John Brock (1796 - 1856)

Born 23 Apr 1796 in Kirkliston, Linlithgowshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Jean (Simpson) Brock — married 4 Sep 1817 in Kirkliston, Linlithgowshire, Scotland

Husband of Catherine (Murray) Brock — married 26 Jul 1849 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Descendants

Died 6 Nov 1856 at age 60 in Victoria, Australia

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Biography

John Brock was born in Scotland.

John Brock migrated from Scotland to Victoria.

John Brock was born in Kirkliston Parish^[1], Linlithgowshire, Scotland on 23 April 1796.

On 22 August 1817 John Brock and Jean Simpson gave up their names for proclamation in order to marriage at Kirkliston Parish, Linlithgowshire, Scotland.^[2][3]

He married Jean Simpson in Scotland on 4 September 1817^[4]

John, his wife Jean Simpson, whose sons, Henry, Alexander and James Millar, were born in Scotland, travelled to Tasmania arriving on the "Edward Coulston", 10 October 1833. John's interest appeared to be in the new colony of Port Phillip, making at least one exploratory visit prior to the decision to establish his family there in 1836.^[5]

John Brock was a passenger on board the 'Henry' which departed Launceston 28 June 1836 for Port Phillip ^[6] There were five Brocks on board (H. Brock, ? Brock, Jm Brock, Jno Brock and Mrs Brock) as well as four other passengers and nine crew.

According to "Pastures New - Billis and Kenyon" which is the account of the pastoral occupation of Port Phillip, John Brock and his family arrived on the "Henry" on 28 June 1836 with 1836 sheep and 6 head of cattle. Shipping of stock from Van Diemans land to Port Phillip was extremely hazardous.^[7]

John Brock appears in the 1836 census of Port Phillip and was recorded as having 4 males over 12, 1 male under 12 and one female over 12 on his establishment. ^[8] He arrived in June 1836^[9].

These were the early years in the settlement of the colony with Batman, Evans, Aitkin, Mollison and Fawkner arriving around the same period of time. Administration of the Colony, under Captain Lonsdale commenced the same year.^[10]

Coastal passenger records show a Mr. Brock traveling on multiple occasions. It is not clear whether that was John Brock or one of his children. The records show Mr. Brock traveling on the 'Look-In' on 31 August 1839,^[11] the 'Flying Squirrel' on 6 April 1841,^[12] the 'Flying Fish' on 4 January 1844,^[13] the 'Swan' on 18 May 1845,^[14] and the 'Lillias' on 1 and 2 June 1845.^[15]

John Brock was a passenger on 'Scout' on 28 January 1845.^[16]

John Brock was one of the early squatters of the Port Phillip District. He occupied 'Gobur' (in the Murray region), 'Bullanda Vale' (in the Western Port region) and 'Miller's Ponds' (in the Murray region)^[17]

John Brock and his family made their way along Saltwater River (Marybrinong) eventually reaching Emu Creek (Romsey district). Ultimately John Brock established Head Station on the Bullanda Vale Run. He held this and various other pastoral leases in the area, and others further afield.^[18]

He was one of one of the earliest white occupiers of the Bulla-Keilor-Sunbury area (see quote below)

“The Bulla-Keilor-Sunbury areas were settled very early. Indeed, Sunbury is probably the oldest pastoral settlement outside Melbourne. Early pioneers included George Evans... the Jackson brothers, William and Samuel, and John Aitken, who were in this area in 1836... Amongst others of the early settlers in this region were the Page brothers, who were at Glencoe, on the Saltwater River, from 1842; Martin Batey and Fred Flintoff, who were at Redstone Hill, near Diggers' Rest, and the Brodie brothers, who settled near Bulla in 1836. Also, there was John Brock, of Bolinda (or Bullando) Vale, which ran as far as Romsey, and Lewis Clarke, whose Plovers Plains run near Sunbury, was absorbed in the W. J. T. Clarke special survey.”^[19]

His wife Jean died in 1847 and he married Catherine Murray in 1849.

In 1851 he was required to move from Bullanda Vale because of the Special Survey granted to W.J.T. (Big) Clarke at separation of Victoria from NSW. He moved to an adjacent property in the same district.^[20]

John Brock died 6 November 1856, aged 60 ^[21],^[22],^[23] He died at 14 Stephen Stree.^[24]

Sources

1. ↑ Old Parish registers 667/20491 Kirkliston, page 491 of 504, National Records of Scotland
2. ↑ Old Parish registers 667/20491 Kirkliston, page 491 of 504, National Records of Scotland
3. ↑ Scotland marriages, indexing project, batch number M11667-4, system origin = Scotland-ODM GS file number = 1066630
4. ↑ "BillionGraves Index", database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKDG-4T7Z: 25 April 2016), John Brock, died 06 Nov 1856; citing BillionGraves (http://www.billiongraves.com:2012), Burial at Fawkner Memorial Park, Fawkner, Victoria, Australia
5. ↑ Posthuma, M.A. (ed) (2002), Pioneer Profiles. volume 4, ISBN 0-9581250-0-7
6. ↑ https://stors.tas.gov.au/POL458-1-2
7. ↑ Posthuma, M.A. (ed) (2002), Pioneer Profiles. volume 4, ISBN 0-9581250-0-7
8. ↑ VPRS 5517 Census 1836 - Census of residents of Port Phillip at time of arrival of Captain William Lonsdale, Police Magistrate, in 1836
9. ↑ https://www.portphillipdistrict.info/Brock_John.htm
10. ↑ Posthuma, M.A. (ed) (2002), Pioneer Profiles. volume 4, ISBN 0-9581250-0-7
11. ↑ https://www.portphillipdistrict.info/1839_Coastal_Passengers_16.htm
12. ↑ https://www.portphillipdistrict.info/1841_Coastal_Passengers_25.htm
13. ↑ https://www.portphillipdistrict.info/1844_Coastal_Passengers_22.htm
14. ↑ https://www.portphillipdistrict.info/1845_Coastal_Passengers_25.htm
15. ↑ https://www.portphillipdistrict.info/1845_Coastal_Passengers_25.htm
16. ↑ https://www.portphillipdistrict.info/1845_Coastal_Passengers_25.htm
17. ↑ 1849 Squatters Directory of the Port Phillip District
18. ↑ Posthuma, M.A. (ed) (2002), Pioneer Profiles. volume 4, ISBN 0-9581250-0-7
19. ↑ The Age, Tue 18 Jan 1938, p.17 accessed 31 Dec 2020 at https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/rendition/nla.news-article206755087.txt
20. ↑ Posthuma, M.A. (ed) (2002), Pioneer Profiles. volume 4, ISBN 0-9581250-0-7
21. ↑ Australian Deaths Index, Vic BDM, record #1856-4714
22. ↑ Death, Digger Pioneer index cdrom (F= Henry)
23. ↑ Death notice The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 7 November, p. 4. , viewed 26 Apr 2016
24. ↑ Posthuma, M.A. (ed) (2002), Pioneer Profiles. volume 4, ISBN 0-9581250-0-7