John Bigge | |
|---|---|
 John Thomas Bigge, 1819, watercolour portrait by Thomas Uwins | |
| Born | John Thomas Bigge 8 March 1780 Northumberland, England |
| Died | 22 December 1843 Grosvenor Hotel, London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Judge and royal commissioner |
John Thomas Bigge (8 March 1780 – 22 December 1843) was an English judge and royal commissioner. He is mostly known for his inquiry into the British colony of New South Wales published in the early 1820s. His reports favoured a return to the harsh treatment of convicts and the utilisation of them as cheap agricultural labour for wealthy sheep-farming colonists. Bigge's reports also resulted in the resignation of Governor Lachlan Macquarie whose policies promoted the advancement of ex-convicts back into society.[1]
- ^ Hughes, Robert (1987). The Fatal Shore. London: Collins.