Three members of the family were notable public figures: William Peacock (c. 1790 – 20 January 1874) was a successful businessman and one of the colony's first parliamentarians.
William and family sailed for South Australia on the "Glenalvon", a ship he chartered,[3] arriving at Holdfast Bay on 28 December 1838.
[7] He was one of the original investors in the South Australian Mining Association, which developed the lucrative Burra copper mines between 1845 and 1865, and a director (disqualified in 1860 through absence greater than 6 months but subsequently re-elected[8]) He was associated with the Congregational Church in Freeman Street (now part of Gawler Place), funded the building of the chapel in Ebenezer Place (off Rundle Street east).
[3] He was closely associated with J. L. Young and his Adelaide Educational Institution, which for many years used rooms at the Ebenezer Place and Freeman Street chapels.
His children with Maria (c. 1802 – 13 February 1869) were: Their home for many years was "Palm House" in Hackney on what was known as "Peacock Hill", now St. Peter's College.