 In 1836, a syndicate of three British Army Officers, Houghton, Lowie and Yule (who had been serving together in India) purchased the northern half of Swan location II.The syndicate named the property Houghton after the senior ranking officer of their group, Lieutenant Colonel Richmond Houghton.Houghton himself did not come to Western Australia and for the next 23 years the property was managed and developed by one of the members of the syndicate, Thomas Newte Yule.