Benjamin Cribb (7 November 1807 – 11 March 1874) was an Australian businessman and politician. He was an unaligned Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for one term in 1858–1859 and a

Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly This is a list of members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the state parliament of Queensland, sorted by parliament. See also * Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral districts This is a list of current and former electoral div ...

in 1861–1867 and again in 1870–1873.

Early life

Cribb was born in

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

, Dorset, England into a rigidly

Nonconformist Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...

family. He was educated at his mother's

Dame school Dame schools were small, privately run schools for young children that emerged in the British Isles and its colonies during the early modern period. These schools were taught by a “school dame,” a local woman who would educate children f ...

. Cribb's father, John Galpin Cribb, was a mariner and ship owner, operating to

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

and the Mediterranean; young Benjamin and his brother

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

sometimes accompanied their father. However, this ended when their father was killed in action during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. Following his father's death, Cribb's mother Mary Cribb (née Dirham) apprenticed Benjamin and his brother Robert to two merchants. By 1832 Benjamin and his brother Robert had established baking and retail businesses in London. Influenced by

John Dunmore Lang John Dunmore Lang (25 August 1799 – 8 August 1878) was a Scottish-born Australian Presbyterian minister, writer, historian, politician and activist. He was the first prominent advocate of an independent Australian nation and of Australian re ...

's description of the opportunities available in Australia, they migrated to

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

on the '' Chaseley'' arriving in May 1849. Benjamin Cribb was married twice, in 1839 to Elizabeth Bridson (1810—1852) and in 1853 to Clarissa Kendal Foote (1825—1899). Two of his sons

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, and

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, also served in the Queensland Parliament. His brother Robert Cribb also served in both the New South Wales and Queensland Parliaments.

Business

After arriving in the Moreton Bay colony, Benjamin Cribb established a retail business in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

. In about 1852, he employed

John Clarke Foote John Clarke Foote (1822–1895) was a politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a member of the Queensland Legislative Council. Early life John Clarke Foote was born on 10 July 1822 in Calne, Wiltshire, England, the son of Joseph Foote (a ha ...

as a store manager. In 1853, Benjamin Cribb married Clarissa Foote, the sister of John Clarke Foote. In 1854, Benjamin Cribb and John Clarke Foote went into partnership as

Cribb & Foote Cribb & Foote was a department store in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, that existed from 1849 until 1985. It was renamed Reid's department store in 1977. Early history Ipswich businessman, Benjamin Cribb Benjamin Cribb (7 November 1807 ...

, creating the major department store that stood on the corner of Bell and Brisbane Streets. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

he encouraged the growth and export of Australian cotton.

Parliament

On 1 February 1858, Cribb was elected to represent Stanley Boroughs in the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

at the 1858 election. He was a strong supporter of the separation of the colony of Queensland and opposed the use of convicts, coolies or Kanaks as cheap labour. He was defeated at the 1859 election on 11 April 1859. After the

separation of Queensland The Separation of Queensland was an event in 1859 in which the land that forms the present-day State of Queensland in Australia was excised from the Colony of New South Wales and created as a separate Colony of Queensland. History European sett ...

, he was elected to its Legislative Assembly. On 3 April 1861,

George Thorn (senior) George Thorn (senior) (11 April 1806 – 28 April 1876) was a politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. He was known as the ''"father of Ipswich, Queensland, Ipswich"'' for his contribution ...

, member for

West Moreton West Moreton is a region of the Australian state of Queensland, consisting of the entire rural western portion of South East Queensland. It sits inland from both the Brisbane metropolitan area and the Gold Coast and to the east of the Darling Do ...

, resigned. Benjamin Cribb won the resulting by-election on 26 April 1861. He held the seat until 2 July 1867. He was elected in the seat of

on 12 August 1870 and held it until 14 November 1873. He did not hold ministerial or parliamentary office.

Later life

Benjamin Cribb died on 11 March 1874 at his home Gooloowan in Denmark Hill, Ipswich. He was attending divine service at his local

Congregational Church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

when he collapsed. Relatives and friends carried him home on a stretcher where he died a few moments later. His death was attributed to

apoplexy Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...

of the brain. His funeral was held on 13 March 1874 where a funeral procession, one-and-a-half miles long, travelled from his home to the

Ipswich General Cemetery The Ipswich General Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It is the second oldest cemetery in Queensland. It is owned by Ipswich City Council, but the council have outsourced the day-to-day operations to a private c ...

. Present were relatives, employees, politicians and many others. Many businesses were closed for the day.

Legacy

His home Gooloowan is listed on the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cribb, Benjamin 1807 births 1874 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Burials at Ipswich General Cemetery 19th-century Australian politicians Pre-Separation Queensland English emigrants to colonial Australia