Robert Langford
Robert Langford | |||
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| Born | 09 May 1849 Milton, Kent, England | ||
| Died | 18 October 1915 Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | ||
| Burial place | Coburg Pine Ridge Cemetery | ||
| Nationality | English | ||
| Citizenship | England | ||
| Known for | Ex-Mayor of Hotham & Builder | ||
| Spouse(s) | Mary Elizabeth (Lizzie) Miller | ||
| Parent(s) | John Langford & Harriet Anne Langford (nee: Sherbert) | ||
Robert Langford, who rose from fish-hawker to man of property and civic leader.[1]
Biography
Robert Langford was born in Gravesend, Kent, in the middle of the 19th century. Robert's father John Langford was originally from Northfleet, a small village a short distance to the west. He was working as a fisherman when he married Robert's mother Harriet Anne Sherbet there in 1843, later becoming a labourer, grocer and a 'general trader'. Their first child, Alfred John, was born in 1847. For more children followed; Robert on 9 May 1849, John Richard in 1851, James William in 1852 and Harriet Anne Moxam in 1856. The Family left for Australia in late 1857. After serving as a counsellor and Mayor, Robert died on 20 October 1915 in Victoria at the age of 66, and was buried in Coburg, Victoria.
Mayor of Hotham
Mayors were chosen by the council after each annual election and served for one year. Most of the other counsellors had already occupied the position, and of the three who had not, Robert was the longest serving. (In the 1883 elections William Cook and James Steel had replaced James Carrol and Hugo Lennon.) Cook nominated Robert Langford for the election at the meeting held on the 18 August. Robert's interest had been canvassed three months earlier, so the nomination was no surprise to the Elizabeth. Accepting the role, Robert said that 'When he arrived eight years ago in the town and passed the hall he had a little thought that he would ever become a counsellor let alone the mayor, but now that he had obtained the honour he would do his best to carry out the details in connection with the high position.[2]
The role was largely honorary. According to the Advertiser, the mayor should have a firm character, shrewd Business attainments, and on all occasions be able to express himself with some attitude, and credit in keeping with the high position he occupies. It meant chairing council meetings, certifying the council minute book and presiding at a busy calendar of social events. It required mediation and negotiation skills, and 'not being too thin-skinned'. The mayor received an allowance of £100 and use of the rooms at the town hall. It was expected that the mayors wife would act as hostess at Council functions. Robert was 36. Elizabeth was 30.
The first large function the Mayor and Mayoress hosted was not a council event, but a house-warming party for Milton Hall. The venue for the party had to be changed to the Town Hall after they invited 180 guests. It was probably the largest event Elizabeth had ever hosted and it said the scale and tone for the subsequent entertaining.
His three-year term counsellor ended in July of 1885 and he was re-elected without opposition. James Steel succeeded him as Mayor at the first meeting of the new council on 10 August. Robert presented the town officials each with a monogrammed pipe as a momentum for his year in office.
Robert's term as Mayor changed his outlook and through council, he and Elizabeth developed a wide social circle drawn from the Spheres of business and government. They where in social columns of the local newspaper and Table Talk. A profile of Robert including an engraved portrait appeared on the front page of the Melbourne Bulletin on 2 October 1885. He became socially notable, a man about town, though he does not appear to have been associated with gentlemen's clubs such as the Melbourne Club, the various Masonic lodges or to have been a guest at Government House. He gained an understanding of the mechanics of both local and colonial government. In becoming Mayor Robert prison had risen as high as he could in the context of Hotham Council and have taken on a very taxing round of social obligations. Robert and Elizabeth were developing wider interests.
Estates and Land
Guy Murphy whom has a Bachelor of Arts, wrote a book about Robert Langford. It talks about how he built and owned many houses such at 519 Dryburgh Street, Curran Street and land on Flemington Road.[3]
References
- ↑ "At Home on Hotham Hill". Hotham History Project.
- ↑ North Melbourne Advertiser, 22 August 1884 - https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/6630288
- ↑ The Age Article "Home is where the history is" - https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/books/home-is-where-the-history-is-20040830-gdyjbn.html
External links
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