According to the Australian Dictionary of Biography, William Lockhart MORTON commonly known as W. Lockhart MORTON (1820-98), pastoralist, explorer and inventor, was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, immigrated to Port Phillip in August 1841 and died at Belair, South Australia on 10 March1898 whilst living with his surviving son, Rev. William Lockhart MORTON.
He married Mary Ann STONE in 1849 in Victoria and they had four sons.
Children of William and Mary Ann MORTON were:
- John Dendy Lockhart MORTON – b.1850 (VIC BDM #25764/1850) d.1892 (VIC BDM #82491892) aged 42 m. Charlotte Hammond in 1878 (VIC BDM #4750/1878) / ‘MORTON. – On the 7th inst., suddenly, at 59 Caroline street, South Yarra, John, eldest son of W. Lockhart Morton, aged 42 years.’ (source: The Argus Wed 8 Jun 1892 p1) Issue: Louisa MORTON (b.1880 d.1968), Alice MORTON (b. 1883), Charlotte MORTON (b&d 1885) and Ethel MORTON (b&d 1887)
- Rev. William Lockhart MORTON (social worker, preacher, teacher)- b.c.1852 d.1928 (VIC BDM #12112/1928) m. Elizabeth Aitchison ELDER in 1875 (VIC BDM #4581/1875)
- Herbert Lockhart MORTON b.c.1854, d.1885 aged 31 (VIC BDM #6906/1885) /MORTON. -’On the 15th inst., at his parents’ residence, Caroline-street, South Yarra, Herbert Lockhart, third and youngest surviving son of W. Lockhart Morton, aged 31 years.’ (The Argus, 16 May 1885 p1)
- Algernon Wilson Mueller MORTON – b.1861 (VIC BDM #19485/1861) d.1883 /MORTON. – ‘Suddenly on the 15th inst., at Salisbury Downs, Albert District, N.S. Wales, Algernon Wilson Mueller, youngest and dearly beloved son of W. Lockhart Morton, of South Yarra, aged 21 years.’ (The Argus, 26 Feb 1883 p1)
W. Lockhart MORTON is recognised as the inventor of the sheep drafting race and gate which he designed and built in 1848 whilst he was overseer of the Sutton Grange Sheep Run.
A plaque that commemorates this event was erected by the citizens of Sutton Grange 11th March,1988 (source: monumentaustralia.org)
W. Lockhart MORTON’s portrait below can be found on Thomas Foster Chuck’s Mosaic, a collage of photographs gathered in the early 1870’s of settlers who had arrived in the Port Phillip District by 1842.
Contributed by Dianne Wheeler PPPG Member No. 1505