Alexander Crow

From Hotels of Ballarat
Alexander Crow
Born 11 August 1832
Lanarkshire, Scotland
Died 8 November 1877
Ballarat
Other names Sandy
Occupation Publican
Years active 1857-1877
Known for Criterion Hotel
Supreme Court Hotel
St. Mungo Hotel
Home town Ballarat
Spouse(s) Mary Ann Down
Children William Barclay (1857)
James Black (1859>
John Manners (1864)
Henry (1866)
Joan (1867)
John Manners (1869)
Sarah (1870)

Alexander Crow was a publican in Ballarat, <1856-1877.

History[edit | edit source]

Alexander Crow was the son of Alexander Crow and Joan Brown, and was born 11 August 1832, in Lanarkshire, Scotland.[1] He married Mary Ann Down in about 1857.

In December 1856, Crow was unsuccessfully charged with Sunday trading at the Criterion Hotel in Main Road, Ballarat. The sale could not be proved, and Crow was not charged, but had to pay the court costs. In June 1857, Crow's license for the hotel was renewed.[2]

In June 1861, Crow was granted the license for the Supreme Court Hotel in Lydiard Street.[3]

Crow was the publican at the St. Mungo Hotel, on the corner of Lydiard and Mair Streets, Ballarat, from at least 1862-1872.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

Crow only had one leg which became an interesting news story about the St. Andrews Society Sports Day in 1871:

Everything went off well, and the racing was as good as has been seen for a long time, the contests for the St. Andrew’s Grand Handicap prizes being specially interesting, as also the appearance of Signor Donato the one-legged dancer. This gentleman appeared in a pas scul, and in a hopping match with Sandy Crow, of the St. Mungo hotel, in which the latter, having divested himself of his movable leg, hopped briskly off but fell, and the signor thus had an easy victory. The thing was all done in good humor, and the best part of it was, the two competitors hopping back together hand in hand after the match.[10]

In October 1877 the newspaper reported Crow was recovering from a leg problem (but he died one week later):

Jolly Sandy Crow, of the St. Mango Hotel, has been suffering from inflammation of the remaining fragment of his broken leg, but he is now better.[11]

Alexander Crow died in Ballarat on 8 November 1877:

Mr. Alex. Crow, well-known as the landlord of the St. Mungo Hotel, and treasurer of the Ballarat Licensed Victuallers' Association, died to-day, after a lingering illness.[12][1]

Family[edit | edit source]

Alexander and Mary Ann had a number of children, including three sets of twins:

  • William Barclay was born c. 1857 and died in 1858.[13]
  • James Black was born c. 1859 and died in 1880.[14]
  • John Manners was born in October 1864 and died in September 1866:
BIRTHS. On the 10th October, at the St. Mungo Hotel, Mrs Alexander Crow, of a son.[15][16]
DEATH. On the 9th September, at Ballarat, John Manners, son of H. and M. A. Crow, St. Mungo Hotel, aged two years.[7][17]
  • Henry was born in April 1866 and died in February 1867:
On the 4th April, at his residence, St. Mungo Hotel, Mair Street, Ballarat, the wife of Mr A. Crow, of a son.[18]
On the 23rd February, at the residence of Dr Leman, Learmonth, Henry, infant son of A. and M. A. Crow, St. Mungo Hotel, aged 11 months.[19][20]
  • Twin girls were born on 13 November 1867, but one died just five month later in April 1868:
On the 13th November, the wife of Mr Alexander Crow, St. Mungo Hotel, of twin daughters. All doing well.[21]
CROW.—On Saturday, 4th April, at St. Mungo Hotel, Joan, one of the twin daughters of Mr Alexander Crow, aged five months.[22]
  • Death of a son in July 1869:
Crow.—On the 31st July, at the St. Mungo Hotel, John Manners, infant son of A. and M. A. Crow, aged six months.[23]
  • Birth of daughters September 1870:
BIRTH. Crow.—On the 11th September, at her residence, St. Mungo Hotel, the wife of Alexander Crow, of twin daughters.[8]
  • Death of one of the twins in May 1872:
CROW. —On the 20th May, at the St. Mungo Hotel, Lydiard street, Ballarat, Sarah, the twin daughter of M. A. and A. Crow, aged 1 year and 10 months. Deeply regretted.[9][24]
  • Birth of twin boys in September 1872:
CROW.—On the 14th August, at St. Mungo Hotel, the wife of Mr Sandy Crow of twins—boys. It is pleasurable to state that mother and children are doing well.[25]

One of the sons later became a hotel publican, at the Nag's Head Hotel in Armstrong Street, before moving interstate:

An old time player in the Ballarat Football Club, Mr R. Crow, is on a visit to the city, and has enjoyed reunions with, several of his playing comrades of the early nineties. Mr Crow was born in the old St. Mungo hotel, which stood on the site now occupied by the Ballarat Trustees Company's offices. Later he kept the Nag’s Head hotel, but many years ago went to Broken Hill and South Australia.[26]


