Everything about John Batman totally explained
John Batman (born
21 January 1801 -
5 May 1839) was an
Australian farmer and businessman who was one of the first settlers of the
Melbourne area and known for founding
Victoria.
Batman was born in
Rosehill,
Parramatta (now a suburb of
Sydney), and spent time in
Tasmania (then called
Van Diemen's Land) where he began farming, initially on granted land, but his holdings gradually expanded through purchases. In December 1825, or early 1826, Batman captured the notorious
bushranger,
Matthew Brady.
Establishment of Melbourne
Batman sought land grants in the
Western Port area of
Victoria, but the colonial authorities rejected this. So, in
1835, as a leading member of the
Port Phillip Association he sailed for the mainland in the
schooner Rebecca and explored much of
Port Phillip Bay. Batman negotiated a treaty, now known as
Batman's Treaty, with some local Aborigines to rent their land on an annual basis for 40 blankets, 30 axes, 100 knives, 50 scissors, 30 mirrors, 200 handkerchiefs, 100 pounds of flour and 6 shirts. It is unlikely that the
Wurundjeri people would have understood this transfer of land or agreed to it if they had, but, as
Percival Serle wrote, "No doubt the blankets, knives, tomahawks, etc., that he gave them were very welcome". In any case, the Governor of New South Wales deemed such a treaty invalid as the land was owned by the Crown rather than the Aborigines. When he found the current site of central Melbourne he noted in his diary, "This will be the place for a village."
[
Batman's health quickly declined after 1835, and he became estranged from his wife, convict Elizabeth Callaghan. They had had seven daughters and a son. His son drowned in the Yarra River. In his last months he was cared for by the local Aborigines.
Batman is remembered by a number of statues around Melbourne, and a bridge in Northern Tasmania is named after him. He is buried in the Fawkner Cemetery, a cemetery named after his fellow colonist John Pascoe Fawkner. There is also a memorial in the Old Melbourne Cemetery.]
His direct descendant is Australian sprinter Daniel Batman.
Further Information
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