Guise Brittan

Dr Guise Brittan
Caricature of Guise Brittan
Commissioner of Crown Lands for Canterbury
Preceded by	First
Personal details
Born	3 December 1809 Gloucester, South West England
Died	18 July 1876(1876-07-18) (aged 66) Christchurch
Resting place	St Paul's Anglican Church
Spouse(s)	Louisa Brittan (née Chandler)
Relations	Joseph Brittan (brother) Mary Rolleston (niece) Tony Foster (son-in-law) Emily Foster (daughter)
Residence	Englefield Lodge
Occupation	Surgeon, newspaper editor, farmer, administrator
Profession	Surgeon
Religion	Anglican

William Guise Brittan (3 December 1809 – 18 July 1876), mostly known as Guise Brittan and commonly referred to as W. G. Brittan, was the first Commissioner of Crown Lands for Canterbury in New Zealand.

Brittan was born in Gloucester, South West England, in 1809 into a respectable middle-class family that originated from Bristol. He received his education at Plymouth Grammar School, after which he studied medicine at Canterbury Christ Church University. He undertook several journeys on the General Palmer to China or India.

Later, he lived in Staines and then in Sherborne, Dorset, where, together with his older brother Joseph, he was proprietor of the Sherborne Mercury, a newspaper covering the area beyond the boundaries of Dorset. He married Louisa Brittan (née Chandler) and his brother married her sister Elizabeth Mary Brittan (née Chandler).

He joined the Canterbury Association, despite being of much lower class than most of its members. When a Society of Canterbury Colonists formed in 1850, with the objective of representing land purchasers (referred to as colonists, as opposed to 'emigrants' for labourers and artisans), Brittan was called to the chair for the first meeting on 25 April 1850. A management committee was formed, where Brittan was joined by James FitzGerald and Henry Sewell. Brittan impressed Edward Gibbon Wakefield, one of the instigators of the Canterbury Association. Wakefield wrote to John Robert Godley, the other driving force behind the colonisation scheme who was already in New Zealand, and suggested that Brittan be given a role of responsibility.

Brittan came to Christchurch on the Sir George Seymour in December 1850 and was thus one of the Pilgrims (the term adopted for all those early arrivals). His wife and four children travelled with him. He chose land at Papanui Bush and alongside the Avon River just outside the initial town area (these days the area to the east of Fitzgerald Avenue), where he built his first substantial home, Englefield Lodge. His older brother Joseph followed him to Christchurch in 1852 and established his farm some 800 metres (2,600 ft) downstream, which he called Linwood.