Augustus John Smith (15 September 1804 – 31 July 1872) was a British politician and philanthropist who served as Lord Proprietor of the Isles of Scilly for over thirty years from 1834 until his death in 1872, as well as serving as Member of Parliament for Truro from 1857 to 1865. As Lord Proprietor of the Isles of Scilly, he introduced numerous reforms to the islands, including improvements to education, tenancy structures and employment. He built his home on the island of Tresco, and started the Tresco Abbey Gardens. He was succeeded as Lord Proprietor by his nephew, Thomas Smith-Dorrien, after his death in 1872.
Early life and career
Augustus Smith was born in September 1804 "at the house of a fashionable accoucheur in Harley Street", London, to James Smith and Mary Isabella Pechell. He was raised in the family home of Ashlyns Hall in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England. In 1810, when Smith was six years old, his older half-brother James died after he fell from his pony. Following this, Smith's mother died while she was on a trip in Paris when Smith was leaving Harrow. Smith was educated at Harrow School and Oxford University. While at Oxford, Smith was influenced by the utilitarian ideas of Jeremy Bentham. Influenced by these ideas, Smith concluded that the best way to improve the standard of living of the poor was to improve the standard of education. Having come to this conclusion, Smith went about attempting to improve the local Berkhamstead Grammar School, while also establishing non-conformist and non-denominational parish schools in his local area using his own funds, becoming known locally as a philanthropist.
Smith first heard of the then-poverty stricken Isles of Scilly by 1831, and began initial negotiations about taking on the lease for the Islands with the Duchy of Cornwall, who owned the freehold for the Islands. However, a claim to the Islands was put forward by the Commissioner of Woods and Forests, which led to Smith withdrawing his bid, wanting to avoid any bureaucratic conflict. Smith instead went to Ireland to start to negotiate a lease for the Arran Islands in 1833, however, these negotiations never came to fruition, due to Smith being put off by the tenancy systems of runrig. Smith then returned to his home, continuing his campaign of educational reform in Berkhamstead.
Lord Proprietor of the Isles of Scilly
In 1834, Smith was informed by the Duchy of Cornwall that they had won a lawsuit against the Commissioner of Woods and Forests, and that the Isles of Scilly were again available for lease. At this time, the Islands were administrated by a body known as the Council of Twelve, who derived their authority from the Duke of Leeds. The 6th Duke, George Osborne, had since given up the lease to the Islands, so the Council lacked its claimed authority. Due to this, as well as the lack of magistrates due to the absence of any local property owners, the Islands had become increasingly lawless. Moreover, due to the then-popular local practice of parents dividing their land between all of their children, farm holdings had become increasingly smaller and confusing, with many of the individual holdings being too small to sustain those who occupied them.
Smith signed a 99-year lease for the Islands for £20,000 on 20 November 1834, and became the Lord Proprietor of the Isles of Scilly, having visited the islands himself to assess them. In return, Smith was to pay a £40 a year rent to the Duchy, as well as spend £5,000 on building a new church and quay for St Mary's. He was also to be responsible for selecting and employing the Island's teachers and clergy. Smith gave himself the title of Lord Proprietor when he took on the lease for the islands.
In March 1835, Smith, along with five others, became Magistrates for the Islands. Smith did not allow any clergy members onto the magistrates bench, due to their perceived "propensity for causing trouble". Smith employed W.T. Johns as his agent.