Edmund Frederick Du Cane

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would become more widely known as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to thetemporary structure in which it was held. With the exhibition opened Cunliffe-Owenbecame its General Superintendent and Du Cane his Assistant Superintendent of theForeign Side as well as Assistant Secretary to the Juries of Awards.Cunliffe-Owen would go on to be appointed Assistant Inspector-General of Fortificationsat the War Office, and, in April 1856, Deputy Inspector-General of Fortifications underthe command of Sir John Fox Burgoyne.Following the success of the International Exhibition Edmund Du Cane found himselfposted to Western Australia, under the command of Captain Edmund Henderson, wherehe would spend the next 5 years organising convict labour in the colony centred aroundmodern day Perth and known informally as Swan River, after the area's major river.The first 75 convicts had arrived in Fremantle, now part of the modern day PerthMetropolitan Area, June 1st 1850 and, such was the unpreparedness of the colony, theywere housed in an old wool warehouse until they had finished constructing the ConvictEstablishment, later known as Fremantle Prison. Du Cane was promoted First LieutenantFebruary 1854, and placed in charge of works in the Eastern District of the colony. Hewas also made a magistrate of the colony and a visiting magistrate of convict stations.During his time in Western Australia Du Cane also married his first wife Mary DorotheaMolloy in St John’s Church, Fremantle July 1855Recalled early 1856 due to the requirements of the Crimean War, Edmund and Marydeparted Fremantle February 25th on the ‘Esmeralda’ along with another officer, WilliamCrossman, Sergeant James Lowrie, sixteen Sappers, one of whom was invalided, and twobuglers. Captain Henderson and his six year old son were also on board with the Captainallowed compassionate leave following the death of his wife the previous December, hedid not return to the Colony until 1858 during which time Henry Ray was his Deputy.’Esmeralda was severely overcrowded and a shortage of both water and suppliesrequired stops at the Cape of Good Hope and St Helena as well as purchases frompassing ships.Esmeralda – sketch by E F DuCane from Alexandra Hasluck’s book ‘A Life of Sir Edmund DuCane
With no small degree of irony, the Paris Peace Conference had begun the very dayEsmeralda left Fremantle and by the time the ship reached England in June the Crimeanwar had ended. Notably, however, the passenger manifest had grown since leavingFremantle as Mary Du Cane had given birth to her and Edmund’s first son during thevoyage.Du Cane reported for duty at the War Office August that year, under the Inspector-General of Fortification, Lieutenant General Sir John Burgoyne G.C.B, where he wasemployed compiling designs and estimates for the new defences proposed for thedockyards and naval bases of the United Kingdom.Promoted Second Captain April 1858, over the course of the next five years Du Cane wasresponsible for the design of the chain of land forts at Plymouth, Devon from FortStaddon to Ernesettle on the River Tamar as well as most of the new land works atDover, including Fort Burgoyne and the Officers Mess at The Citadel, Du Cane’s thirdchild Hubert John being born during the family’s time in Dover.The Officers Mess at The Citadel, DoverWith Britain announcing its intention to cease the policy of transportation, CaptainHenderson was returned to Britain and appointed Chairman of Directors and Surveyor-General of Prisons and Inspector-General of Military Prisons July 1863. On Henderson’srecommendation Edmund Du Cane was appointed Director of Convict Prisons, as well asan Inspector of Military Prisons. In this capacity Du Cane administered the reformationsof the 1865 Prison Act which sought not only to establish a return to the attitude ofstrict punishment rather than the attempts to reform prisoners through separation orsilence but to also address rising concerns about the uncoordinated and incoherentnature of the prison system in Britain. The Act increased central controls over gaolswhich were, at the time, operated by local authorities; although many local practicescontinued to vary until the 1877 Act which fully transferred responsibilities to The HomeSecretary working with the newly established Board of Prison Commissioners.
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Edmund Frederick Du Cane

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