William Guise Brittan led the first Canterbury Pilgrims, chaired the Society of Canterbury Colonists and controlled the Land Office in early Christchurch. William Guise Brittan was also known as the Father of Cricket in Canterbury. His elder brother Joseph had a significant influence on local politics and he, too, was a cricket enthusiast. The Brittan brothers were leading figures in the Canterbury settlement and made substantial contributions to the province, yet they were unpopular, both their careers ended in failure and disappointment and they have been mostly forgotten. This timely and fascinating account seeks to explain why.