APPOINTMENT, ARCHIBALD PAULL BURT AS AIDE-DE-CAMP ST KITTS

This document is representative of the adoption of British administrative practices in overseas territories. The document is complete (with embellishments) and in original condition.
The appointment records the advancement of the young Archibald Paull Burt in the public life of his birthplace within the British West Indies prior to his arrival in Western Australia. The aide-de-camp position was a part of the British military structure and so Burt's appointment as Lt. Colonel of the civilian militia at St Christopher defined his formal role in this hierarchy.

Sir Archibald Paull Burt (1810-1879) was born into a plantation-owning family on St Kitts Island (formerly St Christopher in the West Indies). Burt accepted the position of Civil Commissioner and Chairman of Quarter Sessions in Western Australia in 1860. In January 1861 he arrived in Western Australia with his family. Burt was instrumental in establishing the Supreme Court Australia in 1861 and became the first Chief Justice of Western Australia. Knighted for his contributions in 1873, he maintained a secluded life to ensure impartiality and professional detachment as sole judge in the colony until his death in 1879. Archibald Paull Burt’s impact and lasting legacy in Western Australia continues through his family members who have held governmental and legislative roles in the state for multiple generations.