John Robert Chappell^{[1, 2, 3]}

1838 - 1898  (60 years)

• Name	John Robert Chappell  [1, 2]
  Birth	12 May 1838	South Molton, Devon, England   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Burial	Jun 1898	Dundee, New South Wales, Australia   [2]
  Death	17 Jun 1898	Glen Innes, New South Wales, Australia   [2]
  Person ID	I9927	DBH Twigs
  Last Modified	29 Mar 2026

  
  

  Father	John Thomas Chappell
  Mother	Frances Nicholls
  Family ID	F4881	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Mary Louisa Dutton,   b. 16 Aug 1845, St Anne, Jamaica d. 15 Oct 1908, Glen Innes, New South Wales, Australia (Age 63 years)  [2, 3]
  Marriage	29 Oct 1861	Armidale, New South Wales, Australia   [2]
  Family ID	F3293	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	21 Feb 2026

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		John Robert Chappell John Robert Chappell (1838-1898), founder of Dundee wool-sorting, felmongering and wool scouring works, 1864 - Dundee, GlenInnes, NSW (State Library of NSW) Media Date: 1864 Keywords: Picture
  		John Robert Chappell Media Date: 1864 Keywords: Picture
  		Devon House Keywords: Picture
  		Devon House Keywords: Picture
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.

  
  

• Notes

  John Robert Chappell came to Australia from Devon, England in 1848 at the age of 10, aboard the 'Castle Eden'. By 1851 his family owned 40,000 acres of land, grazing 10,000 sheep and 6,000 lambs. He went to Rangers Valley in 1858 and worked as a wool washer. A viist to the old Chappellplace is indeed a rewarding experience. He spent some years in Victoria and arrived in Dundee in the year 1858. He commenced building Devon House in 1873 and completed it three years later. Today it stands as a delight to the eye, set in lovely surroundings with its two brick-built stories. Its cedar doors, woodwork and beautiful stairway are as perfect as they were almost a century ago. The entrance hall is dominated by a magnificent portrait of John Robert painted by Wagner. He and his wife entertained vice regal partice, governors and otrher influencial Australians, serving them table wines from their own large cellar. He made history at Dundee by opening his wool scouring works in 1864. He was originally a wool broker and classer and a keen judge of wool. His son, Robert, was to install new machinery in 1904 and the plant operated until WW2. The works were opened with great ceremony.

  
  

• Sources

  [S4174] FreeBMD, England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915, (Ancestry.com Operations Inc). [S179] Jane Cheney. [S797] DBHT (exported from Ancestry).ged. Record originated in...