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The British Presence
in Southern Patagonia
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in Southern Patagonia
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"Anglo" names from the book by Herbert Childs
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You are here: Home Page > Name lists > James Radburne biography
James Radburne was born in 1874 in Inkpen, Berkshire, the son of a farm labourer. At the age of 18 he was hired by the Waldron family to work on a ranch in Tierra del Fuego. Adapting rapidly to the rough-and-tumble lifestyle prevalent in those early days, he moved easily between one seasonal employment and another in Magallanes Territory. Eventually he married a Tehuelche woman, settling in the Argentine cordillera beside Lago San Martín; short family bio
In 1932, "El Jimmy" (as he became known) wrote to the Barretts, who had recently published a biography of another Patagonian character, Ned Chace, inviting them to write his biography also. They in turn contacted Herbert Childs and his wife Marjorie, who accepted the invitation, travelling to meet Radburne on his ranch, Estancia Nana, Santa Cruz Province. Their book is based on conversations over a period of five months.
The people mentioned by Jimmy and listed here either were British, or had "anglo"-sounding names. The reader should be cautious in interpreting these anecdotes, since names and events recalled in later life may have suffered some distortion.
Note: Jimmy's surname has been rendered in various ways, including Radbourn, Radborne and Radboone. He referred to himself as Santiago, the Spanish form of his first name. Page numbers (below) refer to the book's first edition.
| ----- first reference --------------- | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| last/first name | page | year | location | information |
| "Black Jock" | 128 | c1898 | n/a | Scotsman |
| "Cockeyed George" | 126 | 1890s | n/a | Englishman; good walker |
| "Gordos" | 343 | c1910 | Ea. La Maipú | (apparently) nickname for Giles and Carpenter |
| "Jones Grande" | 146 | 1900 | Ea. Oazy Harbour | capable jockey; (p217) met Jimmy near Río Zurdo; (p299) helped to bury Cacique Mulato |
| "Jumbo Clark" | 215 | c1901 | Ea. Pecket Harbour | in charge of horses |
| "Long Alec" | 125 | c1895 | Ea. Oazy Harbour | North American Gayhead Indian [New England Wampanoag nation]; cook; prodigious walker |
| "Pato Palo" | 249 | c1901 | Ea. Río Zurdo | Englishman with wooden leg |
| [MacLean?], Colin | 119 | 1896 | Punta Arenas | ran Caledonian Hotel |
| Bell, Lorenzo | 255 | c1901 | Cañadón Suárez | Argentine gaucho; guided Jimmy across Mata Negra pampa |
| Berrington, | 76 | n/a | captain of US sealer "Sarah Hunt" | |
| Bramble, Dick | 80 | c1893 | Ea. Springhill | shepherd |
| Braxton, Toby | 50 | 1892 | n/a | shipmate of Jimmy's on voyage to Punta Arenas; contracted by Waldron & Wood in Tierra del Fuego; (before 1932) settled on Chilean side of Lago San Martín; raised sheep |
| Cameron, [John] | 86 | 1894 | Ea. Laguna Romero | part owner of estancia |
| Campbell, | 373 | c1923 | Piedra Clavada | rider |
| Campbell, Archie | 95 | 1894 | Ea. Oazy Harbour | American; runaway sailor |
| Carpenter, | 335 | c1907 | Ea. La Maipú | partner of Giles; (p336) 1908 returned to Patagonia; (p362) c1914 obtained 8 leagues of land beside Lago San Martín |
| Chace, Ned | 15 | n/a | North American; subject of book "A Yankee in Patagonia" by Robert & Katherine Barrett; (p360) c1914 explored Lago San Martín by boat | |
| Chapman, | 336 | 1907 | Ea. La Maipú | gaucho; Argentine of British parents |
| Collier, Charlie | 85 | 1894 | Ea. Laguna Romero | shanty shepherd; married |
| Davis, Bill | 128 | c1898 | n/a | horse trainer |
