first Governor of South Australia, John Hindmarsh, had already sought permission from Lord Glenelg to form a police force, and was preparing a cost estimate.
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