Joseph Barritt was a pastoralist and politician in the colony of South Australia.
History
Barritt was born in Hazeleigh, near Maldon, Essex, and emigrated to South Australia on the Anna Robertson in 1839 with an introduction to John Barton Hack, a fellow Quaker for whom he ran a farm. He next ran a farm for John Richardson, later taking up his own properties "Woodlands" around 1856 then "Riverside" around 1859, both in the Lyndoch Valley. He was for several years partner with Walter Duffield in a pastoral lease adjacent to the Burra Special Survey. He was for many years a member of the Barossa East Council, and in 1859 succeeded Thomas Sandland as Chairman. There was a long association between the Barritts and Sandlands. Two Sandland boys married Barritt girls and in 1886 H. T. H. Morris, W. E. Sandland and E. Barritt formed the auctioneering firm of Morris, Sandland and Barritt, which in 1888 was incorporated as Wilkinson, Dempsey and Sandland Ltd. In November 1862 he was elected to the House of Assembly, as Duffield's associate for the seat of Barossa, but retired after little more than one year, owing to rapidly deteriorating eyesight, and became almost totally blind. His wife died on 27 June 1881 and he died a few months later.
Family
He married Mary Ann Harrison on 7 March 1843, the first Quaker marriage in South Australia. She died in childbirth. He married again, to Hanna Sophia May whose father, Joseph May, was a prominent Mount Barker Quaker, on 12 May 1853. Their children were:
Elizabeth Ann married Benjamin Sanders on 21 February 1865.
Charles married Jane McDonald on 31 March 1875. Wife Jennie died 14 January 1916. They owned Mallara station, up the Darling from Wentworth
Lucy Maria Barritt married R Cooper Sandland on 9 October 1878. Sandland, at one time mayor of Jamestown, married again, to Agnes Mitchell of Jamestown.
Walter Barritt married Ellen Mary Capper on 28 January 1880, lived at "Highlands", Lyndoch. He married Elizabeth Williams on 4 June 1919.
Ellen Mary Barritt married Thomas Sandland on 29 December 1881.
Edwin Barritt auctioneer, married Jessie Ann Williams on 13 October 1887; they lived at "Riverside", Lyndoch. A daughter, Josephine Margaret Barritt, married architect Walter Hervey Bagot, and is remembered as an author.
Francis M. C. Barritt married Mary Charlotte Twigg on 4 September 1889; was married to Gertrude Hanbury Barritt when he died. A son, Francis Earn Barritt, was prominent in the sports of golf, tennis and polo.
Herbert Edward Barritt dairy farmer with brother Francis at "Yattalunga"
