Location

High up on the North Wall of the Nave; second bay from the West End.
 

Description

The memorial is in a poor condition. The text is almost illegible.
 

Memorial
Memorial to Lieutenant Pieter Laurentz Campbell
 
Grave
Memorial to Lieutenant Pieter Laurentz Campbell
(Text completed from 1873 Guide)
SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF
PIETER LAURENTZ CAMPBELL D.S.O., A.C.D.
LATE LIEUTENANT IN THE ROYAL SCOTS FUSILIERS
ELDEST SON OF COLONEL RONALD CAMPBELL, THE 72ND HIGHLANDERS
BORN 31 MARCH 1809, DIED 4TH OCTOBER 1848
HE WAS SUCCESSIVELY APPOINTED TO VARIOUS OFFICES
OF CONFIDENCE AND AUTHORITY UNDER THE GOVERNMENT
AT THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE AND NEW SOUTH WALES
IN THE DEPARTMENT OF H.M. BOARD OF TRADE
AND IN THE MANCHESTER AND LEEDS,
AND SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAYS
AND WAS IN ALL CONSPICUOUS FOR SUPERIOR ABILITY
AND FOR AN ENERGY AND ZEAL TO WHICH AT LENGTH HE FELL
A SACRIFICE AT THE AGE OF 30
"By Grace are ye Saved through Faith
And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God"


 
Further Information
Pieter Laurentz Campbell (1809-1848) was the son of Ronald Campbell and his wife Charlotte, née Cloeté. As a young man he became private secretary to Major-General Richard Bourke, acting-governor of the Cape of Good Hope in 1826-28. He remained at the Cape after Bourke left, as assistant clerk to the council. In June 1830 he became an ensign in the 55th Regiment, transferred to the 89th in November, and thence as a second lieutenant in 1832 to the 21st Regiment, which had been ordered to New South Wales, so that he might once again serve under Bourke, now governor of that colony.
 
In New South Wales, Campbell acted as extra aide-de-camp to Bourke. In 1834 he married Barbara Isabella, daughter of Alexander McLeay and was appointed police magistrate at Maitland where he was influential in resolving conflicts between Bourke and the large landowners. In 1836 he left to take up duty as police magistrate at Parramatta where he was an important witness before select committees of the Legislative Council on police and gaols in 1835 and 1839. The latter committee commended him for his efficiency as a police magistrate, and he placed before it a detailed plan for reorganizing the police of New South Wales on similar lines to those of the Royal Irish Constabulary with a commissioner in central control of all its activities.
 
On 1 March 1839 Campbell took over the duties of the colonial treasurer. C. D. Riddell who had nominated him before going on leave, had been one of Bourke's chief antagonists, whereas Campbell as his protégé seemed able to make the best of both worlds. On 8 May 1841 Campbell gave up his work at the Treasury on medical advice, and sailed for Cape Colony, and thence to London. He did not obtain another post in the public service in New South Wales. He died in London on 4 October 1848.
 
Campbell acquired much land in the colony, was a shareholder and director of the Bank of Australia, and an early member of the Australian Club, Sydney.
 
Adapted from an entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography by Hazel King.
 
Pieter and Ronald Campbell are buried in a joint grave (see photo) in the Royal Garrison Church graveyard. The 1873 guide to the church lists the Campbell memorial under the section headed North Transept ie. behind the organ. It is possible that the memorial was moved to the nave when the organ was installed.

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