5 November 1866 'Westfield' Westbury Tasmania Australia Lilian Jessie Ayton Dorothy Elizabeth, Thomas Ayton & Richard Randall

Richard Charles Field was born at 'Westfield', Westbury on 5 Nov 1866, the second youngest of 14 children of Hon. Thomas William Field, MLC (c.1817-1881) and Elizabeth Isadora Lindsay (1824-1902) who married in Hobart on 8 Sep 1847. His grandfather, William Field, who had come to Van Diemen's Land as a convict, supplied the government with meat and became a wealthy landowner.

Richard was educated at the Launceston Church Grammar School, He followed his father and became a farmer and breeder of horses, sheep and cattle. After a few years at 'Kinlet', Longford, in 1896 he returned to the family property of 'Westfield' and farmed there. He was a starter at the Tasmanian Turf Club and Longford and Carrick Racing Clubs. He was elected to the Westbury Municipal Council in 1892 and was a member of the Committee of the Longford Agricultural Association. (Cyclopedia of Tasmania, vol. 2, p. 227-8)

On 10 Feb 1892 Richard married Lilian Jessie Ayton in Hobart. Lilian was the sister of Nurse Susan Ayton who is pictured in the Launceston Family Album. The couple had one daughter and two sons. Dorothy Elizabeth was born at Longford on 18 Dec 1893. Thomas Ayton was born at Westbury on 29 Jun 1897, passing away on 3 Jul 1990 at the age of 93. Richard Randall was born on 3 Jan 1903 and died in 1988.

Richard Field died aged 94 on 26 Jan 1961 and Lilian died aged 97 on 19 Sep 1966. They were both cremated and their ashes were interred in the Colonnade Wall at Carr Villa.

Marion Sargent Aug 2011