Luttrell, Edward (1756–1824)

This article was published in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2, (MUP), 1967

Edward Luttrell (1756-1824), surgeon, was the son of Major Southcott Hungerford Luttrell, whose father was Edward Luttrell of Dunster, Somerset, England. His grandmother Ann, née Hungerford, was descended from the lords of Irnham and other noble families. He married a clergyman's daughter, Martha Walters, and they had six sons and four daughters. In 1803 he was in private practice in Kent, England, when like some other settlers he was given permission to go to New South Wales; because of his family and his property he was thought likely 'to cultivate his land … with greater facility than most of the settlers who have preceded him' and Governor Philip Gidley King was also instructed to give him a medical post when a vacancy occurred. In June 1804 Luttrell arrived at Port Jackson with his wife and eight children in the Experiment, Captain Withers, but soon afterwards his 'Feelings as a Father were much wounded', for one of his sons who had sailed twice with Withers deserted the ship in Sydney, and a daughter eloped with Withers when the Experiment sailed.

Luttrell was granted 400 choice acres (162 ha) near Mulgrave Place on the Hawkesbury, rations for his family and ten assigned servants, livestock, seed and tools. He soon had ten acres (4 ha) under wheat and bought some 400 sheep, but he was quickly disillusioned by the high costs, thefts, isolation and seasonal vagaries which, described at length in his letters to official friends in London, denied the fulfilment of his social ambitions and dreams. In June 1805 Luttrell was appointed assistant colonial surgeon at 5s. a day, with duties at Sydney and Parramatta. In 1807 he became friendly with Governor William Bligh, and 'although unused to a Sea life, and being upwards of Fifty' he was appointed to H.M.S. Porpoise as a naval surgeon at 10s. a day and made five voyages in her. To his dismay he was superseded in November 1808 but, after, applying to Lieutenant-Governor Paterson for reinstatement in his former position, he was appointed in February 1809 as acting assistant-surgeon in charge of the hospital for the sick of the military establishments at Parramatta, for which he was paid 5s. a day. Luttrell sought land grants for his eight children, and in August Paterson granted 125 acres (51 ha) in the Evan district to each. Governor Lachlan Macquarie confirmed these, but in June 1813 he reported that he would not recommend Luttrell for promotion or additional pay since he was 'totally undeserving … deficient … in Humanity and in Attention to his Duty … sordid and Unfeeling and will not Afford any Medical Assistance to any Person who cannot pay him well for it'.

Macquarie had received many complaints of Luttrell's negligence and had more than once severely admonished him, and would have suspended him were it not for his large family. In April 1814 Luttrell was moved from Parramatta to Sydney, to be under the eye of the principal surgeon, D'Arcy Wentworth. Next year he was given a choice of retiring to his farm on a pension or of returning to the Parramatta Hospital, but in August he was appointed acting colonial surgeon at Hobart Town at a salary of £182 10s. He moved there in January 1816. He cleared himself of some charges by proving that he suffered from a severe rheumatic affection which often crippled him, but Macquarie told the Colonial Office that Luttrell, although 'not deemed deficient in professional Skill … is … Criminally inattentive to his Patients … extremely Irritable and Violent in his Temper and Very Infirm from Dissipation', and should be retired on half-pay. This for the time the office refused and Macquarie, thinking again of his large family, was reluctant to displace him.

In Hobart Luttrell was in constant trouble with Lieutenant-Governor William Sorell for being a boon companion of Thomas Davey, for irregular attendance at the hospital and gaol and for negligence in submitting returns. He was censured for making false accusations, and repeatedly recommended for retirement. The Colonial Office in 1818 gave Macquarie permission to place Luttrell on half-pay, but not until June 1821, when James Scott was appointed, was it possible to replace him. Luttrell died at his home in Bridge Street on 10 June 1824 in his sixty-eighth year. His widow, after many appeals, was allowed a pension of £50; she died in May 1832.

Select Bibliography ◾Historical Records of New South Wales, vols 5-7 ◾Historical Records of Australia, series 1, vols 5-10, series 3, vols 2-6 ◾V. Gibbs (ed), The Complete Peerage, vol 3 (Lond, 1913) ◾Critic (Hobart), 30 Feb 1922 ◾LSD 1/7/514 (Archives Office of Tasmania).

Citation details

'Luttrell, Edward (1756–1824)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/luttrell-edward-2381/text3135, published in hardcopy 1967, accessed online 8 September 2014.

This article was first published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2, (MUP), 1967

Life Summary [details]

Birth

1756

Death

10 June 1824 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Cultural Heritage ◾English

Occupation ◾farmer ◾landowner ◾public servant ◾ship's surgeon ◾surgeon

Australian Dictionary of Biography

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Dr and Mrs Lutrell emigrated to Tasmania, arriving in 1804. He was appointed to the position of Colonial Surgeon General but was a bit of a rogue.

Regarding the title of Earl of Carhampton

There was a note that Dr. Edward Luttrell sometimes used the title Earl of Carhampton. - There does not appear to be any supporting evidence for this. It appears as if one of his sons Alfred and one of his grandsons Edward may have used it.

The title Earl of Carhampton was created in Ireland on 23/6/1785

• 1st Earl Carhampton - from 1785 to 1787 - Simon LUTTRELL 1713-1787 - Simon LUTTRELL 1713-1787
• 2nd Earl Carhampton - from 1787 to 1821 - his son - Henry Lawes LUTTRELL 1743-1821 (no male issue)
• 3rd Earl Carhampton - from 1821 to 1829 - his brother - John LUTTRELL-OLMIUS (no male issue)

The title became extinct in 1829

This Edward LUTTRELL was the 9th cousin twice removed of Simon LUTTRELL and died 5 years prior to the 3rd Earl Carhampton in 1829.

