William Field (1774–1837) was a

Tasmanian ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

pastoralist, meat contractor and publican. Born in

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

, near London, he spent his early working life as a farmer and butcher. At the age of 26 he was convicted of receiving stolen sheep from his brother, Richard, and transported to

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...

in 1806, travelling on the ''Fortune'' to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and then the ''Sophia'' to

Port Dalrymple George Town (Palawa_kani: ''kinimathatakinta'') is a large town in north-east Tasmania, on the eastern bank of the mouth of the Tamar River. The Australian Bureau of Statistics records the George Town Municipal Area had a population of 6,764 as ...

, leaving behind a wife, Sarah, and a daughter, Ann. Richard had been sentenced to death in April 1800, and then pardoned to be transported for life, and was further pardoned 19 August 1802 on giving surety. By the time his 14-year sentence had been completed Field had already proven himself useful to the new colony as a farmer and merchant. He began living with Elizabeth Richards, who had been sentenced to death in 1806 for stealing cotton and lace, and whose sentence had been commuted to transportation for life, and they had five children, William (1816–??) (married Sarah Lucas, 1839), Thomas (1817–??) (married Elizabeth Lindsay, 1847), Richard (born 1820 who died seven weeks later), John (1821–??) (married Mary Anne Lindsay, 1854), and Charles (1826–??) (married Margaret Eddington, 1848). As a free man he continued acquiring land and cattle and by 1820 had become the main supplier of meat for the Launceston region. After Field expanded his meat contracting business colony wide, he continued to purchase property and at one point owned over one-third of the land and buildings in Launceston. By the time of his death he owned over of land and had amassed a fortune which, adjusted in percentage terms of

GDP Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is ofte ...

, ranks him as the seventh richest Australian, and richest Tasmanian ever to have lived. Field died in Launceston.

References

*Rubinstein, W (2004).''The All-Time Australian 200 Rich List'', Allen and Unwin in association with BRW https://books.google.com/books?id=4XSoiYDS0SoC {{DEFAULTSORT:Field, William 1774 births 1837 deaths Australian pastoralists People from Enfield, London People from Launceston, Tasmania Convicts transported to Australia