BRITTAN, WILLIAM GUISE (1809-76) was born at Gloucester on 3 Dec 1809 and educated at the Plymouth Grammar School, where he was head of the school. He studied medicine and surgery, and made two or three voyages to India and China as surgeon of the Indiaman General Palmer. He lived for some time near Staines, and married Louisa Chandler, of London. In 1841 he moved to Castleton, Sherborne, Dorsetshire, and became editor and part-proprietor of the Sherborne Mercury, a Conservative paper.

The Mercury received advertisements from the New Zealand Company, and Brittan became interested in Canterbury. He was one of the first to enrol as a colonist and was in the chair at the historic meeting at the Adelphi rooms on 24 Apr 1850 when the Society of Canterbury Colonists was formed. He was on the committee of management, and as chairman was the medium of communication between the colonists and the Canterbury Association. Brittan in May pledged himself to fill with emigrants a ship of the largest size. He was constantly to the fore in the deliberations of the colonists and he was warmly thanked for his untiring exertions. Wakefield drafted a letter to Godley suggesting that Brittan should be given a post of trust in the colony next to that of Godley himself. "This gentleman," he wrote, "has taken, naturally as it were, a position of leadership of the body of colonists who are now preparing to depart from England. His popularity and influence with them and the marked confidence with which they regard him have manifestly been occasioned by no design on his part to win their good opinion, but have resulted from their own observation of his valuable and amiable qualities". It was Brittan who suggested that the colonists should recognise the assistance of Lord Lyttelton by giving his name to the capital city of the province. The proposal was unanimously adopted by the Society, but when the capital was removed to the plains Godley allowed the names to remain as they were. Brittan took passage in the Sir George Seymour and he was succeeded as chairman in London by Captain Charles Simeon. The Sir George Seymour sailed from Plymouth on 8 Sep 1850, and arrived at Lyttelton on 17 Dec. The Society of Canterbury Colonists then became the Society of Canterbury Land Purchasers. Brittan was again elected to the chair and was appointed by Godley to take charge of the land office, and supervise the allotment of sections in town and country. Early in 1852 the Society dissolved and two new societies were formed, one at Lyttelton and the other at Christchurch. Brittan declined to take office. From a piece of bush which he milled he supplied timber for many of the houses in the new town. His own residence, in Oxford terrace, was used in 1858 as a place by the Provincial Council, and afterwards became part of the old Clarendon hotel.

In public life Brittan took little part. He appeared on the first electoral roll in 1853 and announced himself as a candidate for the Christchurch Country District in both General Assembly and Provincial Council. Defeated in the former contest, he felt that he had been badly treated and withdrew from the other. Having had charge of the land office since Jan 1851, he was appointed by the General Government in 1853 to be commissioner of crown lands for Canterbury in succession to Colonel Campbell and a commissioner under the land claimants ordinance. In 1854 he became a trustee of the Deans estate, which he helped to manage until 1874. In 1853 he was chairman of the Christchurch Market Co. In Oct 1856 he was appointed a resident magistrate and chief commissioner of the waste lands board. He was chairman of the Halswell road board (1867), but otherwise never sought public office, except in the service of the Church of England. He was a member of the first synod of the diocese (1859); gave the site for the second church erected on the plains (at Papanui), and was largely responsible for the erection of churches at Avonside and Halswell.

Brittan was regarded as the father of cricket in Canterbury. A keen player himself, he was a moving spirit in obtaining facilities for playing. At an early date he set aside a field in which he erected a pavilion for the benefit of players. In 1871, the cricketers of Canterbury presented him with a clock in recognition of his services. He was a member of the committee which formed the Jockey Club (in 1851) (and treasurer of the club in 1854). He brought out from England two brace of partridges which he carefully guarded while they multiplied. He was a founder of the Horticultural Society and of the Farmers' Club (of which he was some time president) and chairman of the Christchurch domain board (1871-74). He died on 18 Jul 1876.

Acland; Godley, Letters; The Press, 19 July 1876, 22 Mar 1930 (p).

Reference: Volume 1, page 63

🌳 Further sources