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  4. Magistrate

Magistrate

Occupation - Magistrate
Abernethy, John Birley
Anderson, Kevin S
Atkins, Richard
Barnes, Michael
Bell, Archibald (1773-1837)
Brabyn, John
Brenan, John Ryan
Broughton, William
Bull, John Edward
Burdekin, Sydney
1885 -
Campbell, Pieter Laurentz
Chapman, Michael
Cookson, Reginald Gordon
Craddock, John Lansdown
Crummer, James H
Farrington, Herbert Howell
Fletcher, Henry Ferdinand William
Forbes, Terry
Glass, Gregory Charles
Grimes, Charles
Hand, Derrick Windsor
Harris, John
1875 -
Harris, John 1754-1838
Harris, John Alexander
Hawkins, Henry Storry
Hiatt, John Wellisley
Hughes, John
Jamieson, John (1860-1943)
Jerram, Mary Stella
Kinchela, John 1810-1849
King, Lethbridge John
Larcombe, Helen
Lethbridge, Robert Copland
Loomes, John James
Lord, Edward
Mabbutt, Leslie
Mackenzie, William Henry
Macvitie, Thomas
Marsden, Samuel
Mathew, Daniel Dering
May, Edwin Alfred
McNamara, Frank Leonard
Miles, William Augustus
Moore, Thomas
Mudie, James
Murphy, Stephen
Nash, Leonard James
Neale, Thomas Henry
Oram, Edward Thompson
Oxley, John
O’Sullivan, Teresa
Palmer, GT
Palmer, John
Pemell, James
Pinhey, William Townley
Rattray, George
Riley, Alban Joseph
Rodd, Robert Adamson
Sautelle, Edwin Stanhope
Waller, Kevin Maurice
Weir, Thomas Michael
Wentworth, D'Arcy
Wilson, Bertram John (Bert)
Windeyer, Charles
Woore, John Chadwick
Woore, Thomas
Position - Magistrate of Metropolitan Children's Court
Murphy, Stephen
1909 - 1913
Position - Magistrate of Water Police Court
May, Edwin Alfred

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Magistrate

Abernethy, John Birley

Barrister and magistrate who was the State Coroner of NSW between 2000 and 2007.

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Anderson, Kevin S

Magistrate who was appointed to the court of Petty Sessions in 1964. As coroner he oversaw the inquest into the Luna Park Ghost Train fire in 1979.

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Atkins, Richard

Judge-advocate who remained the colony's principal legal officer for many years despite his life of immorality, insolvency and alcoholism.

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Barnes, Michael

New South Wales State Coroner from January 2014 until April 2018 when he was appointed to the position of New South Wales Ombudsman.  Prior to his appointment in New South Wales he had been the Queensland State Coroner from 2003-2013.

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Bell, Archibald (1773-1837)

Colonist who arrived in Sydney as an ensign in the New South Wales Corps in July 1807 with his wife and their large family. He was implicated in the arrest of Bligh and appointed as a magistrate by Governor George Johnston in January of 1808 and in 1820 was appointed as chief police magistrate in Windsor. Although Bell was not an officially appointed coroner of the Colony, he would often be called upon as a special appointment by virtue to perform the duties of the coroner.

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Brabyn, John

Military officer and commandant at Port Dalrymple who became a magistrate and farmer in the Windsor district.

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Brenan, John Ryan

Solicitor, coroner and police magistrate whose controversial performance forced him out of office and to the brink of insolvency.

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Broughton, William

Dedicated and trustworthy public servant who arrived with the First Fleet.

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Bull, John Edward

Military officer and public servant who supervised road gangs in the Woodford area before his appointment as commissioner for Crown lands in Castlemaine in Victoria.

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Burdekin, Sydney

Pastoralist and politician, Burdekin was Mayor of Sydney in 1890-1891.

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Campbell, Pieter Laurentz

Magistrate and public servant who acted as Colonial Treasurer 1839-41.

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Chapman, Michael

Painter and paperhanger whose civic involvement led to positions as magistrate and politician. He served as Mayor of Sydney 1871-72.

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Cookson, Reginald Gordon

Public servant who became Sydney City Coroner in 1945 after acting as a general state coroner since 1934. His criticism of tram drivers and workers for ignoring their responsibilities to the public prompted a tram strike in 1945 tram strike. He was appointed to the Paddington Court Bench in January 1946.

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Craddock, John Lansdown

Public servant and magistrate who served as the City Coroner between 1961 and 1963.

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Crummer, James H

British soldier who arrived in Sydney in 1835 with his Greek-born wife and family, and served nearly 30 years as a soldier and later police magistrate in the colony.

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Farrington, Herbert Howell

Having served as a general state coroner since 1927, Herbert Farrington was appointed to the position of Sydney City Coroner in 1932. His previous public service roles also included an appointment as Police Magistrate within New South Wales, as an Industrial Magistrate, a Special Magistrate under the Child Welfare Act 1923 and a Magistrate under the Fair Rents Act 1915. Farrington was reappointed to the position of travelling magistrate in January 1935.

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Fletcher, Henry Ferdinand William

Magistrate and coroner. Police Magistrate in Glen Innes and the Visiting Justice to the Armidale Gaol in 1913 who was appointed as the City Coroner in 1925 after the retirement of John Jamieson. In May 1928 he became the Stipendiary Magistrate at the Children’s Court.

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Forbes, Terry

Magistrate and coroner.

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Glass, Gregory Charles

Public servant, magistrate and coroner who was the City Coroner before becoming the NSW State Coroner in 1992. The inquests he conducted included those into the murders of Christopher Flannery and Sallie Anne Huckstepp. The inquest into the death of Sallie Anne Huckstepp began in January 1987 and the 19 sitting days were spread over four years until 1991. With former State Coroner Kevin Waller, Glass was on the Steering Committee established to found the Homicide Victims Support Group in 1993.

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Grimes, Charles

Surveyor-general who drew up a general plan of all the settlements, names and locations in the colony as well as undertaking administrative roles at Norfolk Island and Parramatta.

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Hand, Derrick Windsor

Public servant, magistrate and coroner who served as the New South Wales State Coroner between 1995 and 2000. Inquests he conducted included those into the deaths of Anita Cobby, Michael Hutchence and Kerry Whelan. as well as the Thredbo disaster in which 18 people were killed.  

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Harris, John

A wealthy property owner, John Harris served as Mayor of Sydney 1881-83 and 1888-89.

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Harris, John 1754-1838

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Diligent and well respected surgeon and public servant under several governors, he developed extensive landholdings in Ultimo and Parramatta district.

Harris, John Alexander

Public servant who was appointed to the position of Clerk of Petty Sessions and Registrar for Births Deaths and Marriages for Ryde in 1915, then moved through several positions including the position of Police Magistrate for Wagga. He replaced Edward Thomapson Oram in the role of Sydney City Coroner in 1943 and was reappointed to the position of Stipendiary Magistrate in January 1945.

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Hawkins, Henry Storry

Magistrate and coroner. Hawkins was was appointed to the position of acting Sydney City Coroner in Sydney before being officially appointed to the position in March 1911. He was appointed to the position of Special Magistrate of the Children’s Court in 1919, sharing his position of Sydney City Coroner with John Jamieson, before being reassigned to the Stipendiary Bench in 1920. In conjunction with other magistrates, Hawkins wrote several law books and legislation, including The Coroner’s Manual, and the Deserted Wives and Children’s Act.

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Hiatt, John Wellisley

Coroner and magistrate. As Deputy State Coroner he conducted an extensive enquiry into the the bushfires that occurred in 1993/1994 along the Eastern seaboard, the major outcome of which was the formation of the Rural Fire Service.

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Hughes, John

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Grocer and property developer whose success and wealth allowed him to become a generous Catholic benefactor.

Jamieson, John (1860-1943)

Magistrate and coroner. Appointed to the position of acting Sydney City Coroner in 1916, he was appointed officially in 1919. He had previously been a district coroner in Moree. Jamieson also held the roles of Fair Rent Magistrate, and the visiting magistrate to the Long Bay Penitentiary. Retiring in June 1925 when he reached the compulsory retirement age of 65, he was described as a just and fair magistrate who was an ornament to the NSW Bench. He died in 1943 at the age of 82.

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Jerram, Mary Stella

Magistrate who was the first woman appointed to the position of New South Wales State Coroner in May 2007. Originally contracted for a five-year period, her term was extended and her retirement in October 2013.

 

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Kinchela, John 1810-1849

Son of the Attorney-General of NSW who became a clerk in the crown solicitor's office and then in March 1837 was appointed police magistrate at Bathurst through his father's influence.He resigned from that post in May 1838. He famously publicly horsewhipped James Mudie after Mudie ridiculed Kinchela's father in 'The Felonry of New South Wales'.

