Thomas Makdougall (Brisbane) Brisbane VIth of Brisbane (1773 - 1860)

Born 23 Jul 1773 in Brisbane House in Noddsdale, Ayrshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Anna Maria Hay (Makdougall) Makdougall-Brisbane — married 15 Nov 1819 in Makerston, Roxburgh, Scotland

Died 27 Jan 1860 at age 86 in Largs, North Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Terry Wright [send private message]

Preceded by Major-General Lachlan Macquarie CB

6th Governor of New South Wales 1 Dec 1821 to 1 Dec 1825

Succeeded by Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Darling GCH

Biography

Thomas (Brisbane) Brisbane VIth of Brisbane is Notable.

Major-General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet, GCH, GCB, FRS,^[1] FRSE was Governor of New South Wales Australia (1821–25, as recommended by the Duke of Wellington, with whom he had seen military service. Thomas Brisbane was keen astronomer, he built Australia's first observatory and helped scientific and agricultural training. Rivals smeared his reputation, who were in league with the Colonial Secretary, Goulburn, he had to defend his conduct, an inquest cleared him a new convict settlement was named after him, and became today's city of Brisbane.

Thomas Brisbane was born in 1773^[2] at Brisbane House in Noddsdale, near Largs in Ayrshire, Scotland, the son of Sir Thomas Brisbane and Dame Eleanora Brisbane^[3] he was educated in astronomy and mathematics at the University of Edinburgh. He joined the British Army the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot in 1789 and had a long career in Flanders, the West Indies, Spain and North America. He served under the Duke of Wellington, and in 1813 he was promoted to Major-General. He saw action during the Peninsular War.During the War of 1812, he led a brigade at the Battle of Plattsburgh in 1814. Brisbane received the Army Gold Cross with one clasp for the battles of Vitoria, the Pyrenees, Nivelle, Orthez, and Toulouse and the silver war medal with one clasp for the Nive. On 15 November 1819 he married Anna Maria Hay-Makdougall.^[4][5][6] They had issue:

1. Isabella Maria, b. 27 Aug 1820 c. 15 Sep 1820, d. 26 Feb 1849^[7][8][9]
2. Eleanor Australia, b. 7 Apr 1823, c. 5 Jun 1823, d. 9 Apr 1852^[10][11]
3. Thomas Australia, b. 24 Aug 1824, c. 8 Oct 1824.^[12][13]
4. Henry, b. 2 Mar 1826, c. 8 Mar 1826, d. 29 May 1826^[14][15][16]

Thomas Brisbane was appointed Governor of New South Wales In 1821 on the recommendation of Wellington, a post he held until 1825 Brisbane took over the government on 1 December 1821. As Governor he tackled the many problems of a fast growing and expanding colony. He worked to improve the land grants system and to reform the currency Brisbane become the first President of the Philosophical Society of Australasia that later became the Royal Society of New South Wales, the oldest learned institution in the Southern Hemisphere. He also set up the first agricultural training college in New South Wales and was the first patron of the New South Wales Agricultural Society he conducted experiments in growing tobacco, cotton, coffee and New Zealand flax in the colony.

Brisbane did not receive support from Frederick Goulburn, the colonial secretary early in April 1822 he discovered how easy grants of land had been obtained so he introduced a new system under which every grant had the stipulation that for every 100 acres (400,000 m2) granted the grantee would maintain free of expense to the crown one convict labourer. He also encouraged agriculture on government land, help fix granting of tickets of leave and pardons and introduced, in 1823, a system of calling for supplies by tender. When Dr. Robert Wardell and William Wentworth brought out their paper the Australian in 1824, Brisbane tried the experiment of allowing full freedom of the press.

In 1823 Brisbane sent Lieutenant John Oxley to find a new site for convicts who were repeat offenders Oxley discovered a large river flowing into Moreton Bay a year later, the first convicts arrived at Moreton Bay. Brisbane visited the settlement in December 1824 Oxley suggested that both the river and the settlement be named after Brisbane the convict settlement was declared a town in 1834 and opened to free settlement in 1839.

Charges of various kinds against Brisbane were sent to England the worst of these, that he had sent female convicts to Emu Plains for immoral purposes, was investigated by William Stewart, the lieutenant-governor, John Stephen, assistant judge, and the Rev. William Cowper, senior assistant-chaplain, and found the charges with out any foundation.

