John Britty North – Merchant, Mine Owner & Stockbroker

John Britty North (1831-1917), an Englishman, arrived in Port Jackson in February 1852 as a passenger on the Senator which had sailed from Portsmouth the previous October. Shortly after arriving, North entered into a partnership with J S Rutherford, a retired British merchant navy captain, and North then briefly returned to London to purchase goods for their new business. On North’s return to Sydney, the partnership fell apart with the entry of J Wilson although Rutherford and Wilson continued to trade as North, Rutherford & Wilson.

Following his marriage to Clarissa Hack, the niece of retailer David Jones, North moved to Newcastle but he was dragged into bankruptcy proceedings following the collapse of North, Rutherford & Wilson. Back in Sydney in 1861, North became a partner in G S Leathes & Co, grocers, and in time North acquired the business, by then trading solely in wine and spirits. From mid 1866 to early 1868 North worked in Queensland and, having acquired a NSW auctioneer’s licence, North and his family then returned to Sydney.

By 1872 North was a member of the newly formed Sydney Stock Exchange. Initially in partnership with R H Reynolds, the two men applied for conditional purchases of Crown land west of Katoomba for mining purposes and, by 1878, North was selling coal using the trade name the Katoomba Coal Mining Co. After constructing a tramway up the cliff face from the Jamison Valley, North extended the line to join the Government railway at Katoomba to facilitate transportation of his coal to Sydney.

In time he would also be associated with the Katoomba Coal and Shale Company Ltd, the Blackheath Coal Company Ltd, the Wallerawang Coal Company Ltd, the NSW Shale and Oil Mining Company Ltd, and the second Australian Kerosene Oil and Mineral Company of 1891. Following his death in October 1917, on the day of his funeral the Sydney Stock Exchange closed after a half day’s trade as a mark of respect and so that members could attend his funeral.