Crompton and Sons

Joseph Crompton (17 January 1840 – 27 April 1901) was a vigneron, manufacturer and exporter who founded several companies in the early days of the colony of South Australia.

History

He was born in Liverpool the fourth son of Woodhouse Crompton and his wife Lucy (née Fletcher). After the death of his parents, he was brought up by his maternal aunts at Rivington Hall, the Fletcher family home in Lancashire. After attending a boarding school in Knutsford^[1] he decided to emigrate to South Australia in the hope of improving his health and making a fortune. To help in this second ambition he carried an introduction to the family of Francis Clark, Unitarians like himself.

He sailed on the SS Great Britain, arriving in Melbourne on 24 September 1860 and Adelaide a month later.

In Adelaide, he found employment working with Henry Septimus Clark in his capacity as engineer and secretary for the East Torrens District Council, and took over many of his duties, while forming a close friendship. (This council covered the area from the East Parklands to the Mount Lofty Ranges and as far north as Norton Summit, South Australia.)

Wine

In 1858 Henry had bought an Adelaide Hills property dubbed "Stonyfell" by his fiancee Annie Martin, and by 1862 he and Robert Slape had planted some 34 acres of vines and largely completed the two-storey cellars.^[2] On 21 May 1862^[3] Henry formed a partnership with his brother Sidney and Joseph Crompton. Henry died in 1864 and in 1873 Joseph (who had meanwhile married Susan Mary Clark and together toured bought out Sidney's share, becoming sole owner, but retained the business name "Clark & Crompton" until 1880. Joseph and his family moved into Stonyfell Cottage which had been built in 1838 by the previous owner William? James? Edlin.^[3] In 1901 the whole family, with the exception of H. W. Crompton, was still living there.^[4]

Clark & Crompton employed as winemaker Henry Tyler, who produced a Dry Red Burgundy, a Dry White Hock, a Light Red and a Muscat from their own and other growers' grapes, producing in the 1870s around 9,000 gallons (41,000 litres) each vintage.^[2] With the sale of the property in 1888, Francis Crompton had no further interest in winemaking, but Henry Martin and his son Ronald took over the winemaking business from Dunstan in 1902 and in 1934 purchasing vineyards and cellars from the Dunstan estate.^[2]

Olives

In 1874 he founded the Stonyfell Olive Company Ltd. with William Mair and Sidney Clark^[1] on 130 acres (53 ha) of Stonyfell land. This business became largely owned by the family of Owen Crompton after his marriage to Sarah Simpson, daughter of A. M. Simpson, who settled on her the whole of his considerable stake in the company. With the inexorable expansion of Adelaide's suburbs, the land was sold to developers.^[3]

Wool and leather

In 1878 he began exporting skins to Britain^[4] and in 1879 he bought a ten-acre (4 ha) property in what is now Beverley, South Australia for stabilizing skins and hides and skins for export to English fellmongers. In 1882 he opened a similar establishment in Footscray, Victoria.

At one stage Cromptons were exporting 1000 bales of rabbit skins annually or 150 tons per week.^[3]

He is believed to have been the first to export kangaroo skins to England, sometime before 1883, to Booth and Company (England) Ltd. Over 80,000 skins were exported to the same company in 1952.^[3]

Other raw materials

For a considerable time Cromptons were exporting accroides resin from the yacca plant (Xanthorrhoea spp.) obtained when Kangaroo Island land was being cleared; in one year 1200 tons were exported. This resource is effectively non-renewable.^[3]

Soap

In 1878 Joseph founded the Bunyip Soap factory on 53 acres (21 ha) to the south of Port Pirie. In 1889 the factory moved to the banks of the Torrens on Winwood Street, Southwark, previously occupied by T. Cornish's tannery, where it was managed by J. Milbourne, previously with the Apollo Soapworks then J. Kitchen and Sons. The company was still operating from the same premises, adjacent to F. H. Faulding Ltd., in 1962.^[3] The name Bunyip Soap Company was registered in 1898 and from ca.1955 as Crompton Bunyip Soaps Ltd until ca.1991 when the firm went into voluntary liquidation.^[5]

Around 1900, Bunyip Soaps opened an office in Perth^[6] and had a factory at 25 Cliff Street, Fremantle in the first half of the 20th century.^[7][8]

Grazing

He leased a 500 sq. miles (1295 km²) (190,000) acres property near Keith, South Australia where he grazed sheep, later selling the 300,000 acres (120,000 ha) for £6000.

Farming

He purchased a dairy farm of 116 acres (47 ha) on Port Road, Woodville, South Australia.^[3]

Purchased 500 acres (202 ha) at Carrickalinga, South Australia near Myponga, South Australia.

Depression

Like John Barton Hack in the 1840 depression, Francis Crompton was ill-equipped to weather the financial downturn of 1884–1885. His assets were too diverse and widespread and he was forced to relinquish Carrickalinga and Stonyfell to the Bank of Adelaide, but retaining the Stonyfell house. In 1888 the property was purchased by quarry operator Henry Dunstan, who took on Henry Martin as his secretary and accountant. The great hill on the Stonyfell property was still being quarried by Dunstan's family (as Quarry Industries Ltd.) well over a century later,^[3] though the vineyard was later purchased by the Martin family, closely related to the Clarks.-->

The same year, Joseph sold the house "Ilfracombe" on the Stonyfell Road to Henry Martin. This property was built for Mr. James George Nash F.R.C.S., the Colonial Surgeon and later owned by pastoralist John Hallett.^[2]

Family

He married (Susan) Mary Clark (28 February 1846 – 20 July 1932) on 8 May 1866^[1][9] Mary Crompton worked with sister Emily Clark on the boarding-out committee and succeeded her on the State Children's Council in 1906.

They had ten children:

• Henry Woodhouse Crompton (28 June 1867 – 10 November 1946) studied law, married Kate Brooke "Katie" Smith (c. 1868 – 12 September 1948) on 18 May 1893, was manager of the Olive Company 1889 – , and managing director of the Bunyip Soap Company. Lived at Northumberland St, Heathpool
• Lucy Crompton (31 July 1868 – )
• Martha "Patty" Crompton (26 February 1870 – )
• Alfred "Alf" Crompton (17 January 1872 – )
• Dorothea "Dora" Crompton (1873 – c. 6 October 1881)
• Owen Crompton (1875–1923) married Sarah Simpson, daughter of Alfred M. Simpson of Young House, Parkside, on 27 September 1904. He was manager of the Olive Company (1899– ) and owner of Alma Chambers.
• Robert "Bob" Crompton (1878 – ) manager Olive Company 1923 –
• Thomas "Tom" Crompton (30 April 1880 – )
• Bernard "Bun" Crompton (7 July 1882 – )
• Harriet "Hetty" Crompton (11 February 1884 – )
• John Crompton (1885 – )

Joseph Crompton suffered a form of paralysis from 1889 to 1891, and it was a recurrence of this which killed him in 1901.^[4]

References