Charles Nicholson

Sir Charles Nicholson, 1st Baronet (born Isaac Ascough; 23 November 1808 was an English-Australian politician, university founder, explorer, pastoralist, antiquarian and philanthropist. The Nicholson Museum at the University of Sydney was named after him.

Early life and family Nicholson was born in Whitby, Yorkshire, the illegitimate and only surviving son of teenager Barbara Ascough (Askew) of Iburndale, and Charles Nicholson of London. He was christened Isaac Ascough. His mother died in 1814, aged 24, and his father died in 1824. His mother was the daughter of a wealthy merchant, J. Ascough from Bedale, Yorkshire, and his grandfather was also named Charles Nicholson, of Cockermouth, Cumberland.

He was educated at Edinburgh University. In 1845, Nicholson bought William Sandys Elrington's estate, 'Mount Elrington', near Braidwood.

In 1843, he was one of the first elected members of the New South Wales Legislative Council as one of the representatives of Port Phillip District until 1848 and then as the representatives of the County of Argyle until 1856. He was elected speaker in 1846.

Explorer Ludwig Leichhardt named a mountain in Queensland after him in 1844.

Sydney University Nicholson's donation of nearly 1000 artefacts was the genesis of the Nicholson Museum at the University of Sydney, which has since been absorbed into the Chau Chak Wing Museum. A catalogue of the collection was published in 1870 by the curator Edward Reeve.

Return to England His eldest son, Charles Archibald Nicholson, the second baronet, became well known as an ecclesiastical architect (his achievements include the west front of St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast ). His other sons were Archibald Keightley Nicholson, a stained-glass artist and Sir Sydney Hugo Nicholson, founder of the Royal School of Church Music.

Death Nicholson died in England on 8 November 1903 shortly before his ninety-fifth birthday.