Newspaper Articles with reference to this family and "Earl of Carhampton"

• https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2450691?searchTerm=luttr... Colonial Times and Tasmanian Advertiser Fri 10 August 1827 Page 2
  • THE CARHAMPTON FAMIILY. — Some time since we noticed, that Mr ALFRED LUTTRELL, the eldest son of the late Dr. EDWARD LUTTRELL, Colonial Surgeon of this Colony, had succeeded to the titles and estate of the Earl of CARHAMPTON. — Some doubts having been ex-pressed in the Colony, as to the identity of Mr. Luttrell, by persons who supposed Van Diemen's Land could not possess a Lord, we extract the following, verbatim, from the Literary Journal of 1821 :— "Died on the 25th ult. in Bruton-street, the Right Hon. Henry Lawes Luttrell, Earl of Carhampton, Viscount Carhampton, and Baron Irnham, Governor of Dublin, a General in the army, and Colonel of the 6th regiment of dragoon guards. He married Jane, daugh- ter of George Boyd, Esq. of Dublin, one of the most beautiful, as well as the most amia- ble, women of her day, who survives him, and by whom he has had no issue. His lord- ship was brother to the beautiful Miss Lut- trell, who married the late Duke of Cumber- land, uncle of his present Majesty. He was distinguished in early life as Colonel Lut-trell. He fought some political battles, and was the opponent of the celebrated Mr. Wilkes, in the memorable contest for Mid- dlesex, when the latter was expelled the House of Commons by a vote of the house. — He also figured in the Letters of the renown- ed Junius, among the political dependents of the Duke of Grafton. The late Earl was ap- pointed a general in 1798, and stood third on the list, those preceding him being the Marquis of Drogheda and Earl Harcourt. — He is succeeded in his titles by his only brother, John Luttrell Olmius. His Lordship came to his titles on the death of his father, in 1787. Creations of the first nobleman, the father of the deceased: — Baron, 1768 ; Viscount, 1781; Earl, 1785." It appears that the before-named John Lut- trell Olmius (who was cousin to Dr. Edward Luttrell), died in 1825, aged 84, leaving issue only a daughter, who, with the mother, Lady Olmius, are still alive. Mr. Alfred Luttrell goes home by the Admiral Cockburn, for the purpose of arranging his affairs. — His title seems very clear, there being only a younger brother of his father's, who can possibly set up a claim.
• https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2190320?searchTerm=luttr... - The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser - Wed 30 Apr 1828 Page 2
  • THE EARL OF CARHAMPTON. (From the Colonial Advocate.) We copied from an Australian Paper, called the Colonial Times, a statement into the Morning Herald of Tuesday last, men- tioning that Mr. Alderman Luttrell, an in- habitant of New South Wales, had succeeded to the titles and estates of the Earl of Car- hampton, deceased ; but that Noble Lord has since called in our office, and assured us, that instead of having made his exit from the world, three years ago, he is in good health, and likely to survive another three years, to the discomfort of Mr. Alfred Luttrell of New South Wales, and other expectants of his peerage and estates, and the area supposed to have accumulated during his fictitiously-propagated demise. His Lordship looks upon this party as some swindler, who wishes to raise the wind by means of these misrepresentations.— Morning Herald, Oct. 13, 1827 With reference to the foregoing paragraph, we are authorized to state, that a misunderstanding of the circumstances gave rise to the statement, condemned in such gentle- manly terms in the Morning Herald. Letters have been received by the late arrivals from England by which it appears, that Mr. John Thomas and Mr. John Luttrell, Solicitors, the latter gentleman uncle to Mr. Alfred Luttrell of' Van Diemen's Land, have jointly, in consequence of the case having been mistated in the Colonial Papers, sent out a Power of Attorney, (through the house of Messrs. Kemp and Co,) to Mr. Alfred Luttrell for signature authorising them to prosecute, on his behalf, any claim which he may have, or be supposed to have, to property descending from the estate of the late Baron Irnham, which is the property in question, but Mr. Luttrell, instead of executing this document, proceeds to England himself, in the Medway.
• Colonial Times and Tasmanian Advertiser - Fri 29 May 1829
  • Mr. ALFRED LUTTRELL, who went home to claim some property which he was entitled to by inheritance, in the CARHAMPTON family, has returned from London, and has left his claims in the hands of the Messrs. ROTHSCHILDS, whom he has appointed his agents for the recovery of his property, which it seems is likely to be strictly litigated. Mr. LUTTRELL was very kindly received by Lord CARHAMPTON.
• https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/36298027?searchTerm=lutt... Launceston Examiner - Tue 24 June 1856 - Page 2
  • CHANGE OF CIRCUMSTANCES.—Under this head we noticed, a short time since, that the Watch-house Keeper at New Town, had become a baronet. It is now currently reported, although we cannot account for its accuracy, that Mr. Edward Luttrell, of the Tea Tree Bush, has suc- ceeded to a peerage as "Earl of Carhamp- ton." and also to considerable property. Doubtless, many other persons, nearly allied to rank and title, are pursuing the "noiseless tenor of their way" in this and the neighboring colonies. The present Earl of Limerick, we believe, came to the title while occupying some subordinate situation in Van Diemen's Land.—Tas. Daily News.
• https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/9118527?searchTerm=luttr... - The Mercury - Fri 5 Mar 1886 Page 1
  • LUTTRELL.—On Tuesday, February 23, at his residence, Somerset House, Bellerive, Edward Hungerford, master mariner, eldest son of the late Edgar Luttrell, of Her Majesty's Customs, and grandson of the late Edward Luttrell, late Surgeon- General of Tasmania, and Earl of Car- hampton, in the 65th year of his age. Leaves a widow and large family to mourn his loss.