Captain Charles Harvey (Hervey) Bagot was born in Nurney, County Kildare, Ireland in 17 April 1788. He arrived in South Australia in December 1840 aboard the Birman (ship) with his wife Mary and five children. His wife's name was Mary nee MacCarthy. They were married 23 November 1815 at Port Louis, Mauritius.

Captain Bagot was granted a property on the River Light which he called Koonunga. His son, Charles Samuel discovered a copper ore outcrop which was developed as the Kapunda copper mine. Bagot controlled the mine until 1857 when he floated a company which worked the mine successfully until 1877. Flooding in the mine shafts and low copper prices ended production at the mine in 1877.

Captain Bagot was also a member of Parliament in the Legislative Council for different periods: 1844 - 1851; 1851 - 1853; 1857 - 1859.

After spending time in Europe, the United States and England Captain Bagot returned to Adelaide in 1864 and became a member of the Legislative Council again from 1865 until 1869 when he resigned at the age of 81. At that time Governor Robe was trying to authorize the raising of royalties on minerals which Bagot opposed. Captain Bagot was considered the founder of the town of Kapunda. He opposed state aid to churches and fell out with the Anglican church but then became prominent in the establishment of the Congregational Church in North Adelaide.

He died at his home, Nurney House in North Adelaide on 29 July 1880.

Cockburn, R Pastoral pioneers of South Australia 2 v. Adelaide: Publishers Limited, 1925-1927 ("Reprinted from the Adelaide Stock and Station Journal.") vol. 1 pp. 100-101

Bagot, Charles Harvey A holograph memoir of Capt. Charles Harvey Bagot of the 87th regiment Adelaide [S. Aust.]: The Pioneers' Association of South Australia, [1960] (Adelaide? [S. Aust.: Hyde Park Press]

By the death of Captain Bagot, which occurred on July 29, South Australia has lost another of her early pioneers Australasian sketcher, 7 August 1880, p. 192

The late Captain Bagot Frearson's weekly illustrated, 18 September 1880, p. 435, col. a-b; 437

Charlton, Rob The history of Kapunda Hampstead Gardens, S.A.: Austaprint, [1979?]