William Stirling

Born: 1799, Died 14/04/1831.

William Stirling was one of the pioneers of Western Australia. He was one of the first settlers to arrive in WA and he came on board the Parmelia, the first ship for free settlers to reach this state.  Another person on that voyage was his first cousin Captain (later ‘Governor’ and ‘Sir’) James Stirling, the first person to come and navigate the area on proper charts. This area charted was the upper Swan River and James recommended this place to the king, suggesting that an establishment should be made upon the Swan River. 

James Stirling appointed his first cousin William Stirling as ‘Registrar of the Board of Council and Audit’. Being a wealthy person in his own right, as well as first cousin to James Stirling, William Stirling was always well looked after. Consequently, he was granted 4,480 acres of land, 4, 000 of which was in the Avon region in 1830.

Sadly, just after a year of being given this land by his cousin, William passed away. The reason for his death is unknown.

Being related to the hugely successful and high profile Governor Sir James Stirling, generated a strict set of expectations for anyyone in the Swan River Colony with the last name of Stirling. William Stirling was something of a ‘dark horse’ to his prestigious family and relatives. For whatever reason, William Stirling was unable to fulfill these expectations. He had a reputation for wild behaviour.

William Stirling has no known descendants and this is probably due to the fact that he was not married and his death was untimely. He died when he was 32 years old.

Although it is plain that William Stirling had very little impact on life in the Swan River Colony, the rest of his family had a huge impact. We did not hear a lot about William Stirling’s contribution because it was overshadowed by the achievements of his cousin James. The Stirling family as a whole made a big difference to the development of Western Australia, so much so that the Stirling name has been given to a major province, the Town of Stirling. There is also a mountain range named after the family, the Stirling Ranges.

William Striling was not a predominant public figure like James Stirling, but he was enthusiastic enough to arrive on the very first ship that departed for Western Australia.  He was one of the first British colonizers to settle in Perth and the Avon region.

William Stirling will never be forgotten as long as his grave stands in East Perth cemetery.