Robert Davenport

Robert Davenport (1816 – 3 September 1896) was a pioneer and politician in the early days of the Colony of South Australia. He was a brother of Sir Samuel Davenport.

History Robert Davenport was born in Shirburn, Oxfordshire and trained for the law. He and his brother (George) Francis Davenport arrived in South Australia in 1843 and settled at "Battunga" on the "Davenport survey". His more famous brother Samuel lived nearby.

The "Davenport survey" was an area defined by special survey east of "The Three Brothers survey" (which may have been originally selected for the Davenport brothers, then relinquished), and spreading south of Mount Barker to the source of the Angas, and incorporated the town of Macclesfield, named in honor of the Earl of Macclesfield (presumably the 6th Earl 1850–1896 ). Lower down the Angas was the "Angas survey", which incorporated the town of Strathalbyn.

Davenport lived on his original holding at "Battunga" for more than half a century. He was a capable watercolorist, and produced many studies of South Australian landscapes, some of which are held by the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Most of the information about the Mount Barker district in Francis Dutton's book South Australia and Its Mines (1848) was provided to its author by Robert Davenport.

Political life Robert Davenport was on 9 July 1851 elected as member for the electoral district of Hindmarsh in the second South Australian Legislative Council. He resigned his seat on 29 June 1854,