Potted history from my own notes,
Edward Cox is a first generation colonial aristocrat. ruling class? what strata of society did he exist in. Rich pastoralist?
One of many children, his father is William Cox who was a Lt. in the NSW Corps, a magistrate for Macquarie in the Hawkesbury and helped oversee the building of the road thru the Blue Mountains.
-he would surely have been complicit in frontier violence.
Edward is left land to his name as a child, is a pastoralist, has a young family, and wants to build a greek revival style house of sandstone.
-hires 20 stonemasons via immigrant bounty scheme ie cheap labour inc. Thomas Bready
more info on edward cox taken straight from here: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/members/Pages/profiles/cox_edward.aspx
member of Parliament Pastoralist. Was a pastoralist and stud farmer when he was nominated to the old Legislative Council. Inherited property from his father at Mulgoa, where he built ‘Fernhill’ in 1840. Owned other stations including squatting interests, where he bred merinos.
Personal
Son of William, a militiary officer, and Rebecca, nee Upjohn. Parents arrived in New South Wales in 1800 as his father was an officer in the New South Wales Corps. His father later became a pioneer road-builder and pastoralist. Married Jane Maria Brooks. Was the father of Edward King Cox, member of the Legislative Assembly from 1874 to 1883.
Additional Information
References: Australian Dictionary of Biography, volume one, pp258-9; Australian Dictionary of Biography, volume three, pp482-3; Sands Sydney Directory, 1858-9; Ford’s Sydney and Commercial Directory, Sydney 1851, pXXXIII; The New South Wales Gazetteer, Sydney 1866.
was a president of the royal agricultural society, below is info dump from their presidents pages.
Assets reference: President’s Biographies
Date: 1864
Collection: Presidents
Edward Cox (1805 – 1868)
[Image courtesy Australian Royalty] – -actually this is NOT a photo of him its one of his brothers.
President Agricultural Society of New South Wales 1864-65
Edward Cox (brother of George Cox, also a Society president) was born on the Hawkesbury in 1805, the youngest of seven children and the only to be colonially born.
Land at Mulgoa was granted in his name when he was five years old and it was here that he later established a thoroughbred stud and built a grand sandstone house, Fernhill.
He was a renowned pastoralist with additional properties at Bathurst and Rylstone which were managed by English wool classing expert, John Thompson, whom Cox had been shrewd to engage.
Edward Cox was a member of the first NSW Legislative Council (1843 – 1856) and served again in 1866 having been appointed for life.
helpful weirdly racist ancestory page
https://australianroyalty.net.au/tree/purnellmccord.ged/individual/I67281/Edward-Cox
burrows & co 