Brisbane left Sydney in December 1825 and arrived in Scotland in 1826, he settled down to the life of a country gentleman and took interest in science, his estate, and his regiment he was elected president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1832 before Sir Walter Scott, and in 1836 he was created a Baronet.Brisbane died much respected and honoured on 27 January 1860 in Largs^[17][18][19] and is buried, with his four children who had died before him, in the Brisbane Aisle Vault, which is in the small kirkyard next to Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs Old Kirk. His wife survived him but died on 6 Sep 1862.^[20]

Sources

1. ↑ Burke, John and Burke, John Bernard, "A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland", London: Harrison & Sons,1898, Ed. 9 Vol. I, Hathitrust, p. 167
2. ↑ England and Wales Census, 1851," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGPD-24F : 10 November 2017), Thomas M Brisbane, Newchurch, Hampshire, England; citing Newchurch, Hampshire, England, p. 28, from "1851 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
3. ↑ Makedougall-Brisbane, Thomas, "Reminiscences of General Sir Thomas Makedougall Brisbane", Edinburgh: Thomas Constable, 1860, Archive.org, p. 5
4. ↑ "Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTFB-V4N : 11 February 2020), Thomas Brisbane, 1819.
5. ↑ "Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYQT-GW5 : 11 February 2020), Thomas Baronet MacDougall-Brisbane, 1819.
6. ↑ "Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYQT-GMW : 11 February 2020), Thomas Baronet Makdougal-Brisbane, 1819.
7. ↑ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XT6X-3HR : 11 February 2020), Thomas Brisbane in entry for Isabella Maria Brisbane, 1820.
8. ↑ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VQH8-5DX : 11 February 2020), Thomas Baronet MacDougall-Brisbane in entry for Isabella Maria MacDougall-Brisbane, 1820.
9. ↑ "British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPZS-KCZP : 17 April 2019), Thomas MacDougall Brisbane, General Sir in entry for Isabella Maria Brisbane, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom; records extracted FamilySearch and images digitized by FindMyPast; citing Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom, 10 Mar 1849, The British Newspaper Archive, Ireland; FHL microfilm .
10. ↑ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XT6X-3HB : 11 February 2020), Thomas Brisbane in entry for Eleanor Australia Brisbane, 1823.
11. ↑ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VQH8-5J4 : 11 February 2020), Thomas Baronet MacDougall-Brisbane in entry for Eleanor Australia MacDougall-Brisbane, 1823.
12. ↑ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XT6X-3C9 : 11 February 2020), Thomas Brisbane in entry for Thomas Australia Brisbane, 1824.
13. ↑ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VQHD-QCQ : 11 February 2020), Thomas Baronet MacDougall-Brisbane in entry for Thomas Australia MacDougall-Brisbane, 1824.
14. ↑ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XT6X-36D : 11 February 2020), Thomas Brisbane in entry for Henry Brisbane, 1826.
15. ↑ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VQHD-QD7 : 11 February 2020), Thomas Baronet MacDougall-Brisbane in entry for Henry MacDougall-Brisbane, 1826.
16. ↑ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VQHD-QSH : 11 February 2020), Thomas Baronet MacDougall-Brisbane in entry for Henry MacDougall-Brisbane, 1826.
17. ↑ Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1860; Burial, Largs, , North Ayrshire, Scotland, Largs Old Parish Church and Burial Ground; Find A Grave: Memorial #172808440
18. ↑ "British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPZW-8M4Y : 17 April 2019), Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, General Sir, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom; records extracted FamilySearch and images digitized by FindMyPast; citing Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom, 4 Feb 1860, The British Newspaper Archive, Ireland; FHL microfilm .
19. ↑ "British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPZ7-S5GN : 17 April 2019), Thomas MacDougall Brisbane, General Sir, York, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom; records extracted FamilySearch and images digitized by FindMyPast; citing York, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, 4 Feb 1860, The British Newspaper Archive, Ireland; FHL microfilm .
20. ↑ "British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPZW-PHFN : 17 April 2019), Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, General Sir in entry for Makdougall Brisbane, Lady, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom; records extracted FamilySearch and images digitized by FindMyPast; citing Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom, 6 Sep 1862, The British Newspaper Archive, Ireland; FHL microfilm .

See also:

• The London Gazette Publication date:23 February 1836 Issue:19359 page :358. Article Thomas Brisbane created Baronet

• Australian Dictionary of Biography: Thomas Makdougall Brisbane published first in hardcopy 1966, accessed online 6 June 2019.This article has been amended since its original publication. View Original This article was first published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1, (MUP), 1966

• Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW : 1888 - 1954) p.10; Friday 5th February, 1915 Article SIR THOMAS MAKDOUGALL BRISBANE.

• Britannica.com - Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, Baronet

• Museum of Brisbane - Tracking down the elusive Sir Thomas Brisbane

• Wikipedia: Thomas Brisbane

• Wikidata: Item Q376367, en:Wikipedia