George Morphett
| George Morphett | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
21 May 1811 London, England |
| Died | October 1893[1] |
| Relations | John Morphett |
| Parents | Nathaniel Morphett and Mary Morphett (née Gliddon) |
George Morphett (21 May 1811 – 1893) was a settler in the colony of South Australia, and a brother of John Morphett.
History
Morphett was born in London to solicitor Nathaniel Morphett and his wife Mary, née Gliddon, of "Cummins", Ide, Devon.
He travelled to Egypt in 1833 to meet up with his brother John. Together they toured Egypt and Italy before returning to England. He married Ann Hitchcock in 1835.[2]
He emigrated to South Australia, arriving at Holdfast Bay, South Australia on 12 December 1840 on the Brightman.[3] He lived at North Adelaide, set up a legal practice in the city and returned to England.
He returned to South Australia in 1846 on the Enmore[4] with his wife and three children. A daughter was born during the voyage on 7 January 1846.[5]
He was involved in a large number of profitable transactions in the land speculation frenzy that the orderly Adelaide real estate market had become. One was the sale to a consortium of Jewish businessmen, including Morris Lyon Marks, of a block on Rundle Street for their synagogue.[6] One of his last transactions was the sale, to wealthy Rundle Street draper George Hunt, of a block on Magill Road which became the site for his mansion, "Tranmere House", built in 1898.
Morphett was appointed a director of the South Australian Marine & Fire & Life Assurance Company, the Bank of South Australia and several mining companies.[2] He was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly seat of West Torrens in March 1860.[7] He was a conscientious and able member, a supporter of Robert Torrens's Real Property Act, but left the colony for London on the Orient on 31 October 1860 and never returned. His resignation from parliament was received in April 1861.
He was a Director of Underground Railways London and Metropolitan Railway Company.
He died in Kensington, London, in October 1893.[1]
Family
He married Ann Hitchcock. in 1835[8]
Children
- Three children were born in England, including:
- Fanny Australia Morphett (born 1838, Islington)
- Nathaniel George Morphett (born 16 March 1840, Clerkenwell, died 23 September 1872), educated at Highgate School from 1849 to 1857[9]
- A daughter (born on 7 January 1846 aboard the Enmore from England)[4]
- Eustace Morphett (born 21 December 1847, North Adelaide)
See also
References
- 1 2 "DEATH OF MR. GEORGE MORPHETT.". South Australian Register. LVIII, (14,646). South Australia. 21 October 1893. p. 5. Retrieved 24 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- 1 2 "Morphett family PRG 239" (PDF). State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ↑ "Late Arrivals". The Southern Australian. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 18 December 1840. p. 2. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- 1 2 "Arrivals". South Australian Register. Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia. 21 January 1846. p. 3. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ↑ "Family Notices.". Adelaide Observer. National Library of Australia. 24 January 1846. p. 4. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ↑ "Adelaide Hebrew Congregation". The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 19 September 1908. p. 11. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ↑ Statistical Record of the Legislature, 1836 to 2007, Parliament of South Australia, pg.50
- ↑ "Morphett family PRG 239" (PDF). State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ↑ Highgate School Roll 1833-1912 (1st ed.). 1913. p. 68.