thumb|Thomas Peel's headstone

Thomas Peel (1793 – 22 December 1865) organised and led a consortium of the first British settlers to Western Australia. He was a leader of the colonial militia that participated in Pinjarra massacre in 1834, which saw 70-80 of the Aboriginal Binjareb people killed.

He was a second cousin of two-times British Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel.

Biography

Early life

Thomas Peel was born in Lancashire, England, the second son of Thomas Peel and his wife Dorothy, née Bolton.

Legacy and cultural references

Karl Marx referred to Peel in his analysis of capitalism, in a passage where he criticised colonist Edward Gibbon Wakefield:

<blockquote>Mr. Peel, he moans, took with him from England to Swan River, West Australia, means of subsistence and of production to the amount of £50,000. Mr. Peel had the foresight to bring with him, besides, 3000[sic] persons of the working-class, men, women, and children. Once arrived at his destination, "Mr. Peel was left without a servant to make his bed or fetch him water from the river." Unhappy Mr. Peel who provided for everything except the export of English modes of production to Swan River!</blockquote>

References

Further reading

  • Appleyard R T and Manford T The Beginning: European discovery and early settlement of Swan River, Western Australia (University of Western Australia Press, Nedlands 1979)
  • Hasluck, Alexandra: Thomas Peel of Swan River (Oxford University Press, Melbourne 1965)
  • Hitchcock, JK, 1929, The History of Fremantle, The Front Gate of Australia 1829-1929, Fremantle City Council: pp17,19.
  • Peel Family (timeline) at Mandurah Community Museum