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Note: CHARLES RICHARD HOWROYD, notes by R.B.Howroyd initially in 6/93
Charles Richard Howroyd was born in Dewsbury WRY on 25 February 1867, the seventh child, third son, of Richard Howroyd & Rachel Gomersal. Richard died when Charles was 7, & his upbringing was left to his mother, uncle, & his eldest brother William. Richard left a substantial fortune in trust to his children for their care until they were 21. Much of Charles' formative years were to be spent away from home at Turton College in Gildersome. His 'classical' education & the lack of his formidable father's guidance were to be poor resource in the place where he was to spend most of his life. His outlook was coloured by the strict education he received at his Methodist run school. A disastrous experience at school when he was vaccinated for smallpox left him blind in one eye. His views on vaccination were one day to be a matter of notoriety in Launceston, where he refused vaccination for his children, & he had a distrust of organised religious practise. He seemingly stood aloof from involvement in his childrens's education, secular or religious, & in the religious sense Eric in particular appears not to have attended any church. I do not know what brought Charles to Tasmania. Maybe the news of the mineral discoveries appealed to his adventurous & romantic outlook. Charles arrived in Melbourne on 29/11/1886 on the ship 'Shannon'. I know from a series of undated letters to Laura Aldred that Charles was in Tasmania for some time prior to their marriage in February 1889 but the actual date he arrived in Hobart is so far unknown. However he did write an account of his voyage from the UK & sent it home to Dewsbury for publication. He was here in May 1888, prospecting in the North East, & the North West with James Hunt aka 'Dick', & he would have received his share of his father's estate about then. By 1899 Charles was the registered proprietor of the 'North Eldorado' mine at Mathinna having a nominal capital of 1,500 pounds & a share value of three shillings. Charles & Laura were married 25th Feb 1889 at the residence of Mr.& Mrs. Aldred 81 Elizabeth St. Hobart by the Rev.John W.Simmons, according to the rites of the Congregational Church. Charles described himself as a bachelor, aged 22, & a sharebroker. Laura Octavia Aldred, was aged 23, a spinster, the only Tasmanian born member of her family. Witnesses were Georgina.J.E.Cearns, Arthur T.Oldham, Tom Aldred, James Hunt, & Ethel Lumsden. There were Cearns later involved in the Aldred enterprise; Oldham & Hunt are Yorkshire names; Tom Aldred is a mystery; Lumsden is linked with Aldred because Laura's stepmother & one sister in law were Lumsdens. Charles was practising as a share broker at 79 Collins St during 1890/93 & he was living at 64 Colville St at the same time. Charles' prospector partner Dick seems to have disappeared, maybe because he found no favour with Laura, who had said he 'was only interested in Charles' money'. The next thing that shaped Charles' destiny was his loss in the VDL crash of 03Aug1891 which began a period of instability for him & many others. For 1894/1897 there is no Howroyd listed in the Post Office Directory because with Laura he went home to Dewsbury where his brother William secured him work in a family enterprise in America. Laura told how Charles' family appeared to be relieved she was not coloured nor did she wear clothes with broad arrow patterns. William was the senior partner in a very big chemical works based in Dewsbury & with factories in Germany & America. There are personal jottings to suggest Charles & his little family were in Cincinatti at one time, & we know Reginald was born in Chicago. Later we find them in November 1895 sailing from Tilbury to Melbourne. They must have returned to Chicago because in 1897 they arrived again in Melbourne from America in time for the birth of Leonard. In 1899 Charles was noted as living at 115 Margaret St. Launceston, where he took up his profession of stockbroker serving as secretary of the local exchange for a while. He seems to have moved into journalism being employed at the Daily Telegraph as a freelance writer. He became a secretary to many unions, & involved in politics becoming a founder of the Royal Society of St George, & the Tasmanian Labor Party. He was a member of the Launceston General Hospital Board & a J.P. He had an office at 33 Paterson St.& variously lived at 115 Margaret St., & 26 Forster St. Inveresk. A son, Eric Richard Aldred was born in 1900, & a daughter Mona in 1903. By 1906 he had been elected to the North Launceston seat of the House of Assembly when he described himself as an 'agent'. From April 1909 to March 1917 he was member for Bass. The onset of war found him torn between his love for the land of his birth, & the republican hankerings of the Labor Party. In 1917 he resigned his seat in Bass as a result of the conscription issue upheaval. He joined the National Party & contested the Federal seat of Darwin against Labor's notorious King Omalley. The election was held 0n 5th May 1917 & Charles won 8189 votes to Omalley's 5785. The election campaign was hard fought so that Charles' health, already damaged by a 'heart seizure' earlier at the House of Assembly, was mortally effected. He caught a cold, & immediately after the campaign his doctor ordered him to rest, but he had another collapse at his home in Forster St. when he died at 6 a.m. on May 10 1917 aged 50 years & 3 months . One can read in Mariliyn Calvert's book of the public delight at the defeat of the 'incubus OMalley', who compared himself with Charles as 'racehorse versus draughthorse', a reference to Charles' height.. The electorate was devastated by Charles' death. In the press there were very many tributes & testimonials to his hard work, sincerity, & modest demeanour. And despite his political apostacy, there were still those from his old party who were to be counted among his admirers.
