East Coast Quaker Meeting Place

The Society of Friends held meetings at Francis Cotton's property Kelvedon south of Swansea.

SOCIETY OF FRIENDS - The Friends have a meeting house in Murray-street, where meetings assemble for worship at 11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. on First day (Sunday), and at 7.30 p.m. on Fourth day (Wednesday). Similar meetings are held at Kelvedon, near Swansea.

Francis Cotton was born in London in 1801, at the age of 19 years he was disowned by the Society of Friends for marrying Anna Maria Tilney outside the Society of Friends. During the 1830s Quaker missionaries James Backhouse and George Washington Walker travelled Van Diemen's land and New South Wales and it was during their visit Francis and his family were reinstated as members of the Society of Friends and resumed the discipline of plan speech and Quaker testimonies.

Francis, his family and Dr. George Fordyce Story arrived in Van Diemen's Land in 1828, taking up land on the East Coast south of Swansea. Francis called his property Kelvedon. He was elected the first treasurer of the Glamorgan municipality in 1860 and stood for the Legislative Council in 1854 but was defeated by Charles Meredith - the report was it was due to his refusal to bribe voters with drink.

Living with the family, Dr. George Fordyce Story was a childhood friend of Cotton and fellow member of the Society of Friends. Dr Story was held in high esteem throughout the Glamorgan and Spring Bay municipalities.

Francis Cotton died on the 12th April 1883 and his life long friend Dr. Story two years later on the 7th June 1885, both are buried in the family cemetery at Kelvedon.