John Terry

Who was John Terry?

John Terry was an early settler and pioneer farmer in New Norfolk, Tasmania.

Born in Askrigg in the Yorkshire Dales, he was the eldest son of John Terry of The Mill, Redmire and Grace Green. The Terrys also had milling and other interests in Bedale, Forcett and Askrigg.

He married Martha Powell on 12 July 1797 and continued in the family milling business until, in October 1818, John and Martha, their eight daughters, three sons and two millstones sailed from Sheerness, England on the Surrey, the only "free" settlers on a convict ship to Sydney, Australia.

Possibly unhappy with the terms of the lease and the size of the allotment at Liverpool, south-west of Sydney, Terry moved his family and business to Van Diemen's Land. Arriving in Hobart Town on the Prince Leopold on 6 December 1819, the family proceeded to build the mill on 100 acres at Elizabeth Town, where the Derwent and Lachlan Rivers met.

By the end of 1820 Terry was grinding wheat on what was now known as the 'Lachlan River Mill'. Further to this he took up a grant of 1,400 acres at nearby Macquarie Plains. This property he called 'Askrigg', named after the village of his birth.