William Parr was an Australian explorer, known for his roles of

mineralogist Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...

and

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

with

John Oxley John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley (1784 – 25 May 1828) was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of British colonisation. He served as Surveyor General of New South Wales and is perhaps best known for his two exp ...

, as expedition leader with Benjamin Singleton, and as trailblazer for the successful expedition by John Howe.

Biography

He arrived in the

colony of New South Wales The Colony of New South Wales was a colony of the British Empire from 1788 to 1901, when it became a State of the Commonwealth of Australia. At its greatest extent, the colony of New South Wales included the present-day Australian states of New ...

as a convict in 1813, on the ''Fortune''. He was a

land surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

and

draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to: * An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century * An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...

by profession, and was employed on arrival by the Surveyor General's Department as a

mineral surveyor Mining in the engineering discipline is the extraction of minerals from underneath, open pit, above or on the ground. Mining engineering is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, and ...

. In 1817 he took part in two separate journeys of exploration.

Exploring with Oxley

In mid-1817

led an expedition of 13 men (including himself) to follow the courses of the Lachlan and

Macquarie River The Macquarie River - Wambuul is part of the Macquarie– Barwon catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is one of the main inland rivers in New South Wales, Australia. The river rises in the central highlands of New South Wales near the ...

s. He was accompanied by Parr, who had been granted a

ticket of leave A ticket of leave was a document of parole issued to convicts who had shown they could now be trusted with some freedoms. Originally the ticket was issued in Britain and later adapted by the United States, Canada, and Ireland. Jurisdictions ...

by Governor

Macquarie Macquarie may refer to: People * Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of the British colony of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821. * Elizabeth Macquarie Campbell, Lachlan Macquarie's second wife Locations * Division of Macquarie, an electoral district in th ...

. Parr’s roles were those of mineralogist and cartographer, where he was responsible for production of a chart of the journey.

Expedition leader with Singleton

In October 1817, Parr set out in charge of a party of men including Benjamin Singleton and Aboriginal guides to find a route, suitable for wagons, to the

Hunter River Hunter River may refer to: *Hunter River (New South Wales), Australia *Hunter River (Western Australia) *Hunter River, New Zealand *Hunter River (Prince Edward Island), Canada **Hunter River, Prince Edward Island, community on Hunter River, Canada ...

. They almost reached the Hunter Valley before turning back. Singleton was unhappy and had already turned back, leaving Parr to continue alone.

Trailblazing for Howe

When, in 1819, John Howe managed to reach the Hunter, he followed in part the route discovered by Parr and Singleton.

Confusion with another William Parr

A convict named Thomas William Parr arrived in the

as a convict in 1788, on the ''Alexander'', a ship of the

First Fleet The First Fleet was a fleet of 11 ships that brought the first European and African settlers to Australia. It was made up of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports. On 13 May 1787 the fleet under the command ...

. He is shown on the list of convicts of the First Fleet as William Parr, aged 47 years on embarkation. In some sources the activities of the younger Parr (the subject of this article) have been incorrectly credited to the older Parr (who would have been about 76 years of age in 1817).

References

External links

Somewhat Perilous: The Journeys of Singleton, Parr, Howe, Myles and Blaxland in the Northern Blue Mountains
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parr, William Explorers of Australia Convicts transported to Australia