On 1 April 1903, Linwood joined the Greater Christchurch and came under the care of the C.C.C.
How long do you wait before you marry the sister of your dead wife? Not long enough when it concerned Dr. Joseph Brittan. The scandal that chased Joseph and his new bride (and sister-in-law) Sophia down the church aisle was bad enough to make immigration to Canterbury the only choice!
Dr. Joseph Brittan was a surgeon by trade. He first married Mary Chandler and the pair went on to have nine children. It was a fortnight after the birth of the 9th child that Mary passed away. The infant did not survive either. The year was 1849. In what was considered an illegal move, Joseph married back into the Chandler family.
The newlyweds fled, sailing to Christchurch on the ‘William Hyde’, the Canterbury Association’s 21st ship, Joseph acting as ship’s doctor. They eventually settled on 110 hectares in Avonside, calling the fine homestead and farm ‘Linwood’ after where the Brittan’s grew up. The name Linwood means ‘Beautiful Woods’. The attached sketch shows Linwood Farm to the left with the now demolished Holy Trinity of Avonside at the centre. The river is, of course, the Avon.
Unfortunately, the Linwood Homestead did not survive the February 2011 earthquake. It has since been demolished.
For a more in depth look at the story of Linwood, please check out the following link: http://www.peelingbackhistory.co.nz/linwood-dr-joseph-brittan-1805-1867/
*image courtesy of the Canterbury Public Library – http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/ – File Reference CCL Photo Collection 22, Img02336
