Peter Pégus
Encyclopedia
Captain Peter Pégus was one of the first European settlers of the Swan River colony
in Western Australia
.
Peter was born to Peter Pégus (senior) in 1786, a wealthy cotton-plantation owner in Grenada
, after whom Pégus Point on the southern tip of Carriacou is named . In 1806, he served as a Lieutenant with the Royal Tyrone Militia in Ireland . The following year, he transferred to the Connaught Rangers regiment, where he fought against Napoleon in the Peninsular War
.
Peter retired from the army in 1828, and applied for land grants in Western Australia
, not on the basis of military service, but instead, on the basis of the property he would bring to Australia. Peter's application was successful, and he arrived at the Swan River on the 19th of October 1829 aboard the Atwick , with his wife Mary Jane, his younger son William, 2 sheep, 5 servants, and £1,552 . He was allowed to select 18000 acres (72.8 km²) of land, which he did in the area known today as Thornlie. This area was named "Coleraine". However, in 1834, Coleraine was largely destroyed in a bushfire, which ended the settlement. Peter, who had lost much of his wealth, then left for Van Diemen's land
per Elizabeth (a ship also carrying convicts) in March 1836. Following the death of his first wife in 1839, Peter married Mary Sophia Skardon in Launceston in 1840.
Peter had two sons, Campbell John Pégus, born 1814 in Britain, and William Jeffries Pégus, born 1820 in Glasgow.
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...
in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Peter was born to Peter Pégus (senior) in 1786, a wealthy cotton-plantation owner in Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, after whom Pégus Point on the southern tip of Carriacou is named . In 1806, he served as a Lieutenant with the Royal Tyrone Militia in Ireland . The following year, he transferred to the Connaught Rangers regiment, where he fought against Napoleon in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
.
Peter retired from the army in 1828, and applied for land grants in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, not on the basis of military service, but instead, on the basis of the property he would bring to Australia. Peter's application was successful, and he arrived at the Swan River on the 19th of October 1829 aboard the Atwick , with his wife Mary Jane, his younger son William, 2 sheep, 5 servants, and £1,552 . He was allowed to select 18000 acres (72.8 km²) of land, which he did in the area known today as Thornlie. This area was named "Coleraine". However, in 1834, Coleraine was largely destroyed in a bushfire, which ended the settlement. Peter, who had lost much of his wealth, then left for Van Diemen's land
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
per Elizabeth (a ship also carrying convicts) in March 1836. Following the death of his first wife in 1839, Peter married Mary Sophia Skardon in Launceston in 1840.
Peter had two sons, Campbell John Pégus, born 1814 in Britain, and William Jeffries Pégus, born 1820 in Glasgow.