watercolourist, was born in Shirburn, Oxfordshire, fourth son of George Davenport, a banker, and Jane Devereux, née Davis. He was a brother of Sir Samuel Davenport, later a prominent South Australian viticulturalist. Robert studied law and worked as a solicitor in the Westminster courts. In 1842 he left England with Samuel to carry out a survey for their father, an agent for the South Australia Company. Between 1843 and 1849 he produced many landscape paintings; Adelaide from the North Bank of the River Torrens and At Noarlunga are in the Art Gallery of South Australia together with seven other watercolours he painted.
Davenport took up land in South Australia, became a pastoralist and developed an orchard. In 1851 he was elected to the Legislative Council as representative for the Hindmarsh district. He resigned three years later in order to continue farming and to campaign for religious freedom.
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- Writers:
- Staff Writer
- Date written:
- 1992
- Last updated:
- 2011
