Guide to the Papers of James Coutts Crawford (as filmed by the AJCP), 1817-1880

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Summary

Collection number:

M600, M687-M688

Creator:

Crawford, James Coutts

Extent:

50 items

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.

Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.

Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February-23 September 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)

Availability:

Available

Background

Content Summary:

11 volumes of diaries covering 1837-1864 (excluding 1849-1856). They contain detailed entries describing Crawford's journeys and places visited, as well as his work in Australia and New Zealand.

Letters to Crawford 1840-1875, relating to family and business matters and mentioning building activity in New Zealand, the Fitzroy mines and the Richmond Hill silver mine, Victoria. Correspondents include Capt. William Loring, J.C. Bidwill and B.W. Mountfort.

Two manuscripts entitled 'Drafts for Book Australia Section 1838-1839' and 'Reminiscences', perhaps drafts for New Zealand section of book. These drafts give fuller descriptions than corresponding chapters in his book, Recollections of Travel in New Zealand and Australia (1880).

4. Sketchbook covering a journey up the Wanganui River, depicting Maori people, settlements and landscapes and a collection of watercolours and drawings of Australia and New Zealand. Subjects include Glebe 1844-1849, and other parts of Sydney; Eton Vale, Queensland; Mount Egmont and Taranaki, New Zealand.

Biographical / Historical:

James Coutts Crawford (1817-1889), the son of a naval officer, was born at Overton, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He was educated at the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth and served on several ships in South American waters and in the Mediterranean. He left the Navy in 1836 and in the following year sailed to Australia on the Coromandel. He made a number of journeys in the Sydney region and in 1838-39 was one of the first men to travel overland from Sydney to Adelaide.

In 1839 he made his first visit to New Zealand, where he journeyed from the Bay of Islands to Port Nicholson (Wellington). He bought a property on the Watts (Miramar) Peninsula from the New Zealand Company, where he established the Glendavar cattle farm. In 1841 he returned to Britain where he married Sophia Dundas, the daughter of Admiral Sir James Dundas.

Crawford and his wife sailed to New Zealand in 1846. He developed his farm, constructed a tunnel to drain Burnham Water, explored Wairarapa and took a strong interest in public affairs and relations with Maori leaders. The Crawfords spent a lengthy period in New South Wales, before returning to Britain, where Sophia died in 1852. In 1857 Crawford married Jessie McBarnet and again sailed to New Zealand. He expanded his farm and bought other properties in the Wairarapa and the Hutt Valley. In 1861 he was appointed provincial geologist and carried out a number of surveys in the country north of Wellington. He was a member of the Geological Society of London and wrote many articles on geology, botany, engineering and agriculture for the Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. He was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 1859 to 1867 and for many years he was resident magistrate and sheriff of Wellington. He had been a captain in the Lanark Militia and in 1864 was appointed a captain in the Wellington Militia. In 1880 Crawford published Recollections of travel in New Zealand and Australia. He died in London.

Access and use

Conditions Governing Access:: Available for access.
Conditions Governing Use:: Many of the records digitised as part of the AJCP are still in copyright. Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, in the first instance, from the owner of the original material.