George Cheyne (8 April 1790 5 June 1869) was an early

settler A settler is a person who has human migration, migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a ...

in the Great Southern region of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. Cheyne was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, Scotland, in 1790, the fourteenth of seventeen children. His father, John Cheyne was a doctor and his mother was Margaret Edmonstone. George Cheyne married Grizzel Melville on 16 December 1830, at the Parish Church, in

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The well after which it was named was redisco ...

, London. He arrived in

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

aboard the ''Stirling'' with his wife and daughter, and a cargo of merchandise including a prefabricated house, 14

merino The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the bree ...

s, cattle and a pair of rabbits. He intended to settle in the area along the

Swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...

Canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although u ...

Rivers as a farmer but found the best land was taken. Undeterred he pressed on to

King George Sound King George Sound ( nys , Menang Koort) is a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came into use ...

and found business sites around Albany and selected land around the

Kalgan River The Kalgan River is a river in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Geography The river is long and, along with the King River, drains into Oyster Harbour. The lower 9 km of the river take the form of a drowned river valle ...

, Moorilup and on

Mistaken Island Mistaken Island is an island located approximately south-east of Albany, Western Australia. Located in King George Sound the island is located approximately from Vancouver peninsula. There is evidence that shore-based bay whaling activiti ...

. Cheyne acquired land in the Kendenup area in 1832 and

Cape Riche Cape Riche is a cape and rural locality in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. By road, it is 525 km south-east of Perth and 123 km north-east of Albany Facilities in the locality include a boat launching ramp and a ca ...

in 1836. In 1839 Cheyne sold of his land around Kendenup to John Hassell, who developed it as Kendenup Estate. Cheyne moved permanently to Cape Riche in 1842 to trade with the crew of

whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...

s in the area. He also introduced the Moir family, relatives of his from Scotland, to the area, with his nephew Andrew Moir arriving in 1841. Moir acquired the property from his uncle in 1858. By 1843 Cheyne was supplying whalers operating in and around from his property at

with items such as water, fuel, provisions, and fresh meat and vegetables. In 1837 Cheyne founded his own whaling operation on Doubtful Islands Bay. His brother, Bruce Cheyne died aged 62, on 7 January 1856 in Albany.Australian Death Index 1787-1985 Name: Bruce Cheyne Age: 62 Registration Year: 1856 Registration Place: Western Australia Registration Number: 759 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1794. He also acquired more grazing land along the

Pallinup River Pallinup River is a river located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. It was previously known as Salt River. The Pallinup rises 10 km southeast of Broomehill, and flows in a southeasterly direction toward the coast passin ...

and around Broomehill while establishing himself as a merchant, sandalwooder, whaler and shipchandler. Cheyne built a large granite house in Albany in 1862 then went to England to secure a better deal for his wool from his brokers. He then bought a house in Sussex and sold his Albany house to John Hassell. Cheyne died in

Dumfries, Scotland Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

in 1869. Several geographical features bear Cheyne's name including: * Cheyne Creek, a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

* Cheyne Ledge and Cheyne Head, near

Oyster Harbour Oyster Harbour is a permanently open estuary, north of King George Sound, which covers an area of near Albany, Western Australia. The harbour is used to shelter a fishing fleet carrying out commercial fishing and the farming of oysters and muss ...

on the north western side of

* Cheyne Island and Cheyne Inlet near

* Cheyne Point near Duke of New Orleans Bay * Cheyne Beach

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheyne, George 1790 births 1869 deaths Settlers of Western Australia People from Albany, Western Australia Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia