Joshua Jeays (1812–1881) was a Leicester-born carpenter who became a successful developer, an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

and mayor of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia.Brisbane City Council Archives

Personal life

Joshua Jeays was born in 1812 in

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

, England.,Queensland Registrar-General of Births, Deaths & Marriages and died in Brisbane in 1881, at the age of 69. He married Sarah Edwyn in 1838 in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, England with whom he had a number of children including: * Sarah Jane * Joseph Joshua (died 1909) * Charles Edwyn (died 1883) There may have been other children who died in infancy. Joshua and Sarah and the three children above immigrated 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 ...

in 1853. Jeays purchased land and built 'Roma Villa' on the corner of Upper Roma and Skew Streets,

Petrie Terrace Petrie Terrace is an inner suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Petrie Terrace had a population of 1,124 people. Geography The suburb is by road west of the Brisbane General Post Office. The precinct is bordered to ...

(an area then known as 'the Green Hills'), where he lived with his wife and family. His daughter Sarah Jane married in 1858 at Brisbane to Sir

Charles Lilley Sir Charles Lilley (27 August 1827 – 20 August 1897) was a Premier of Queensland, Premier and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland. He had a significant influence on the form and spirit of state education in colonial Queensland whi ...

, who went on to become

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...

StateLibQld 2 166099 Bardon House in Brisbane, ca

In 1862, Jeays paid £78 for 16 hectares (39 acres) of land along Simpsons Road, from the corner of Cooper's Camp Road, towards

Ithaca Creek Ithaca Creek is a waterway in the Enoggera Creek catchment, in the western suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It arises in the Taylor Range at the Mount Coot-tha forest with two streams, one arising at J C Slaughter Falls, the other a ...

and abutting what is now Bowman Park (the latter area then known as the 'Cobbler's Flats', because of the abundance of the weed 'cobblers pegs'), west of the area then known as Upper Paddington. His wife believed that living on this land would be healthier for her than their home on the 'Green Hills'. Accordingly, Jeays built a grand English-style home, using rough stone and decorated with gables and casement windows, naming it 'Bardon' after Bardon Hill in his native Leicestershire. The suburb was subsequently named 'Bardon' after this house, in 1926. However, by the time the house was completed his wife had died and Joshua was too broken-hearted to live in the house that he had built for his wife, and it was then occupied by his son Charles and later by Edwyn Lilley (son of his daughter Sarah Jane and

). The house was purchased by the Brisbane Diocese of the Catholic Church in 1925 and now stands in the grounds of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, The Drive, Bardon. Joshua Jeays died on 11 March 1881 in

and is buried in

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest cemet ...

. with his wife Sarah who, as noted above, predeceased him, dying on 26 July 1864 in Brisbane. Sarah was originally buried in

Paddington Cemetery The North Brisbane Burial Ground was a former cemetery in the Town of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was in the area now known as the suburbs of Milton and Paddington. It was also known as North Brisbane Cemetery, Paddington Cemetery and Mi ...

but was most likely one of those re-interred in

(the

was redeveloped as a recreational site for athletics and other sports and in 1914 was fenced off and renamed

Lang Park Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...

Business life

Jeays started work in England as a carpenter. In Brisbane, he worked as a builder, architect and stonemason and was involved in the construction of the gallery of the original St John's (Church of England) pro-cathedral in the Queen's Gardens (1854), as well as building homes of prominent Brisbane residents

Walter Hill Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

, (founder of the Botanic Gardens), the infamous

Patrick Mayne ''The Mayne Inheritance'' is a non-fiction book written by Queensland author Rosamond Siemon. It was first published in 1997 by University of Queensland Press, and a new edition with updated information was issued by the same publisher in 200 ...

's ' Moorlands' at Auchenflower, and the Cribb family. He was also involved in the development of Brisbane's water supply and drainage system. Jeays built and provided the stone from his quarry at Woogaroo (the area now named

Goodna Goodna is a suburb on the eastern edge of the City of Ipswich in Queensland, Australia. In the , Goodna had a population of 10,461 people. Geography Goodna is from the Brisbane central business district, being just outside the Brisbane City C ...

) for Brisbane's first

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

, now part of the

Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...

's Gardens Point campus. He also partially built the George Street side of

Parliament House, Brisbane Parliament House in Brisbane is the meeting place of the Parliament of Queensland, housing its only chamber, the Legislative Assembly. It is located on the corner of George Street and Alice Street at Gardens Point in the CBD, and is next ...

, which

John Petrie John Petrie (15 January 1822 – 8 December 1892) was a Scottish-born politician, architect, stonemason and building contractor in Brisbane who became the city's first Mayor. Private life John Petrie was born 15 January 1822Toowong Cemetery ...

completed in 1868. Jeays built the

Wharf Street Congregational Church, Brisbane The Wharf Street Congregational Church was a Congregational church built in 1860 on the corner of Wharf Street and Adelaide Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The church was demolished in 1928. It was the first Congregational church in Br ...

(1859–1860).''Brisbane's Historic Churches -- V -- Wharf Street (Congregational)'', The Brisbane Courier, Saturday 10 December 1904, page 12
/ref>

Public service

Jeays was an

of the

Brisbane Municipal Council The Town of Brisbane was a local government area for Brisbane in Queensland, Australia from 1859 to 1903. History The Municipality of Brisbane was gazetted on 25 May 1859 and proclaimed by the Governor of New South Wales on 7 September 1859 ...

, from 1859 to 1867, including serving as mayor in 1864. He also served on a number of committees, including: * Improvement Committee 1860 - 1867 * Bridge Committee 1862 - 1864, 1866–1867 * Water Committee 1863, 1864 * Lighting Committee 1863 * Incorporation Committee 1864 Jeays has been described as having "radical political views" and as an Orangeman and

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

Legacy

Among the facilities named after him are Jeays Street in

Bowen Hills Bowen Hills is an inner north-eastern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the Bowen Hills had a population of 3,226 people. Geography Bowen Hills is by road from the Brisbane CBD. Mayne is a neighbourhood within the sou ...

and the 'Joshua Jeays Conference Room' at the Bardon Professional Centre. Joshua's grandson Charles Joshua Jeays founded Jeays Hardware.

References

External links