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King, Lethbridge John

Magistrate and City Coroner.

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Larcombe, Helen

Newcastle solicitor who bought Marie Byles practice but sold when she was appointed magistrate in 1976.

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Lethbridge, Robert Copland

English attorney who was connected to the family of Philip Gidley King by marriage and built and owned Werrington House in Western Sydney.

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Loomes, John James

Public servant and magistrate who held the role of Acting City Coroner in 1961 before becoming City Coroner in 1963. He was in charge of the inquest into the deaths of Dr Gilbert Bogle and Margaret Chandler, whose bodies were found on the bank of the Lane Cove River on New Year’s Day 1963, and although the cause of their deaths remained a mystery, the coronial investigation led to many sensational and scandalous revelations about their lives. He remained in the role of Coroner until retiring on 22 May 1970.

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Lord, Edward

Marine officer and merchant who established himself in Hobart but maintained large landholdings in both Van Diemen's Land and near Sydney.

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Mabbutt, Leslie

Magistrate and former police prosecutor who was the NSW State Coroner between April-December 2018.

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Mackenzie, William Henry

Justice of the Peace and licensing magistrate.

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Macvitie, Thomas

Merchant and magistrate who was the managing director of the Bank of Australia from 1826 to 1833.

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Marsden, Samuel

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Anglican chaplain who used his extensive landholdings to promote the sheep industry but is equally remembered for his extreme severity as a magistrate.

Mathew, Daniel Dering

Free settler in the St Ives area who worked in the colony as architect, engineer and magistrate.

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May, Edwin Alfred

The son of a former police sergeant, May spent over forty years in public service. Following his three years as a police magistrate at Tamworth, May was appointed to the position of Sydney City Coroner in May 1928. A year later he was appointed to the additional position of acting Stipendiary Magistrate in the Ryde District. He provoked controversy early in his coronial position when, during an inquest, he suppressed a letter written by the deceased besmirching a living person. May retired in 1932 at the age of 64 and died in 1956 at the age of 84.

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McNamara, Frank Leonard

Magistrate and coroner, who, during his short tenure as Sydney Sydney City Coroner in the mid 1950s, was consistently critical of the growing road and rail death toll, urging for safer roads and railways. He campaigned to charge drunk or irresponsible drivers who caused injuries or deaths, and promoted the installation of automatic doors on electric trains.

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Miles, William Augustus

Police commissioner and magistrate who attempted to model the Sydney police organisation on that of London.

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Moore, Thomas

Sailor, boatbuilder, magistrate and philanthropist who endowed Moore College. He was also labelled 'the King of Liverpool' as his 1809 land grant in Moorebank made him the first citizen of Liverpool. He also funded and oversaw the construction of many of the area's public buildings and he became the magistrate of the Georges River district in 1810 - a position he held until his death.

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Mudie, James

Officer of marines, landowner and author renowned for his cruelty to convicts. Eventually, disgusted with colonial affairs he returned to England and published The Felonry of New South Wales, an attack on all whom he fancied had opposed him in the colony. The subsequent duel in Sydney in 1840 only reinforced his unpopularity.

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Murphy, Stephen

Coroner and magistrate who began his career as a public servant in 1867 as a clerk with the mounted police at Bathurst and then in the prison system. Murphy was sworn in as a general coroner for the colony in 1897. At the time, he was an appointed police magistrate and the Chief Emergency Officer of the Department of Justice. By 1900, he was appointed to the position of acting coroner for the Parramatta district. Soon after, Murphy was promoted to the position of Clerk of Petty Sessions at the Water Police Court in 1903. He would also take on the role, unofficially, of Sydney City Coroner following the promotion of John King to the Stipendiary Bench in October 1907. Murphy was officially appointed to the dual role of Sydney City Coroner and special magistrate of the Children’s Court in January 1909. Due to his age and workload, Murphy resigned from the coronial position in March 1912 in order to focus on family law, but only remained in practice until 1913 when he retired.

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Nash, Leonard James

Senior magistrate and NSW coroner.

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Neale, Thomas Henry

Magistrate at Hartley and landowner with his brother James in Katoomba.

