Edward Weston (pastoralist) facts for kids
Captain George Edward Nicholas Weston was an officer who used to work for the East India Company, a powerful British trading company. He came to Australia in 1825.
In 1831, he was given a large piece of land in the area now known as Weston Creek. This land was near the Molonglo River in the Australian Capital Territory. Before Weston, a man named James Martin had lived there. Martin had built a house, raised sheep and cattle, and cleared about 20 acres (81,000 m2) of land for farming. However, due to some official rules, James Martin couldn't keep his claim to the land. Instead, the officials decided that Captain Weston, who was wealthy and well-connected, should get the land.
Who Was Captain George Weston?
Captain Weston lived far away in Horsley, near Liverpool, which meant he was an "absent landlord." This means he owned the land but didn't live on it or manage it himself. He didn't seem very interested in his property on the Molonglo River. His main interaction with the land was to take out a loan using it as security in February 1833. Not long after, in August 1834, he sold the land to Francis Mowatt.
Weston Creek's Name
Even though Captain Weston didn't spend much time on his land, the district of Weston Creek in the Australian Capital Territory is named after him. This area is a well-known part of Canberra today.
Land Grant in Canberra
In 1831, Captain Weston received a grant of 10 square kilometers of land. This was in the Canberra district, in a place that was called Yarrow-lumla Plains at the time. This land grant was a significant event in the early history of European settlement in the region.
