Person
Richardson, John Matthew (1797 - 1882)
- Born
- April 1797
Slinfold, United Kingdom - Died
- 28 July 1882
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia - Occupation
- Botanical collector and Gardener
Summary
John Richardson was a gardener and plant collector who was twice transported to New South Wales, in 1818 and 1822. He spent two periods at the Botanic Gardens in Sydney, working under Superintendent Charles Frazer, before spending three years in charge of the government garden on Melville Island. Richardson was plant collector for John Oxley during his exploration of Moreton Bay and the Brisbane River. In 1836 Richardson accompanied Thomas Mitchell on his expedition to explore the Lachlan, Murray and Darling Rivers and the western parts of Victoria, the Australia Felix expedition. Mitchell commended him on his collecting efforts during this journey. Later in his life Richardson settled at Patrick's Plain, N.S.W.
Details
Chronology
- 1818
- Life event - Transported to New South Wales
- 1818 - 1821
- Career position - Gardener, Botanic Gardens, Sydney
- 1821
- Life event - Returned to the United Kingdom
- 1822
- Life event - Transported to New South Wales for life
- 1822 - 1823
- Career event - Assigned to Police constable William Knight Jernott, Hobart
- 1823 - 1826
- Career position - Overseer, Botanic Gardens, Sydney
- 1826 - 1829
- Career position - In charge of government garden, Melville Island
- 1829
- Life event - Received ticket of leave (revoked 1831)
- 1831
- Career event - Assigned to businessman Alexander Brodie Spark, Tempe, New South Wales
- March 1836 - November 1836
- Career position - Plant collector, Australia Felix expedition under leadership of Thomas Mitchell
- 1923
- Career event - Accompanied John Oxley on expedition to Moreton Bay and the Brisbane River
Related entries
Colleague
Published resources
Book Sections
- 'Richardson, John Matthew (1797?-1882), gardener' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 2: 1788 - 1850 I-Z, Douglas Pike, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1967), p. 377. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/richardson-john-matthew-2588. Details
Journal Articles
- Short, P. S., 'John Richardson, an early collector from Melville Island, Northern Territory.', Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter, 112 (2002), 3-7. Details
See also
- Andrews, Alan E. J. ed., Stapylton with Major Mitchell's Australia Felix expedition, 1836, largely from the journal of Granville William Chetwynd Stapylton (Hobart: Blubber Head Press, 1986), 297 pp. Details
- Dowe, John Leslie, 'Grampians botany, with notes on pre-Federation botanical collectors, taxonomists and illustrators of novel taxa', Muelleria, 44 (2026), '71-147, https://cdn.rbg.vic.gov.au/media/yksfaxrd/muelleria-44-dowe-grampians-botany-71-147.pdf?_gl=1*ocm3et*_ga*MjgwMzgxMjMwLjE3NzIwNjU1NzQ.*_ga_411R6RSV9N*czE3ODk1OTc4NzgkbzkkZzEkdDE3ODk1OTc5MTgkajIwJGwwJGgw. Details
- George, Alex S., Australian botanist's companion (Kardinya, W.A.: Four Gables Press, 2009), 671 pp. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 29 September 2026