Burke Manuscript

Burke Manuscript: Page 052

Transcript

The first TOWN HALL

It was low on the studs, with a frontage of about 30 feet on the Ferry Road as High St was called, and a depth of about 60. Here the Supreme Court first sat when removed from Lyttelton, Gresson being the Judge. The present Sir John Hall, Sheriff, about 1858-9. Mr T.S. Duncan Crown Prosecutor.

It was done away with and a stone building on the present site of Strange’s built in stone, Gadd contractor. It was one of the first stone buildings and almost at once had a cracked wall.

In these buildings all the early politicians held their electoral meetings, Fitzgerald, Hall, Weld, Cracroft Wilson, Sewell, Moorhouse, Crosbie Ward, Brittan, Tancred, Wakefield, and the next generation of Montgomery, Turnbull, W. Williams, &c.

Here also were held the Balls, Provincial Balls, as it were, where all the “quality” were to be seen – the Russells of Ilam, Lance, Creyke, Mallocks, Walker, and here the old musicians used to play to their dancing. Ben Button, Fuller, Thompson, Tankard, Button [sic] Crooks, Coombs.

Mr Charles Merton was great on Trafalgar’s Boy, the Death of Nelson &c. Mr Carter gave them My Pretty [illegible].

Mr Joe Brittan Mr Merton Coombs