Thomas Brown (1803 – 5 July 1863) was an early settler in colonial Western Australia, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council. Thomas Brown was born in England in 1803. He married Eliza Bussey in 1836, and by 1840 he was living in Cuddesdon, Oxfordshire and working as a road surveyor. He was reasonably well off financially by then, having an interest in the rental of a turnpike, and some rental property in the district. In November 1840, Brown and his family emigrated to Western Australia, arriving on the Sterling in March 1841. They brought with them seven servants including 18 year old John Taylor. During a severe storm on board, all their horses except two suffered broken necks and died. On arrival at the Swan River Colony, Brown went to York, where, after a month staying at Yangedine, in June 1841 he purchased a 7,000 acre farm called Grass Dale from Revett Henry Bland for £1,500 of which £500 was lent back. Brown also purchased ewes for the property, and began selecting horses for breeding. In July 1841 he accepted a position as assistant government surveyor with a salary of £300 a year, leaving Thomas Fruin to look after the farm, but the work took him away from his property too much, and he resigned in January 1842. In September 1842, Brown leased a farm house and other farm buildings from a neighbour Mr John Wall Hardey who had "quitted this to improve a farm he has in another part of the colony". Brown became active in the York Agricultural Society, being its president during 1843. In November 1844 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace. Brown continued to work at Grass Dale and had great success in the development of his land and stock, but little success financially. He suffered particularly from poisoning of his sheep. He wrote: Grass Dale had cost him £3000 and he was in debt to his father in law in the sum of £2000. In about 1849, his father in law supplied a further £550 to the Browns to clear Bland's debt but instead of doing this, Brown entered into an agreement with Bland to supply £300 worth of sandalwood at Guildford in the hope of selling it for a profit, but just as the wood was delivered, the price of sandalwood fell to almost nothing so the wood was