Scown Charles Thomas
| Type of person | Individual |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | c. 1856 |
| Date of arrival | 1837 |
| Principal occupation | Cornfactor |
| Date of death | 23 Nov 1889 |
| Place of death | Victoria, Australia. |
Charles Thomas Scown arrived in South Australia in October 1837 onboard the ship the "Katherine Stewart Forbes". His occupation was listed as 'Cornfactor'. A Cornfactor is a person who trades with grain or corn. After moving to Hotham, Victoria, Scown's occupation was listed as 'agent'.
Charles Thomas Scown married Grace Anne Parnell on 29 Jun 1882.
Their children were: Hilda May Scown (1883–1955), Grace Parnell Scown (1884–1885), Howard Newton Scown (1886 - ?), Gertrude Muriel Scown (1889 - ?).
Willaston's second hotel, the first two-storey building in the town, was built for Charles Thomas Scown, cornfactor, in 1866, on Allotment 14 of section 1, Hundred of Mudla Wirra. It was known as the Victoria Hotel until 1958, when its name changed to the Willaston Hotel.
Thomas Scown was granted a publican’s license and the Victoria Hotel was approved as a new pubic house in September 1866, and Charles Thomas Scown took over the license the following year. He was a long-standing resident of Gawler and an old colonist, having arrived in South Australia in 1837. He also owned a chaff mill and grain store in the town. He was an active member of the Wesleyan Methodist Church and superintendent of the Gawler Methodist School, a prominent member of the Gawler Institute, and had been a Town Councillor for the Mudla Wirra Council from 1856, and its Chairman in 1861. Charles Scown held the title to the property until 1869, when he announced the sale of the Victoria Hotel along with other property as he was relinquishing business ‘in consequence of ill-health’, and intended leaving the colony for California. A lavish farewell dinner was held in his honour, attended by 50 or 60 gentlemen of note, including Sir G S Kingston and several MPs and local dignitaries. Interestingly, he was arrested shortly afterwards on account of unpaid accounts owed to Fotheringham’s Bros. Brewery. Brought before the Insolvency Court, he was briefly imprisoned for debt, before moving with his family to Melbourne.
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[Researched by Allen Tiller] Parts of this research are thanks to: 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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