Coutts Crawford

James Coutts Crawford (19 January 1817 – 8 April 1889), known as Coutts Crawford, was a Naval officer, farmer, scientist, explorer and public servant in New Zealand.

Bethia Featherston (left), former Colonial Secretary Andrew Sinclair and Crawford's second wife Jessie

James Coutts Crawford

He was born in Strathaven, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, the son of naval officer James Coutts Crawford, and his second wife, Jane. He came to New Zealand in 1839. He settled in Wellington and called his land holding Kilbirnie after the town in Scotland; the name is still in use as a Wellington suburb.[1] Crawford was active in local affairs. He served on the New Zealand Legislative Council from 1859 to 1867. He died in London in 1889.[2]

It is likely that Mount Crawford (South Australia) is named after him.[3]

Personal life

He was educated at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth. He married:

Sophia Whitley on 28 November 1843; she died in 1852. They had a daughter Janet (1844, m. John Willis) and a son James Dundas (1850).
Jessie McBarnet in August 1857; she died in 1880. They had three sons: Henry Duncan (1859), Alexander Donald (1862) and Charles John (1867).[4]

References
  1. Reed, A. W. (2010). Peter Dowling (ed.). Place Names of New Zealand. Rosedale, North Shore: Raupo. p. 203. ISBN 9780143204107.
  2. Rosier, L (22 June 2007). "Crawford, James Coutts 1817 - 1889". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  3. J. C., Crawford (1880). "From Sydney to Adelaide". Recollections Of Travel In New Zealand And Australia. Trübner edition. p. 17. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  4. Burke, Bernard (1970) [1890]. Burke’s Colonial Gentry (2 ed.). Baltimore, Ohio: Genealogical Publishing Company. pp. 292-294. ISBN 0-8063-0415-4.


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