People/hampton.html
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John Hampton
hamptonJohn Stephen Hampton was Governor 1862-68. Having been (a harsh and corrupt) Comptroller-General of Convicts in Van Diemen's Land it was perhaps understandable that he took more control over prison affairs than previous governors. He was a cruel man, who clashed with Comptroller-General Newland, and eventually had him removed, replacing him, nepotistically, with his son George Essex Hampton, who in 1868 married the unfortunate Fanny Stone, daughter of photographer (etc.) Alfred Hawes Stone. Both Hamptons were extremely unpopular in the colony until they left in 1868.
Government House, in St George's Terrace, Perth, was completed during his time in office, as also was the vice-regal residence built at Rottnest - tho it was Governor Kennedy who commissioned it. It is now part of the Rottnest Hotel. Also completed during his tenure were the Perth Town Hall, the Causeway, and the first bridge over the Swan.
Alfred Stone's photo of the Governor's residence on Rottnest, now the Rottnest Hotel. That's Stone sitting on the steps, so he must have an assistant to remove the lens cap.
Four Fremantle streets were named after Hampton. One, the Road, is still so called. Hampton St, which perhaps confusingly intersected with the road, was changed to Alexander Rd, and then Wray Avenue. Hampton Avenue became Dale St. Stephen St became Stevens St, named after a councillor of that name. Hampton Senior High School in Bayswater is named after the Governor, the area having been called Hampton Park.
References and Links
Boyce Peter 1966, bio in ADB.
O'Brien, Jacqueline & Pamela Statham-Drew 2013, Court and Camera: The Life and Times of A.H. Stone, Fremantle Press.
Wikipedia page for John Hampton
Wikipedia page for governors of Western Australia
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 16 October, 2016 and hosted at freotopia.org/people/hampton.html (it was last updated on 6 March, 2024). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.