John Bigge

John Thomas Bigge (8 March 1780 – 22 December 1843) was an English judge and royal commissioner. He is mostly known for his inquiry into the British colony of New South Wales published in the early 1820s. His reports favoured a return to the harsh treatment of convicts and the utilisation of them as cheap agricultural labour for wealthy sheep-farming colonists. Bigge's reports also resulted in the resignation of Governor Lachlan Macquarie whose policies promoted the advancement of ex-convicts back into society.

Early life Bigge was born at Benton House, Northumberland, England. He was the son of Thomas Charles Bigge, who was the High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1780. He attended Newcastle Grammar School and Westminster School (1795) and Christ Church, Oxford (B.A., 1801; M.A., 1804).

The Bigge Inquiry In 1819, Bigge was appointed a special commissioner to examine the government of the Colony of New South Wales by Lord Bathurst, the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. His brief was to determine how far the expanding colony of New South Wales could be "made adequate to the Objects of its original Institution", which were understood to be purely to be a penal colony. He was to come to Australia to investigate all aspects of the colonial government, then under the governorship of Lachlan Macquarie, including finances, the church and the judiciary, and the convict system. Bigge was also appointed in response to complaints to London from leading colonists including John Macarthur about Macquarie's policies of remediating ex-convicts back into society.

While Bigge was in Australia, there was apparent friction between himself and Governor Macquarie and he openly conducted most of his investigations in consultation with the 'exclusive' colonists such as John Macarthur. Bigge extensively praised Macarthur and advocated for his policies of providing large assignments of convicts to 'men of real capital' in order to labour upon their sheep stations.

These decisions firmly halted the socially progressive policies of Lachlan Macquarie and reaffirmed strong class distinctions within the colonial society. The exclusive 'Pure Merino' class of colonists (named after the type of sheep they bred) were able to obtain large areas of land and significant political influence. This class of colonist evolved to dominate much of colonial society for many years, becoming known as the squattocracy. Report of the Commissioner of Inquiry on the judicial establishments of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land (1823) 2nd Report. Report of the Commissioner of Inquiry on the state of agriculture and trade in the colony of New South Wales (1823) 3rd Report.