John Blaxland (explorer)

John Blaxland (4 January 1769 – 5 August 1845) was a pioneer settler and explorer in Australia.

Blaxland was born in Kent, the eldest son of gentleman farmer John Blaxland and Mary, née Parker, of Fordwich, Kent, England. He was the older brother of early Australian explorer Gregory Blaxland. His father died when he was eleven and the family moved to Canterbury where he and his brother were educated at The King's School. In 1887 he joined the army and rose to become a captain. He resigned his commission in 1792 and returned to manage the family estates at Newington, Kent. His first wife Sarah, née Davies, whom he married in 1794, died in childbirth. In 1797 he married Harriet, daughter of Jean Louis de Marquett, merchant of Calcutta and a former guard of Louis XVI; they had four sons and six daughters.

In 1805 John Blaxland and his younger brother Gregory were persuaded by Joseph Banks to emigrate to Australia. Blaxland made a good bargain with the English government which agreed that if he brought £6000 to the colony he would be granted 8000 acres (32 km²) of land, the labour of 80 convicts who would be fed for 18 months by the government, and a free passage for himself, his wife, children and servants.

Gregory was the first to sail to New South Wales while John remained to sell the family estate in Kent. John Blaxland reached Sydney on 4 April 1807, having, in conjunction with Hulletts brothers, of London, built The Three Brothers, a ship of 252 tons, carrying eight guns and a crew of 21 to bring himself, his wife, and four daughters, a governess, two female servants, a bailiff, a carpenter, a man for agricultural purposes and a boy to this land, Oliver Russell being the master.

He arrived with instructions to Governor Bligh to give him various concessions in place of the free passage. Bligh was no more helpful than he thought necessary, but Blaxland obtained cattle from the government herd, and started a dairy in Sydney, and also sold meat and vegetables.

Blaxland did a very useful piece of work in reducing the prices of these necessities, but Bligh insisted that he should go in for agriculture as well as grazing. He antagonized Blaxland, who joined in the deposition of Bligh in January 1808, but Blaxland could not get the concessions he wanted from Colonel Johnston

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