Robert Pitcairn Print Page 
The marble bust commemorates Robert Pitcairn (1802 - 1861), solicitor.
In his early colonial experience his most important public service was as a member of a government committee set up during the depression of the 1840s to consider the law relating to insolvency. Their report, published in September 1844, recommended the abolition of imprisonment for debt and the protection of creditors of small sums, proposals which closely followed English legislation. In 1845 Pitcairn became active in the cause for which he is chiefly remembered: the cessation of transportation, and its corollary the introduction of responsible government.
Pitcairn was a member of the Church of England, and the respect and affection in which he was held were expressed in a window to his memory in St David's Cathedral, Hobart. He died in 1861.
Yesterday afternoon at three o'clock, the ceremony of unveiling the bust of the late Mr. Robert Pitcairn, solicitor of the Supreme Court, took place in the Court House, Macquarie Street in the presence of a number of visitors. The bust, of white marble, was placed on a pedestal in the south-west corner of the Court, and a small dais was provided for His Honor Sir Valentine Fleming, Knt., Chief Justice, who had complied with the invitation of the committee to unveil the bust.
The Mercury (Hobart) 16th February 1866.
Location
| Address: | Salamanca Place, Supreme Court, Hobart, 7000 |
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| State: | TAS |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -42.886017 Long: 147.329975 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Sculpture |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Legal |
| Artist: | Charles Summers |
| Link: | http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/adbonli… |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Thursday 15th February, 1866 |
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Robert Pitcairn 1802 - 1861
Robert Pitcairn was one of the first practioners to be admitted to this Court. He is chiefly remembered for the important contribution he made to the campaign to abolish transportation and to establish responsible government.
This bust was unveiled in the Supreme Court, Macquarie Street, by the Chief Justice, Sir Valentine Fleming, on 15th February 1866
