Zone d'identification
Cote
Titre
Date(s)
- 1998 (date of microfilms) (Création/Production)
- 1997 (date of printed matter) (Création/Production)
- 1812-1855 (dates of originals) (Création/Production)
Niveau de description
Étendue matérielle et support
20 items
Zone du contexte
Nom du producteur
Notice biographique
Sir Richard Bourke was born in Dublin on 4 May 1777 as the only son of John Bourke and Anne née Ryan. Educated at Westminster School and Oriel College, Oxford, he joined the Grenadier Guards in 1798. A year later, he was wounded in the jaw while in active service in the Netherlands, suffering an injury that later discouraged him from public speaking and political office.
Bourke served in South America and the Peninsular War, where he acted as a liaison with Spanish forces and organized intelligence operations. Promoted to colonel and made a Companion of the Bath in 1814, he retired to his Irish estate, Thornfield, in County Limerick on half-pay but returned to public service due to financial necessity. In 1826, he was appointed lieutenant-governor of the Eastern District of Cape Colony and later became acting governor. Amid economic depression and administrative inefficiency, he reformed trade, secured press freedom, and reorganized government structures. His most notable act was Ordinance 50 (1828), which abolished discriminatory pass laws against free people of colour.
Bourke returned to Thornfield in 1828, but just two years later sought another post abroad. Appointed governor of New South Wales in 1831, he faced a divided society of free settlers and emancipated convicts. He championed liberal reforms, including replacing military with civil juries and consolidating criminal law to curb abuses by magistrates. He promoted religious equality through the Church Acts of 1836, which allocated public funds to major denominations based on population. Bourke also addressed land issues through the Crown Lands Occupation Act (1836), regulating squatter settlements and appointing magistrates to oversee them. He supported assisted migration, helping to bring over 50,000 migrants to the colony. His efforts helped shape the development of the Port Phillip district (later Victoria), where he personally oversaw early urban planning. He resigned in 1837 after a dispute with the Colonial Office over executive authority. His popularity was evident in the public farewell and the erection of his statue in Sydney.
Bourke was knighted (KCB) in 1835, promoted to general in 1851, and declined further high-profile appointments. In collaboration Earl Fitzwilliam, he edited and published the correspondence of his kinsman Edmund Burke (1844). He died of heart failure at his home in Thornfield on 13 August 1855 and was buried in the churchyard at Castleconnell.
Histoire archivistique
Source immédiate d'acquisition ou de transfert
Donated to the University of Limerick by Margaret Power on 1 February 2013.
Zone du contenu et de la structure
Portée et contenu
This collection contains microfilmed copies of correspondence and other documents relating to Sir Richard Bourke held by the State Library of New South Wales and used by Margaret Power for a a thesis to gain a Master's Degree in Local History at the University of Limerick.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
All records have been retained.
Accruals
No accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
The collection has been arranged into three series to correspond with the three major collections relating to Sir Richard Bourke held by the State Library of New South Wales (SLNSW).
Series 1 contains microfilm copies of sixteen volumes of letters, diaries, despatches and miscellaneous printed material from the period 1812-1855. The SLNSW call number for this series is A1728-1742 for volumes 1-15 and D184 for volume 16.
Series 2 contains microfilm copies of thirteen volumes of correspondence and other papers from the period 1820-1852, corresponding with SLNSW call number ML MSS 403.
Series 3 contains microfilm copies of two volumes of letters and miscellaneous papers from the period 1830-1850, corresponding with SLNSW call number ML MSS 2328.
Zone des conditions d'accès et d'utilisation
Conditions d’accès
Unrestricted access to all items.
Conditions governing reproduction
Standard copyright regulations apply to all items. For photocopying or reproducing material, please consult with the staff.
Language of material
- anglais
Script of material
Language and script notes
Caractéristiques matérielle et contraintes techniques
Microfilm reels in good condition. The reels require a microfilm reader, for which please consult with the staff.
Finding aids
Zone des sources complémentaires
Existence and location of originals
This collection contains microfilm copies of original documents relating to Sir Richard Bourke held in the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia under the call numbers ML A1728-A1742, D184, ML MSS 403 and ML MSS 2328.
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Additional material relating to Sir Richard Bourke can be found in the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, including correspondence and papers; Brenthurst Library, Johannesburg, including correspondence relating to Bourke’s lieutenant-governorship of the Cape; National Library of Ireland, including correspondence and papers; British Library (among the Bathurst MSS); Derbyshire Record Office (letters to Sir R. J. Wilmot-Horton); Royal Artillery Institution, Woolwich, London (letters to Sir John Le Marchant); and Royal Military College, Sandhurst (register of officers of the first department).
Zone des notes
Identifiant(s) alternatif(s)
Mots-clés
Mots-clés - Sujets
Mots-clés - Lieux
Mots-clés - Noms
Mots-clés - Genre
Zone du contrôle de la description
Identifiant de la description
Rules and/or conventions used
This description follows guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd edition, 2000; Irish Guidelines for Archival Description, 2009; National Council on Archives: Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997; and EAP Guidance on Data Protection for Archive Services, 2018.
Statut
Niveau de détail
Langue(s)
Écriture(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Material arranged and described by Anna-Maria Hajba in July 2025.