Sir Francis Forbes
First Chief Justice of New South Wales · 1784–1841
Who is Sir Francis Forbes?
Sir Francis Forbes was a Bermuda-born lawyer and judge who became the first Chief Justice of New South Wales, a role that gave him direct legal oversight of the colony's penal system, including the Norfolk Island secondary punishment station. Trained at Lincoln's Inn and called to the English Bar in 1812, he served first as Chief Justice of Newfoundland before returning to London for health reasons in 1822. He was then appointed Chief Justice of New South Wales to reform the colony's legal administration following the inquiry of commissioner John Bigge, arriving in Sydney in March 1824 and opening the Supreme Court in May of that year. His position placed him on the colony's Executive and Legislative Councils, and all colonial legislation required his certification that it was not repugnant to English law, a power that repeatedly put him at odds with Governor Ralph Darling, particularly over press freedom. In evidence to the 1838 Select Committee on Transportation, Forbes testified to the extreme severity of punishment inflicted on convicts at Norfolk Island. He retired in 1837 due to declining health and died in 1841; the New South Wales town of Forbes is named after him.
Sources: Australian Dictionary of Biography, "Forbes, Sir Francis (1784-1841)" · The National Archives (UK), "Norfolk Island: the ultra-penal colony" · Supreme Court of New South Wales, "Sir Francis Forbes"