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Thomas Chirnside

1815 – 1887

Australian pastoralist who developed much of what would become western Melbourne

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About Thomas Chirnside

Lived 1815 – 1887 (aged 71–72). Thomas Chirnside was a British farmer.

Thomas Chirnside (1815–1887) was a pastoralist.

Background In 1815, Thomas Chirnside was born to Robert and Mary Chirnside in the Scottish village of Cockburnspath. In the 1820s and the 1830s, thousands of Scots were spurred on by poverty and famine to try and make a living in colonial Australia. Scottish squatters and rural workers started farms. In January 1839, Thomas Chirnside arrived in Adelaide with a Bible from his mother and several hundred pounds from his father. Thomas had told his parents that he would only return home if he became a rich and respected man, before boarding the in Liverpool.

Thomas was raising sheep on the Murrumbidgee by April, but drought forced him to abandon his flock. He joined his itinerant brother, Andrew, in Melbourne,

In 1887, suffering from depression, Thomas Chirnside committed suicide with a shotgun in the garden of the Werribee Park Mansion. Andrew Spencer Chirnside inherited the property, but died three years later.

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Important facts

Born
1815, Cockburnspath
Birth century
Died
1887, Werribee Park
Occupation

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Thomas Chirnside's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Thomas Chirnside?

Australian pastoralist who developed much of what would become western Melbourne (1815–1887)

When was Thomas Chirnside born?

Thomas Chirnside was born in 1815 in Cockburnspath.

When did Thomas Chirnside die?

Thomas Chirnside died in 1887 in Werribee Park.

What was Thomas Chirnside's occupation?

Thomas Chirnside was a farmer.

What nationality was Thomas Chirnside?

Thomas Chirnside was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Thomas Chirnside

· Wikidata: Q7788396

· DBpedia: Thomas Chirnside

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Thomas Chirnside. https://biography.guide/thomas-chirnside/

MLA: "Thomas Chirnside." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/thomas-chirnside/.

Chicago: "Thomas Chirnside." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/thomas-chirnside/.

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