R. P. Whitworth

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Robert Percy Whitworth (1831 – 31 March 1901) was a journalist and author, active in Australia and New Zealand.

History[]

Whitworth was born in Torquay, Devon, son of John Whitworth and his wife Ann, née Dawson.[1]

He landed in Sydney, and opened a riding school 1858[2]–1860[3] and wrote poetry[4] and stories[5] for The Empire and country newspapers.[6]

By 1863 he was in Brisbane, and secretary to the Brisbane Theatre Company.[7]

He moved to Victoria, where he eked out a precarious living as a freelance journalist and as an actor.[6]

He reported on parliamentary proceedings for the and collaborated with Marcus Clarke in many of his projects. It has been contended that Whitworth was really the author of Clarke's A history of the continent of Australia and the Island of Tasmania,[8] often referred to as "A History of Australia",[a] which was used as a school textbook for many years.[6]

He was a great friend of Adam Lindsay Gordon and a member of the bohemian literary circle of the time.[6]

New Zealand[]

Whitworth had already shown an interest in Maori culture.[9] From around 1868 to 1874 Whitworth worked as a journalist for the Daily Times in Otago, and while there he was involved in moves to settle Martins Bay.[10] His younger son was born in its principal city, Dunedin, and his middle name (which became the surname of his stage persona) reflects the name of the Hollyford River.

Back in Australia he was active in promoting tourist excursions to New Zealand.[11]

Selected works[]

Reference books

He produced a gazetteer of each Australian colony (excepting Western Australia), produced by F. F. Bailliere, Government Printer, of 104 Collins Street east:

  • Bailliere's Victorian Gazetteer (1865)[12]
  • Bailliere's N. S. Wales Gazetteer (1866)[13]
  • Bailliere's South Australian Gazetteer (1866)[14]
  • Bailliere's Queensland Gazetteer (1876)[15]
  • Bailliere's Tasmanian Gazetteer (1877)[16]
Short stories

His short stories were published in collections

  • Spangles and Sawdust (1872)[17]
  • Round the Camp Fire (1872)[18]
  • Under the Dray (1872)[19]
  • Cobb's Box (1874)[20]
Novels
  • Lost and Found (1874) recounting the loss of the General Grant on the Auckland Islands[21]
  • Hine-ra, or, The Maori Scout (1887)[22]
  • Uncle John[5] and Lost and Found — A Romance of the Desolate Region[23] were published in serial form in several newspapers.
Drama
  • In July 1862 his play Whakeau, the Pakeha Chief was played at the Lyceum, with scenery painted by W. J. Wilson.[9] It played in September of that year at the Princess's Theatre, Melbourne
  • Rangatira Wahena, or, The Maori Queen, concerning a shipwreck survivor "Edward Dawson" who falls in with a Maori village, was played in the week following Whakeau at both venues.[24] Both plays were supported by Maori performers brought to Australia by Dr McGauran.[25]
  • Maximilian, or, The Princess and the Traitor, written for Madame Celeste as Princess Charlotte.[26]
  • Catching a Conspirator featured a character, "Varry Sillivain", a transparent reference to Barry Sullivan, notably played by , and relied for its humor on Harwood's skill at mimicking the great actor.[27]
Other
  • He wrote the occasional poem.[4]
  • He wrote the libretto to Under the Holly, a cantata by J. C. Fisher,[28] sung by the before the Duke of Edinburgh at the Prince of Wales Opera House, Sydney, on 22 February 1868.[29]
  • He was for a time associated in society journalism with Garnet Walch and .[30]

Last days[]

He was struck by paralysis. His remains were interred at the Melbourne General Cemetery.

Family[]

Whitworth married Margaret Rivers Smith on 9 September 1854,[1] prior to leaving for Australia. Their family included:

  • Alma Whitworth (c. 1855 – 22 August 1873)
  • Francis "Frank" Whitworth (1 February 1866 – ) worked as advance agent for his brother's Dan Barry Dramatic Company.
  • Emmeline Margaret Whitworth (1872 – ) married John Patrick Joyce on 5 August 1902
  • Robert Hollyford Whitworth (c. 1874 – 10 June 1934) was born in Dunedin; he married Laura Jane Hanlon on 21 July 1906;[31] they divorced in 1919.[32] He married Marie Constance Woodland / Myra Woodlands (c. 1896 – ) on 12 October 1919. He married again, to Jean. Known professionally as , he was a "descriptive vocalist".