(Transcribed by R.B.Howroyd from 'The Mercury', Hobart, Friday May 11, 1917)
OBITUARY DEATH OF MR. HOWROYD A TRAGIC INCIDENT FRESH ELECTION FOR DARWIN
The community received a great shock yesterday on learning of the sudden death of Mr. Charles R. Howroyd, who, standing in the Nationalist interest , defeated M. King O'Malley, the Official Labour candidate, in the division of Darwin at the Federal elections. When the news reached Hobart yesterday morning, it created a painful sensation, and could scarcely be credited, for Mr. Howroyd's name was deep in the minds of a large section of the people on account of his achievement at this poll in defeating a redoubtable opponent. Expressions of regret were heard in every quarter of the city when the tragic incident was made known. The circumstances leading up to Mr. Howroyd's death were telegraphed by our Launceston correspondent, who stated :- "Mr. Howroyd died suddenly about 6 o'clock this morning . Although not robust, he put in a very strenuous fight on the North West and West Coasts, and towards the end of the campaign contracted a cold. On return to his home at Foster Street, Invermay, Launceston, on Monday, Mr. Howroyd's medical advisor, Dr. Clarke Webster, considered it advisable he should have a fortnight's complete rest to recuperate, and a trained nurse was engaged to attend him.. Although this breakdown in his health was not lightly regarded, fatal results were never anticipated. A weak heart however, complicated matters, and he passes away in his sleep this morning. He was 50 years of age, and leaves a widow (who was with him thoughout his strenuous campaign), three sons, and one daughter. The news of his death came as a painful shock to the people of Launceston, by whom he was highly respected, both as a private citizen, and as a politician. It may be added that during last session of parliament, Mr. Howroyd was overcome by a heart seizure in the bathroom at State Parliament House , and was unconscious when discovered by his colleagues. Since then he has not enjoyed the best of health. He is also known to have worried over the split in the Labour ranks subsequent to the conscription campaign, in which he took a very active part on the affirmative side, having been secretary of the "Yes" party in Launceston.
THE PREMIER'S TRIBUTE
The Premier (Hon. W.H.Lee) ex pressed his very great sorrow on hearing of the sad event. He felt that he was but re-echoing the regret that would be expressed throughout the whole of Australia when it was learned that the man who had defeated Mr.O'Malley at the recent elections had lived such a short period after having obtained the confidence of the electors of Darwin in so striking a manner. Mr. Lee paid a tribute to the good work which had been done by Mr.Howroyd during his term as member for Bass in State Parliament on behalf of the workers, whom he represented for many years. Of an unassuming disposition, Mr.Howroyd had carried out his duties in a way that had gained for him the respect of all members. Even those who differed with him politically were in general agreement as to the sincerity of pupose which characterized all his actions. The Premier extended to the family his deep and sincere sympathy in the bereavement they have suffered.
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