William Lyall

William Lyall (June 1821 – 20 January 1888)^[1] was a Melbourne pastoralist who established a hunting lodge at Tooradin south east of Cranbourne in the 1870s and became a councillor on the shire in the 1880s. Lyall was also a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly 1859–1861.^[2]

Lyall was born in Foveran, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and the family emigrated to Tasmania when he was in his teens. He moved to Melbourne in 1847 and started a business, later joining with two others to form the firm of Mickle, Bakewell & Lyall.^[1]

Lyall married Annabella Brown (born in Glasgow in 1827) on 29 January 1849, and they lived at Tooradin station until 1854, when he took his family to Britain and started his study of agricultural chemistry. He returned to Australia in 1856 with stud Herefords, Cotswold sheep, hares, pheasants and partridges and gained a reputation as a stock breeder and was successful at shows. He pursued practical and adventurous farming practices, and also held a number of public offices.^[1]

Lyall died at Harewood on 20 January 1888 and was buried in Cranbourne cemetery.^[1] A street in Cranbourne retains his name.

Public offices

He held a number of public offices:^[1]

• member and president of the Cranbourne Shire Council
• first president of the Mornington Pastoral and Agricultural Society
• founder of the Victorian Agricultural Society, Zoological Society, Acclimatisation Society and Victoria Racing Club
• member of the National Agricultural Society
• represented Mornington in the Legislative Assembly
• territorial magistrate

References