Brittan was born in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England, in 1809[1] into a respectable middle-class family that originated from Bristol.

Wakefield wrote to John Robert Godley, the other driving force behind the colonisation scheme who was already in New Zealand, and suggested that Brittan be given a role of responsibility.

[4] Brittan came to Christchurch on Sir George Seymour in December 1850 and was thus one of the Pilgrims (the term adopted for all those early arrivals).

[4] His older brother Joseph followed him to Christchurch in 1852 and established his farm some 800 metres (2,600 ft) downstream, which he called Linwood.

[7] Brittan declared his candidacy in the Christchurch Country electorate for election to the 1st New Zealand Parliament by advertisement in the Lyttelton Times on 18 June 1853.

[10] Sewell sought counsel from some friends, who recommended for him to stand in the rural electorate, but he did not want to oppose Brittan.

The complication with the town electorate was that John Watts-Russell had already received a pledge from the majority of that constituency, but there were rumours that he would not stand, and it was known that he was just about to go travelling during the time of the election campaign.

[12] Jerningham Wakefield reiterated his candidacy for the Christchurch Country electorate in early August upon his return from Wellington.

[14] On 4 August,[15] he held a meeting at the Golden Fleece, a hotel on the corner of Colombo and Armagh Streets,[16] and addressed between 30 and 40 electors.

Here was a Gentleman who told [us] all sorts of things which a Representative ought to attend to and then declined standing himself, because of another Candidate whose intentions no one knew anything about—and who was just on the point of starting for an excursion without giving any one an opportunity of learning his sentiments about anything.The meeting expressed dissatisfaction with Watts-Russell and that they would not hold themselves bound to support him.

[24] The three candidates for the Christchurch Country electorate spoke first, with Stuart-Wortley and Wakefield winning the show of hand, and Brittan visibly offended, but demanding a poll.

Fooks was proposed by Joshua Charles Porter (a lawyer; later Mayor of Kaiapoi), and seconded by the publican Michael Hart.

[29] Guise Brittan died on 18 July 1876 at his home in Cashel Street West, Christchurch, and is buried at St Paul's Anglican Church in Papanui.