George Evans, a Welshman from Liverpool arrived in Brisbane in 1851, when Queensland was still known as the Colony of New South Wales. His obituary reported that he was “one of the oldest and most respected residents of Fortitude Valley. Landing in the colonies in the early days, he formed one of the ‘Overlanders,’ afterwards turning his attention to squatting pursuits on the Downs, whence after many vicissitudes he sojourned to Brisbane, until his death in 1898. His large funeral cortege was sufficient proof of the many friends he left behind, and of the high esteem in which he was held”.[1]
In 1851, the population of Brisbane had grown to 8,575 compared with 2,258 in the Moreton Bay Settlement in 1846, helped along with the arrival of the Artemesia, the first Government ship with 220 immigrants, followed by Dr Lang’s immigrants who arrived between 1849 and 1850, on the Fortitude, the Chaseley and the Lima, the Moreton Bay Settlement had a housing shortage.[2]&[3] Labourers and skilled tradesmen such as brickmakers were in demand, and this is where George Evan’s story begins. 1853 it was reported that bricklayers could earn £60 per year, which included food and lodging.[4]
Early records for George Evans of Brisbane, identify him as a brickmaker and on the 3 November 1851, the Brickmakers of Moreton Bay, signed a Petition addressed to the Colonial Secretary, Sir Charles Augustus Fitzroy, Governor Chief of NSW, regarding the removal of sand from the Government Garden. This had created a serious problem for Brisbane brickmakers who were now faced with having to travel long distances to obtain the right kind of sand for making bricks suitable for building purposes.
Some brickmakers had already left the district for other areas. The petition from the brickmakers, offered a solution to “deposit a load of good soil for every load of sand removed” from the Government Garden.[5] Located at Garden Point, Brisbane, the land had been used to grow fresh produce for the early convict settlement in 1828. By 1852 there were plans to convert Garden Point into a Botanic Garden, and probably the reason for the restriction on the removal of sand which had contributed to the degradation of the area.
Of a total of 91 signatures, George Evans is the fourth name listed. As one of the brickmakers of Brisbane, it would have caused him grave concern as he had only recently purchased a block of land in Fortitude Valley.
In June 1851, George Evans’ name appeared on a list of 62 applicants for a Timber Licence, allowing him to cut hardwood timber on vacant crown land, dated 1 January to 30 June 1851. George had made application to the Brisbane Bench of Magistrates with a payment of £2 to allow him to cut hardwood (only). A payment of £4 allowed the license holder to cut any kind of timber, including cedar, pine and hardwood.[6] As well as raising revenue for the government, licences were designed to control the indiscriminate cutting of timbers, to allow settlers access to timber for building fences, bridges and houses. First introduced in May 1839, by January 1851, the regulations changed to cover both the settled district and beyond.
The applications for the Timber Licenses were not in alphabetical order, and the fact that George was the last applicant for the period ending on 30 July 1851, suggests that he had applied not long before applications closed. This application therefore was the earliest record for my George Evans in Brisbane.
On the 16 August 1851, George, identified as a brickmaker of the Eastern Suburbs near North Brisbane, paid James Gibbon, of North Brisbane, County of Stanley, Colony of New South Wales, Gentleman, £30 in British Money for a block of land described as; ‘that block and parcel of land, size 3 roods and 16 ½ perches, lot 71, located in North Brisbane, known as Ashby, together with all the houses and improvements thereon and appurtenances’.[7]
At some point, lot 71 became known as “Block 9 of Eastern Suburban Allotment 71 in the Parish of North Brisbane, located on the corner of Brunswick and Wickham Streets, Fortitude Valley. The First freehold title was over this allotment was issued to James Gibbon in 1850″.[8]
According to Charles Melton’s Reminiscences of the Valley in the early 1850’s; ‘There were no streets or footpath, and box, ironbark, and gum trees timbered the slopes, with tea trees and she-oaks in the low-lying areas’.[9] He recalled that ‘along the line of the watercourse, were some excavations made by the early brickmakers, and in 1920 ‘their bricks could still be seen in the material of some old cottages in Wickham Street that ran along the line of the railway.’
On 1 May 1852 George Evans, Brickmaker, sold lot 71 to Charles Windmell, Licensee and Victualler, for £17.[10] “George Evans of Brisbane in the County of Stanley and Colony of New South Wales Brickmaker of the one part and Charles Windmell of the same place Licensee and Victualler of the other part.”
On the 29 May 1857, George purchased two blocks of land from James Gibbon located on the corner James Street and Stratton Street, Fortitude Valley, identified as the Eastern Suburban allotment No. 54, sections 1 and 2 for £22/10 shillings for each section. At that period Stratton Street ran north from James St., opposite Arthur Street, and the whole street, north and south of James Street is now known as Arthur Street. The property was just a few hundred metres of easy walking distance to St Patrick’s RC Church, so I wonder how much influence his Irish Orphan bride, Bridget Connare, the subject of a previous blog had in choosing this location.
I have no marriage record for George and Bridget Connor, but their first child, Elizabeth Sarah Evans, was born on 16 November 1852, and baptized on the 12 December by Rev. Father Hanley, the colony’s first Catholic priest. Before Queensland became a separate colony in 1859, the Evans family had welcomed two more daughters, Catherine Lucy, in 1855 and Mary Jane in August 1856. It was her birth record that provided the marriage date of her parents as February 1852.
George Evans was indeed a pioneer of Brisbane prior to the Separation from New South Wales.
[1] A Correspondent writes: – The Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864 – 1933), 17 September, p. 7., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3678954 viewed 17 May 2026.
[2] The Brisbane Centenary Official Historical Souvenir, Watson, Ferguson & Co. Ltd, Brisbane, Queensland, 1924. (Copyrighted 1924) Brisbane Centenary Official Historical Souvenir: 1823 – 1923 | QUT Digital Collections p.126
[3] Johnston, W. Ross, Brisbane, The First 30 years, Boolarong Publications, Bowen Hills, Brisbane,1988.
[4] Ibid, p.218
[5] Colonial Secretary Correspondence, Transcript from New South Wales – Colonial Secretary. Letters relating to Moreton Bay and Queensland received 1822-1860. Reel A2.21, slq.qld.gov.au, pages 1-118.
[6] 1850 ‘Licenses to cut Timber on Crown Lands.’, The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW: 1842 – 1954), 26 October, p. 3., viewed 16 May 2026, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12922059
[7] Queensland State Archives, ITM3858057, QSA Ref: PR4084788, Application Packet, No. 3444.
[8] Information provided by the Museum of Lands, Mapping & Surveying Queensland, 2024.
[9] The Valley was once Wattle Land by “Historicus”, Sunday Mail (Brisbane, Qld.:1926-1954) 26 June 1938, (Magazine Section) p.2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article97872204
[10] Queensland State Archives, ITM3858057, QSA Ref: PR4084788, Application Packet, No. 3444.
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