Joseph Barritt

Joseph Barritt (1816 – 17 August 1881) was a pastoralist and politician in the colony of South Australia.

Barritt was born in Hazeleigh, near Maldon, Essex, and emigrated to South Australia on the Anna Robertson in 1839 with an introduction to John Barton Hack, a fellow Quaker for whom he ran a farm. He next ran a farm for John Richardson, later taking up his own properties "Woodlands" around 1856 then "Riverside" around 1859, both in the Lyndoch Valley.

He was for several years partner with Walter Duffield in a 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) pastoral lease adjacent to the Burra Special Survey.

He was for many years a member of the Barossa East Council, and in 1859 succeeded Thomas Sandland as Chairman. There was a long association between the Barritts and Sandlands. Two Sandland boys married Barritt girls and in 1886 H. T. H. Morris, W. E. Sandland and E. Barritt formed the auctioneering firm of Morris, Sandland and Barritt, which in 1888 was incorporated as Wilkinson, Dempsey and Sandland Ltd.

In November 1862 he was elected to the House of Assembly, as Duffield's associate for the seat of Barossa, but retired after little more than one year, owing to rapidly deteriorating eyesight, and became almost totally blind. His wife died on 27 June 1881 and he died a few months later.

He married Mary Ann Harrison (ca.1815 – 5 April 1848) on 7 March 1843, the first Quaker marriage in South Australia. She died in childbirth. He married again, to Hanna Sophia May (ca.1819 – 27 June 1881) whose father, Joseph May (1787 – 11 March 1878), was a prominent Mount Barker Quaker, on 12 May 1853. Their children were:

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