Legal dispute[edit | edit source]

After Crow's death his wife married Alexander Campbell in 1880[27], and transferred the hotel to her new husband. Her children took legal action:

In the Equity Court to-day, before his Honour Mr Justice Molesworth, arguments were concluded in the case of Crow v Campbell. The. plaintiffs are the children of the late Mr Alexander Crow, landlord and owner of the St. Mungo hotel, Ballarat; and the defendants are Mrs Campbell (formerly Crow), mother of the plaintiffs, and her second husband, Mr Alexander Campbell. The plaintiffs seek to set aside a transfer of the hotel property and business made by Mrs Campbell to the male plaintiff, she being at the time administratrix of the estate of her deceased husband, to whom the property belonged. Mr Campbell's answer to the suit is that the transfer was made in accordance with an agreement prior to his marriage with Mrs Crow; that it was for value; and that he had no notice of the plaintiffs’ claim. He also avails himself of the Transfer of Land Statute, which, he says, did not require him to ascertain how Mrs Crow became possessed of the property. The value set out in the transfer was £5. Mrs Campbell denies that there was any conversation between the other defendant and herself prior to the marriage regarding the property, and says that no money was paid to her by her husband; and that when she signed the transfer she believed she was doing some thing to protect the property from a mortgagee, and to conserve the interests of her children and herself. To-day Mr Higgins concluded his arguments on behalf of the defendant, Mr Campbell; Mr T. a'Beckett replied on the part of the plaintiffs, and his Honour reserved judgment.[28]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Australian Death Index, Victoria, 1877, Ref. No. 9995
  2. 1857 'GENERAL ANNUAL LICENSING MEETING.', The Star (Ballarat, Vic. : 1855 - 1864), 13 June, p. 2. , viewed 11 Aug 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66042654
  3. 1861 'LICENSING SESSIONS.', The Star (Ballarat, Vic. : 1855 - 1864), 14 June, p. 1. (SUPPLEMENT TO THE STAR.), viewed 03 Oct 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66339909
  4. 1862 'DISTRICT POLICE COURT.', The Star (Ballarat, Vic. : 1855 - 1864), 18 June, p. 2, viewed 12 February, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66324917
  5. 1863 'BALLARAT WEST PUBLICANS' ANNUAL LICENSING MEETING.', The Star (Ballarat, Vic. : 1855 - 1864), 12 June, p. 4, viewed 10 February, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72514938
  6. 1864 'DISTRICT PUBLICANS' LICENSING MEETING.', The Star (Ballarat, Vic. : 1855 - 1864), 2 July, p. 4. , viewed 10 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66346137
  7. 7.0 7.1 1866 'Family Notices', The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924), 10 September, p. 2. , viewed 04 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article112864956
  8. 8.0 8.1 1870 'Family Notices', The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924), 12 September, p. 2. , viewed 04 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article218798348
  9. 9.0 9.1 1872 'Family Notices', The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924), 21 May, p. 2. , viewed 04 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article197628897
  10. 1871 'ST. ANDREW’S SOCIETY’S SPORTS.', The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924), 2 December, p. 4. , viewed 04 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article197574594
  11. 1877 'BALLARAT.', Camperdown Chronicle (Vic. : 1877 - 1954), 30 October, p. 3. (BI-WEEKLY), viewed 24 May 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64012654
  12. 1877 'BALLARAT.', The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), 9 November, p. 3. , viewed 04 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206921453
  13. Australian Death Index, Victoria, 1858, Ref. No. 7993
  14. Australian Death Index, Victoria, 1880, Ref. No. 9040
  15. 1864 'Family Notices', The Star (Ballarat, Vic. : 1855 - 1864), 12 October, p. 2. , viewed 04 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66348768
  16. Australian Birth Index, Victoria, 1864, Ref. No. 19774
  17. Australian Death Index, Victoria, 1866, Ref. No. 7381
  18. 1866 'Family Notices', The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924), 5 April, p. 2. , viewed 04 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article112868514
  19. 1867 'Family Notices', The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924), 25 February, p. 2. , viewed 04 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article112861702
  20. Australian Death Index, Victoria, 1867, Ref. No. 380
  21. 1867 'Family Notices', The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924), 26 November, p. 2. , viewed 04 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article112872287
  22. 1868 'Family Notices', The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924), 6 April, p. 2. , viewed 04 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article113602371
  23. 1869 'Family Notices', The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924), 2 August, p. 2. , viewed 04 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article112891199
  24. Australian Death Index, Victoria, 1872, Ref. No. 3584
  25. 1872 'Family Notices', The Ballarat Courier (Vic. : 1869 - 1880; 1914 - 1918), 10 September, p. 2. , viewed 04 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article191569508
  26. 1923 'Personal', The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924), 10 January, p. 1. , viewed 04 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article213539593
  27. Australian Marriage Index, Victoria, 1880, Ref. No. 693
  28. 1884 'MELBOURNE.', The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924), 17 July, p. 3. , viewed 04 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article201116059

External links[edit | edit source]