Joseph Barritt (1816 – 17 August 1881) was a pastoralist and politician in the colony of South Australia.
History
Barritt was born in Hazeleigh, near Maldon, Essex, England. He 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 subsequently managed a farm for John Richardson before taking up his own properties, "Woodlands" around 1856 and "Riverside" around 1859, both in the Lyndoch Valley.
He was for several years a partner with Walter Duffield in a 10,000-acre pastoral lease adjacent to the Burra Special Survey. Barritt served for many years as a member of the Barossa East Council and succeeded Thomas Sandland as Chairman in 1859.
In November 1862, he was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly as Duffield's associate for the seat of Barossa. He retired after little more than one year due to rapidly deteriorating eyesight, which eventually left him almost totally blind.
Family
Barritt married Mary Ann Harrison (c. 1815 – 5 April 1848) on 7 March 1843, which was the first Quaker marriage in South Australia. She died in childbirth. He married again to Hanna Sophia May (c. 1819 – 27 June 1881) on 12 May 1853. They had several children, including Charles Barritt (who owned Mallara station on the Darling River), Edwin Barritt (an auctioneer), and Francis M. C. "Frank" Barritt (a pastoralist who owned Yattalunga station near Gawler). His wife Hanna died on 27 June 1881, and Barritt died a few weeks later on 17 August 1881.
Other individuals named Joseph Barritt
In addition to the 19th-century South Australian politician, the name "Joseph Barritt" also refers to:
- Joseph D. Barritt – A research scientist at Imperial College London, whose work focuses on the misfolding of proteins into amyloid fibrils and the use of cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM). He has been cited over 480 times in academic literature.
- Joseph Barritt, PE – Vice President of Transmission Engineering at WSP (as of 2024), previously holding engineering roles at Westwood Professional Services.
