Waltham The Township of
| Place type: | Locality |
|---|---|
| Also known as: | The Township of Waltham |
| Town or Locality: | Willaston |
The Township of Waltham was the initiative of Henry Edward Bright MP owner of section 134 Hundred of Mudla Wilrra. The 79 acre section located to the north-west of Willaston had been advertised for sale in December 1868 by its previous owner George Neil, who had applied to have it brought under the Real Property Act two years earlier. On 12 December 1868 an advertisement appeared in the Bunyip for the sale of Mr George Neil’s property section 134 Hundred of Mudla Wirra, located immediately to the north of Willaston and containing 79 acres. He had applied two years earlier to have this section brought under the Real Property Act. The property was purchased by Henry Edward Bright (1819-1904), who had emigrated with his young family from Essex in 1849. The family settled at Gawler and his first employment had been driving bullock teams between Gawler and Burra. Within 20 years he had risen to becoming a member of Parliament, representing the district of Stanley in the House of Assembly from 1865 to 1875, and the district of Wooroora from 1875 to 1884.
From 1873 to 1875 he was Commissioner of Public Works in the Government of Arthur Blyth and in 1885 was elected to the Legislative of which he was a member until 1891.
In 1878 Bright subdivided part of section 134 into 43 allotments, laid out as the Township of Waltham.
The name was adopted from a town in Essex and is believed to derive from either the Anglo -Saxon wealtham - ‘enclosure in the weald’ [wood], or weald-ham - ‘a forest homestead or enclosure’.
Allotments were offered at an auction conducted by J C Wilkinson on 27 January 1879, at Frankel’s Exchange Hotel in Gawler. The advertisement read in part as follows: ‘This Land is beautifully situated, and for Salubrity of Position, Grandeur of View, and General Excellence, is not to be equalled in the Neighbourhood of Gawler’.
Acknowledgments
This report has been prepared by the following people:
• Nancy Cromar (Flightpath Architects)
• Deborah Morgan (Flightpath Architects)
• Kate Paterson (Flightpath Architects)
• Douglas Alexander (Flightpath Architects)
The study team would like to acknowledge the assistance of the following people:
• David Petruzzella (Strategic Planner; Town of Gawler)
• Jacinta Weiss (Cultural Heritage Centre Coordinator; Town of Gawler)
• Jane Strange (Senior Development and Strategic Policy Officer; Town of Gawler)
Gawler History Team Inc. thanks:
Flightpath Architects, Ryan Viney and the Town of Gawler for allowing us access to this important document of Gawler History.
www.flightpatharchitects.com.au
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References
- Hignett & Company Gawler Heritage Study Stage 1 December 1981
- State Library of SA: Frederick Foote Turner BRG 178/1 Series 1
- Place Names of South Australia (accessed 27 February 2020) https://published.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/placenamesofsouthaustralia/W.pdf
- Advertiser 26 April 1907 p.2
- Bunyip 12 December 1868 p.4
- Critic 8 September 1909 p.35
- Gawler Standard 4 Jan 1879 p.2
- Register 21 December 1866 p4; 16 July 1909 p.4
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