Francis Little - Settler
Invermein - Map 9
Francis Little was born 8 January 1798 in Ecclefechan, Dumfrieshire, Scotland son of Dr. William Little and Sarah nee Carlyle.
Arrival in Australia
He arrived in Australia on the Morley in January 1823. The Morley was a convict ship bringing prisoners to Van Diemen's Land. William Bell Carlyle who was Francis Little's uncle, was Surgeon Superintendent on the vessel.Invermein
Francis Little first resided at Minto, however eventually established his estate on land granted in 1825 naming it Invermein. The estate was situated next to Satur which was the land selected for his uncle William Bell Carlyle. The estates were situated on the Dartbrook and near Kingdon Ponds. In the 1832 Directory the country in the district is described as undulating with soil similar to Twickenham Meadows. A homestead was built at Invermein and in 1844 Francis Little purchased his uncle's estate Satur. A mile from Francis Little's land the burning hill of Wingen could be found. The whole of the surrounding country was strewn with petrifactions and interesting geological specimens. Read Rev. Wilton's description of Mt. Wingen in 1831.Archibald Little
Francis Little's younger brother Archibald Little arrived on the Triton in October 1825. He established Cressfield.Marriage
Francis Little married widow Mary Ann Fennell Bell, the 4th daughter of Archibald Bell of 'Belmont', at Windsor on 3rd August 1831. Mary Ann was sister of Archibald Bell junior of Corinda. A son William was born in 1832 and a daughter Sarah in 1833 followed by Archibald in 1835. Mary Ann died on 14th April 1835 after giving birth to Archibald.Death
Francis Little died 14th June 1860 aged 62, twenty-five years after his wife Mary Ann. He was buried in the graveyard at St. Luke's Church, Scone.[3]Invermein Estate
When Francis Little died, his eldest son, William, inherited the estate. William Little retired in 1877, selling the estate to two brothers Frederick and Edward Parbury. Four years later, the property was subdivided after Edward Parbury's death. The homestead and 2,000 acres of land were purchased by James Doyle. Frederick Parbury's obituary in 1915 ..... The late Mr. Parbury although a native of Sydney where he was born 70 years ago spent all his early life and had his education in England. It was not very long after his return from England in 1880 that he purchased Invermein which then included Satur and came to reside there. The Invermein portion of the property was subsequently sold to James H. Doyle and Mr. Parbury thereafter up till the time of his death lived at Satur on which he raised cattle and sheep.Convicts
Convicts assigned to Francis Little in the 1820's and 1830's includedThomas Delmore per Phoenix
Edward Stewart per Phoenix
Patrick Creighton per Phoenix
William Brooke per Marquis of Hastings
Darby Carey per Hooghley
William Burnes per Countess of Harcourt
James Worthing per Surry
William Downes per Lady Harewood
James Osborne per Lady Harewood
Mary Collier per Pyramus
John Kelly per Dunvegan Castle
Charles Bankes per Dunvegan Castle
John Baugh per Asia
Robert Baker per Eleanor
....Location of Francis Little's estate on DartbrookNotes and Links
1.Select here to find more convicts assigned to Francis Little at Invermein2. Ecclefechan, Dumfrieshire, Scotland.......Pigot's Directory
3. Australian Cemeteries Index
↑