| Doherty, Johnny | 379 | 1929 | Puerto Santa Cruz | n/a |
| Douglas, | 242 | c1901 | Ea. Esperanza | farmer |
| Douglas, Tom | 85 | 1894 | Ea. Laguna Romero | shanty shepherd; married |
| Downer, Bill | 60 | n/a | from Newfoundland; (c1890) shipwrecked off Tierra del Fuego; (1892) worked at Ea. Springhill; (p77) ran the estancia's cutter; (p106) at Ea. Dinamarquero; (p321) 1906 met Jimmy at Laguna Escondida; ranch partner of O'Keefe and Wilson; (p348) 1913 worked new farm on pampa | |
| Felton, | 379 | 1929 | Puerto Santa Cruz | hotel owner; married |
| Ferrier, | 86 | 1894 | Ea. Laguna Romero | proficient horse tamer; (p93) to Ea. Pecket Harpour |
| Finger, Charlie | 88 | 1894 | Ea. Laguna Romero | ran boliche |
| Ford, Bill | 339 | c1908 | Isla Doble | applied for title to land; (p340) looked after Jimmy's sheep |
| Giles, [Alfred] | 127 | 1897 | Ultima Esperanza | settler; met Jimmy; (p334) c1908 arrived at Lago San Martín from south; known to Jimmy in England; (p335) bought Maipú land in Buenos Aires |
| Gray, | 195 | c1901 | Punta Arenas | North American businessman |
| Hardy, Frank | 108 | 1895 | Ea. Dinamarquero | n/a |
| Harris, Lionel | 331 | c1907 | Ea. La Elena | n/a |
| Harris, Walter + brother [George?] | 146 | 1900 | Ea. Oazy Harbour | ran small farm nearby |
| Hazleup [Hyslop], Sam | 66 | n/a | Indian hunter; of English descent; came to Tierra del Fuego from Falklands; good horseman; proficient with lasso; (p70) received several arrow wounds; (p71) said to have died by being pushed off a cliff | |
| Hope, Bill | 120 | 1896 | Punta Arenas | sheep farmer at San Julián |
| Hunter, | 94 | 1894 | Ea. Oazy Harbour | farm manager; claimed to be American, but thought to be Dutch; capable horse tamer/ blacksmith/ cook/ shearer |
| Johnson, Harry | 131 | 1899 | Ultima Esperanza | grazed Jimmy's sheep on his pasture; (p304) 1905 bought most of the sheep |
| Lewis, Frank | 377 | 1929 | Puerto Santa Cruz | owned Ea. Margarita |
| Lively brothers | 307 | c1906 | Chilean Patagonia | went north into Argentina |
| Lively, Betty | 38 | 1932 | Ea. Nana | daughter of one of the Lively brothers |
| Lively, Bill | 229 | 1901 | Tres Pasos | (p134) 1907 invited Jimmy to Ea. La Elena |
| Lively, Bob | 325 | 1907 | Ea. La Elena | (p340) lodged in Puerto Santa Cruz |
| Lively, Hugo | 35 | 1932 | Ea. La Elena | owner; (p36) from Sussex; (p331) c1907 arrived from England; (p380) arrived at Puerto Santa Cruz from England; married |
| Louis [Lewis?], James | 55 | 1892 | Punta Arenas | from Falklands; hotelier and storekeeper; married |
| MacBean, Donald | 343 | c1910 | Ea. La Elena | owned small farm at Piedra Clavada |
| MacDonald, | 66 | n/a | Indian hunter | |
| MacDonald, Alec | 113 | c1895 | Cabeza del Mar | hotelkeeper; married |
| MacDonald, Maggie | 113 | c1895 | Cabeza del Mar | niece of Alec MacDonald |
| Macintosh, | 140 | c1899 | Ea. Oazy Harbour | Scotsman |
| MacLean, | 113 | c1895 | Punta Arenas | supplied horses |
| MacLeod, | 93 | 1894 | Ea. Laguna Romero | farm manager |
| MacVittie, | 35 | 1932 | Ea. Viedma Tercera | manager; married |
| MacVittie, Miriam Daphne | 391 | 1933 | Ea. Viedma Tercera | daughter of the MacVitties |
| Marshall, | 305 | c1905 | Laguna Laura | English settler; married to a Tehuelche |
| McGinty, | 139 | c1899 | Ea. Oazy Harbour | occasional shearer |
| Morris, | 105 | 1895 | Ea. Dinamarquero | ran boliche; married |
| Morrison, [Alexander?] | 112 | c1895 | Laguna Larga | rancher; (p114) travelled to Río Zurdo |
| Morrison, [Alexander] | 156 | 1900 | Ea. Río Penitente | rancher |
| Nicholson, Malcolm | 127 | 1898 | n/a | contracted to manage 600 sheep for Jimmy; (p131) 1899 in Ultima Esperanza |
| O'Keefe, Jack | 322 | 1906 | Río de la Vueltas | ranch partner of Downer and Wilson |