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Oram, Edward Thompson

Appointed Sydney City Coroner in January 1935, Edward Oram was soon thrust into the media spotlight during the case known popularly as the Shark Arm murders after a tiger shark held at the Coogee Aquarium Baths vomited up the left hand and forearm of small-time criminal, James Smith. During the coronial inquest, the suspected murderer’s legal team argued that as the rest of Smith's body had not been found, Smith may still have been alive, prohibiting Oram from holding an inquiry into his death.  A year later, Oram conducted the formal inquest into the death of 18 year old Edwin Hickey who was, controversially, executed after being found guilty of murder. He declined requests by the press to be present at the inquest. Oram was reappointed to be Special Magistrate for the Children's Court in August 1943 and retired from the public service in 1950.

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Oxley, John

Naval officer and businessman who surveyed many new areas in New South Wales and was the leader of several exploratory trips, ultimately holding the office of Surveyor-General.

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O’Sullivan, Teresa

Magistrate who in 2019 became the second woman to be appointed the position of New South Wales State Coroner. She joined the Coroner’s Court in 2015 as a Deputy State Coroner.
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Palmer, GT

English-born landholder who lived in Parramatta and was granted land in Bringelly.

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Palmer, John

Purser of the Sirius who arrived in the first fleet, and later settled in Sydney with his family. Known as 'Little Jack' Palmer, he became an eminent and successful citizen, with extensive farms.

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Pemell, James

Businessman and magistrate.

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Pinhey, William Townley

Pharmacist and local politician who also served as the Deputy City Coroner for Sydney until his death in 1895.

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Rattray, George

Magistrate and businessman.

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Riley, Alban Joseph

Retailer and politician who was a councillor in Burwood as well as a member of parliament and Mayor of Sydney in 1887.

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Rodd, Robert Adamson

Grazier and magistrate in the Singleton district who arrived in Australia with his father and two brothers in 1822. 

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Sautelle, Edwin Stanhope

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A civil engineer who, as the Vaucluse Council Town Clerk, designed the Parsley Bay suspension bridge. He later became an alderman on Vaucluse Council, serving twice as mayor. in 1895 he had been appointed Secretary of the South Head General Cemetery Trust, but in 1938 was charged  with forgery and larceny after misappropriating cemetery funds and sentenced to three years in gaol.

Waller, Kevin Maurice

Public servant, barrister, magistrate and coroner. He was appointed as the City Coroner in 1970 and in 1987 conducted the coronial inquest into the death of Pearl Watson, the Family Court judge's wife killed in 1984 by a bomb at her Greenwich home unit. In 1988 he was the first person to be appointed to the position of New South Wales State Coroner. As State Coroner he conducted inquests into some of the state's most significant cases including the 1989 death of David Gundy, the Kempsey coach crash,  the Newcastle earthquake and the shootings in 1991 at the Strathfield Plaza shopping centre. He held the position until his retirement in 1992. He was the inaugural chair of the Victims Advisory Council from 1992 and the founder of the the Australian Coroners Society in 1991. In 1993 he chaired an independent committee reviewing suicide and other forms of self-harm in the NSW prison system, and a crisis and aged care unit in the Long Bay Correction Centre Hospital was named after him.

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Weir, Thomas Michael

Magistrate and coroner who conducted the inquest into the Granville rail disaster in 1977.

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Wentworth, D'Arcy

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Irish-born soldier and doctor who became a well-regarded public servant and one of the early colony's richest men, despite his unconventional private life.

Wilson, Bertram John (Bert)

Magistrate and Sydney City Coroner.

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Windeyer, Charles

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Magistrate and police superintendent. He served as the first Mayor of Sydney in the period between the city's incorporation in August 1842 and the first elections in November.

Woore, John Chadwick

Police magistrate at Wilcannia, Queanbeyan and the Richard River in the mid-19th century. As the Commissioner for Lands he selected the site for the township of Wilcannia in 1863.  Between 1889 and 1903 he was the City Coroner. He died at his home Tallandra in North Sydney in 1915.

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Woore, Thomas

Naval officer, surveyor and pastoralist who worked on his own surveying possibilities for the proposed railway line put forward by the Sydney Tramroad and Railway Company, later Sydney Railway Company. Despite his efforts, he was refused payment for his work and was widely criticised by the company. In 1858, he requested compensation from the government for his work as they were using his plans, but he was unsuccessful.

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Metropolitan Children's Court

Court established by the Neglected Children and Juvenile Offenders Act, 1905 to hear and determine cases of offences committed by or against children.

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Water Police Court

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Courthouse on Phillip Street designed by Colonial Architect Edmund Blacket in 1856 for hearing cases brought by the Water Police. A police station was built next door in 1857, and another court building added to the complex in 1886. In 1990 the buildings were adapted for use as the Police and Justice Museum.