Pemberton – Augustus Frederick
Augustus Frederick Pemberton (1808(circa)-1891) came from a privileged Irish family: his father had been Lord Mayor (1806) and then Chief Magistrate of Police in Dublin.
After training to be a lawyer, Augustus Pemberton left Ireland in 1855 for Vancouver Island at the urging of his nephew Joseph Despard Pemberton who was at that time acting as surveyor for the Hudson’s Bay Company.
He was a close friend of, and in 1858 became brother in law to, Chartres Brew who held prominent policing and magisterial positions on the BC Mainland.
In 1858 the Fraser River Gold Rush resulted in a sudden massive influx of mainland-bound gold-seekers to Victoria. To maintain law and order on July 17 of that year Governor James Douglas appointed Augustus Pemberton as Stipendiary Magistrate and Commissioner of Police for Vancouver Island and authorized him to organise a regular body of police for Victoria. This he did along the lines of the London Metropolitan model, with the 14 or so policemen wearing blue uniforms with large plain brass buttons.
Pemberton was succeeded as magistrate by A.C. Elliott in 1874, but continued to head the Victoria Police until 1875.
References
Hatch, Frederick John. 1955. The British Columbia Police, 1858-1871. University of British Columbia Faculty of Arts Department of History Masters of Arts Thesis Chapter VIII pages 98 – 103. https://open.library.ubc.ca/soa/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/831/items/1.0106820
Obee, Dave. 2008. Local History / Family post. Victoria Police mark 150 years. https://www.daveobee.com/victoria/20080706.htm
Mackie, Richard. Dictionary of Canadian Biography Volume XII (1891-1900). Pemberton, Joseph Despard. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/pemberton_joseph_despard_12E.html
WikiTree. Augustus Frederick Pemberton https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Pemberton-1843