They had a home at 5 Gladstone Street, Windsor, Victoria.

Notes[]

  1. ^ Not to be confused with Manning Clark's A History of Australia, published in six volumes a century later.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Helen K. Almanzi (1976). Australian Dictionary of Biography: Whitworth, Robert Percy (1831–1901). National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. XXXIX (6255). New South Wales, Australia. 24 June 1858. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. XLI (6814). New South Wales, Australia. 7 April 1860. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Cordelia". Empire (2, 935). New South Wales, Australia. 26 February 1861. p. 8. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Uncle John — Chapter I". The Empire (3218). New South Wales, Australia. 29 January 1862. p. 3. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "An Australian Journalist". Sydney Truth (558). New South Wales, Australia. 14 April 1901. p. 8. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Classified Advertising". The Courier (Brisbane). XVIII (1733). Queensland, Australia. 2 September 1863. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "History of Australia". The Age (7170). Victoria, Australia. 2 February 1878. p. 6. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. XLVI (7523). New South Wales, Australia. 17 July 1862. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "News of the Day". The Age (4839). Victoria, Australia. 13 May 1870. p. 3. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "News of the Day". The Herald (2327). Victoria, Australia. 8 October 1879. p. 2. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "The Victorian Gazetteer". The Age (3, 294). Victoria, Australia. 20 May 1865. p. 5. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ "Review". . New South Wales, Australia. 14 April 1866. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ "Literature". South Australian Register. XXX (6280). South Australia. 18 December 1866. p. 2. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ "Review". The Telegraph (Brisbane) (1, 156). Queensland, Australia. 26 June 1876. p. 3. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ "The Tasmanian Gazetteer". The Mercury. XXX (5159). Tasmania, Australia. 25 April 1877. p. 2. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ "Spangles and Sawdust". . New South Wales, Australia. 29 August 1872. p. 3. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ "Tales, Sketches, &c". Supplement (458). Victoria, Australia. 5 January 1872. p. 2. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ "Review". The Weekly Times (136). Victoria, Australia. 13 April 1872. p. 6. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. ^ "Cobb's Box". Bunyip (520). South Australia. 5 March 1875. p. 4. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. ^ ""Lost and Found"". North Melbourne Advertiser (71). Victoria, Australia. 10 April 1874. p. 2. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  22. ^ "Hine-ra, or The Maori Scout". The Australasian Supplement. XLII (1098). Victoria, Australia. 16 April 1887. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia. The reviewer was kind to the author, but felt it would be improved by removing the illustrations.
  23. ^ "Lost and Found". . XVII (862). New South Wales, Australia. 6 September 1893. p. 6. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  24. ^ "Answers to Correspondents". The Lorgnette (108). Victoria, Australia. 2 February 1893. p. 8. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  25. ^ "Advertising". The Argus (Melbourne) (5, 081). Victoria, Australia. 17 September 1862. p. 8. Retrieved 17 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia. Full cast list.
  26. ^ "The Haymarket Theatre". The Argus (Melbourne) (6, 674). Victoria, Australia. 29 October 1867. p. 5. Retrieved 17 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  27. ^ "Theatre Royal". The Cornwall Chronicle. XXXII (3410). Tasmania, Australia. 29 June 1867. p. 2. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  28. ^ "Death of J. C. Fisher". The Evening News (Sydney) (7434). New South Wales, Australia. 24 March 1891. p. 6. Retrieved 17 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  29. ^ "Advertising". The Empire (5073). New South Wales, Australia. 22 February 1868. p. 1. Retrieved 17 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  30. ^ "Obituary". The Prahran Telegraph. XL (926). Victoria, Australia. 6 April 1901. p. 3. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  31. ^ "Whitworth Whimsical". Brisbane Truth (980). Queensland, Australia. 8 December 1918. p. 5. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  32. ^ "Marriages Dissolved". The Sun (Sydney) (2850). New South Wales, Australia. 21 August 1919. p. 3. Retrieved 16 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
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