| Pitaluga, Dick | 331 | c1907 | Ea. La Elena | gaucho |
| Potter, | 59 | 1892 | Punta Arenas | captain of schooner "Louisa"; (p60) supplied estancias and miners in Tierra del Fuego; (p61) reportedly scuttled ship off Atlantic coast and departed via Falklands; said to have been in Newfoundland |
| Radburne, Arturo | 49 | 1932 | Ea. Nana | son of Jimmy; spoke only Spanish; 14 years old (in 1932); (p368) (presumably the child born in 1918) |
| Radburne, Catalina | 346 | 1912 | Ea. Nana | daughter of Jimmy, born 1912; (p389) married a Chilean |
| Radburne, Enrique | 338 | c1911 | Ea. Nana | son of Jimmy, born c1911; (p365) went to school in Paso Ibáñez |
| Radburne, Henry | 42 | 1932 | Ea. Nana | father of Jimmy; prize fighter (as a young man); gamekeeper; (p43) died when Jimmy was 17 |
| Radburne, James | 13 | n/a | n/a | [the book's protagonist] born 1874 at Inkpen, Berkshire; (pp. 36, 48, 49) married (1913) to Tehuelche woman (Juana), who spoke Spanish but no English |
| Radburne, Jorge [George] | 36 | 1932 | Ea. Nana | younger son of Jimmy; didn't speak English well; (p349) born 1913 in Puerto Santa Cruz |
| Radburne, Juanita | 48 | 1932 | Ea. Nana | daughter of Jimmy; spoke only Spanish; (p375) (presumably born c1919) |
| Radburne, Maria | 49 | 1932 | Ea. Nana | daughter of Jimmy; spoke only Spanish; younger than Arturo |
| Radburne, Miguel | 49 | 1932 | Ea. Nana | son of Jimmy; spoke only Spanish; younger than Arturo; (p373) born 1925 |
| Radburne, Nana | 48 | 1932 | Ea. Nana | daughter of Jimmy; (p49) renowned horsewoman and tamer; spoke English; (p328) born 1907; (p365) went to school in Paso Ibáñez; (p389) married an Englishman; separated after their child was born |
| Radburne, Santiago | 36 | 1932 | Ea. Nana | older son of Jimmy; spoke English well; (p334) born 1909; (p365) went to school in Paso Ibáñez |
| Reynard, [Henry] | 93 | 1894 | Ea. Oazy Harbour | owned 100,000 sheep and hundreds of cattle and horses; renowned for providing good working conditions |
| Ross, Peter | 170 | c1901 | n/a | farm manager; gave Jimmy colts to tame |
| Sargent, Gilbert | 255 | c1901 | Ea. Ruben Aike | shanty shepherd |
| Saxby, | 255 | c1901 | Ea. Ruben Aike | ranch manager |
| Scott, | 157 | 1900 | Ea. Bella Vista | (p299) had cattle |
| Sinclair, | 340 | 1910 | Puerto Santa Cruz | agent; (p372) 1922 died |
| Stewart, | 121 | 1896 | Punta Arenas | n/a |
| Swinhoe, Bill | 77 | 1893 | Ea. Springhill | good boxer; (p81) III-1894 left Springhill with Jimmy; (p84) took job at Cabeza del Mar; (p133) farm manager at Río Zurdo; visited Tehuelches with El Jimmy; (p150) 1900 at horse race near Oazy Harbour |
| Swinhoe, Ernest | 77 | 1893 | Ea. Springhill | stationed at "The Point"; (p114) travelled with Jimmy from Cabeza del Mar to Pozo de la Reina; (p115) ran boliche at Laguna Romero |
| Taylor, | 116 | c1895 | Ea. Oazy Harbour | Australian; in charge of farm shed |
| Thompson, | 128 | c1898 | n/a | recently arrived from Falklands; very good jockey |
| Treehorn [Trehern?], | 365 | 1917 | Ea. Viedma Primera | general manager for Menéndez estancias Viedma Primera/ Segunda/ Tercera |
| Wales, Jo [Ernest?] | 62 | 1892 | Ea. Springhill | joint manager (with brother Monty) |
| Wales, Monty [Montague] | 62 | 1892 | Ea. Springhill | joint manager (with brother Jo) |
| Wallace, | 50 | 1892 | Tierra del Fuego | went to work for Waldron & Wood |
| Williams, Ned | 71 | n/a | English; said to have been killed by Indians (after 1894) | |
| Wilson, Charlie | 322 | 1906 | Río de la Vueltas | ranch partner of Downer and O'Keefe; (p323) sent bullock cart to Puerto Santa Cruz |
| Young, [Stanton-Yonge, Edward] | 118 | c1895 | Ea. Fenton Station | imported pedigree Lincolm rams from England |