Menu
Burton and Mary Crossland in front of the two-storey guest house c.1890
Expand/collapse
Details
Description The Crossland (formerly Crosland) Family. The first Crosland, James, was born in Yorkshire, England, and emigrated to Australia in the 1850s as a free settler. He was a widower and brought with him his young son, Burton. 'Burton' was the maiden surname of James Crosland's first wife.
Crosland took up land on the Hawkesbury then known as Fernleigh, but now named Spencer, and shortly afterwards married his second wife by whom he had four children, George, James, Walter and Martha.
Crosland taught his sons the fundamentals of boat-building and farming. His eldest son Burton, changed the spelling of his surname to 'Crossland'(ss) after he grew up.
A city man named Matthew Charlton had acquired land in 1856 on the eastern bank of Berowra Creek and engaged Burton Crossland as caretaker of the property. Burton built his home on it (by arrangement with the owner) and earned a good living at four occupations - timber cutting, orcharding, fishing and boat-building. He built the first homes for some of the settlers along Berowra Creek and erected the stone chimney of the church on Bar Island.
He had a boat-building shed near his home and among the boats he built were the 'White Cloud' and the 'Mary Crossland'. In later years these two boats brought many parties of sportsmen into the upper reaches of Berowra Creek. Lime burning (from shell brought into the area by boat) was carried on at what is now the Crosslands Reserve. Burton Crossland made the first tracks from Crosslands to Hornsby and from Crosslands to Galston, thus providing needed access.
Eventually Matthew Charlton sold his land to Burton Crossland who married Mary Ann White, a grand daughter of Captain John Ramsay. The wife led a somewhat lonely life and once had a frightening visit from a bushranger who forced her to give him food.
Burton Crossland built a two-storey guest house on land to the south of his first home. The family lived there, and according to the family sources, in the great flood of 1893 they stayed in the top storey and got in and out through a window into a rowing boat they kept tied up handy.
("Pioneers of Hornsby Shire", pp 258-260.)
Crosland took up land on the Hawkesbury then known as Fernleigh, but now named Spencer, and shortly afterwards married his second wife by whom he had four children, George, James, Walter and Martha.
Crosland taught his sons the fundamentals of boat-building and farming. His eldest son Burton, changed the spelling of his surname to 'Crossland'(ss) after he grew up.
A city man named Matthew Charlton had acquired land in 1856 on the eastern bank of Berowra Creek and engaged Burton Crossland as caretaker of the property. Burton built his home on it (by arrangement with the owner) and earned a good living at four occupations - timber cutting, orcharding, fishing and boat-building. He built the first homes for some of the settlers along Berowra Creek and erected the stone chimney of the church on Bar Island.
He had a boat-building shed near his home and among the boats he built were the 'White Cloud' and the 'Mary Crossland'. In later years these two boats brought many parties of sportsmen into the upper reaches of Berowra Creek. Lime burning (from shell brought into the area by boat) was carried on at what is now the Crosslands Reserve. Burton Crossland made the first tracks from Crosslands to Hornsby and from Crosslands to Galston, thus providing needed access.
Eventually Matthew Charlton sold his land to Burton Crossland who married Mary Ann White, a grand daughter of Captain John Ramsay. The wife led a somewhat lonely life and once had a frightening visit from a bushranger who forced her to give him food.
Burton Crossland built a two-storey guest house on land to the south of his first home. The family lived there, and according to the family sources, in the great flood of 1893 they stayed in the top storey and got in and out through a window into a rowing boat they kept tied up handy.
("Pioneers of Hornsby Shire", pp 258-260.)
Location
Related to
Click on the image to add
a tag or press ESC to cancel
a tag or press ESC to cancel
loading google map....
Burton and Mary Crossland in front of the two-storey guest house c.1890 (c.1890), [Photo 00821]. Hornsby Shire, accessed 10/04/2026, https://hornsbyshire.recollect.net.au/nodes/view/1245