Francis Jollie ( 1815 - 1870 )

Born

1815. Carlisle, England.

Died

1871.

Parents

Francis and Margaret Jollie of Carlisle.

Married

Jane Cooper

Children

Edward Jollie (snr)'s older brother, first son of Rev. Francis Jollie of Brampton near Carlisle. Francis arrived at Nelson in Fifeshire, 1 February 1842 and took up land at Wakapuaka. He called his home "Thackwood" and was the first to grow hops in New Zealand. He acted as the local agent for the New Zealand Company and stood for the superintendency of Nelson.

In 1853 Francis Jollie moved to South Canterbury, taking up land at Peel Forest where he lived for the rest of his life. He stocked the land with sheep which Sam Pike managed 'on thirds' for him for several years. By 1854 F. Jollie was carrying 1,382 sheep and his manager was Bayley Pike. In 1858 he returned to England for a year and on his return married Jane, eldest surviving daughter of Rev. Blakely Cooper, Rector of Newcombe, and widow of Rev. George Fort Cooper of Yetminster. He represented Timaru in the House of Representatives from 1861 to 1866. Colonial Treasurer in the Stafford Ministry in 1866. He died at Peel Forest on 30 November 1879.

Francis Jollie built his timber homestead at Peel Forest, well away from the working area, a vast 25,000 acre run. His redoubtable wife, a widow with four children, disliked the sound of bleating sheep but nevertheless, with great forethought brought with her from England materials and fittings for the house, including the windows already glazed. The timber used in the house was white pine, the roof was originally shingled though later covered with iron. He died in 1870 and an obituary appeared in the Carlisle Journal on the 28th March 1871. Jane his wife died soon thereafter and her son Edward Cooper who had been Francis' farm manager inherited the station. In 1878 when Edward Cooper sold the farm, it comprised 7,000 acres of freehold, 12,000 acres of leasehold and about 13,000 sheep. He retired to Melbourne. The purchasers were Smith, Denniston and Co.