Court House Hotel (Smythesdale)

For other hotels with the same or similar names, see Court House Hotel.

Court House Hotel

Court House Hotel
History
Town	Smythesdale
Street	63 Brooke Street
Known dates	1850-2023
Evidence	1856 building still standing
Google maps	Google map link

The Court House Hotel is a hotel in Smythesdale, Victoria, 1850-2023

Site

The Court House Hotel was in Smythesdale. In 2014 the address was given as 63 Brooke Street, Smythesdale. It was described in July 1860:

On the other side of the street (from the Government Camp) stands the Court House and Commercial Hotels, with an attorneys office edged in between.

Background

The hotel began as a wooden building in 1850, and the current brick building was built in 1856. The brick hotel building is still standing, and was extensively renovated in 2008. The original wooden building was demolished during the renovation.

History

In 1868, James Easton Balderson, was charged with having stolen money from the till in billiard room on 26 September. He was sent for trial at Ballarat:

James Easton Balderson, on remand, was charged with having, on 26th September, stolen from the till of the Court-house hotel, Smythesdale, two 1l-notes, the property of David La Motty. The prisoner pleaded guilty. The prosecutor gave evidence, showing that on 26th September, he marked a quantity of silver and took the numbers of four 1l-notes, and put all in the till. An hour or two afterwards witness came out of the billiard-room and found two of the notes taken out of the till. The prisoner was then in the bar, and Serjeant Lynas had him in custody. Witness marked the moneys in consequence of there having been money taken out of the till on the two days previous. (Notes produced and identified.) Sergeant Lynas proved the circumstances of the arrest. The prisoner pleaded that his mind was not right in consequence of a hurt he had lately sustained. The bench expressed a hope that medical evidence might be found to corroborate the prisoner's statement as to his mind being diseased, but committed him for trial at the next Ballarat Circuit Court.

In December 1873 the publican was granted a temporary license to serve liquor at the New Years Sports Day at Smythesdale.

In June 1898 the councils of Smythesdale and Browns and Scarsdale held a dinner at the hotel:

"...where an excellent repast was provided by the hostess (Mrs Kiernan), at which Mayor Hart presided. Cr Schwartz occupied the vice-chair. Mayor Hart, in welcoming the guests, referred to the loss Smythesdale had sustained through the death of Ex-Mayor Kiernan..."

Community Involvement

The hotel was the venue for a large number of meetings and community events. These included:

Community

• In February 1869, a dinner was held at the hotel to farewell the police magistrate and mining warden, J. P. Hamilton, who had been at Smythesdale for 10 years.
• In November 1870 the hotel was the starting and finishing point for the M.U.I.O.O.F. picnic to Lake Burrumbeet.

Inquests

• In March 1860, inquest into the death of an infant, Harriet Steele, who had died from starvation.

Mining companies

• Atlantic Quartz and Alluvial Gold Mining Company, Special General Meeting, June 1873.
  • August 1873, meeting to form No-liability company. Manager Conrad Tenbrink.
  • Auction of unpaid calls, September 1873.
  • Quarterly Meeting, October 1873.
  • Tender documents available for inspection, November 1873.
  • Quarterly Meeting, January 1874.
• Bicycle Company, Springdallah, first quarterly meeting, October 1869. The chairman was Joseph La Motty, brother of David La Motty.
  • Bicycle Company, second quarterly meeting,January 1870
• British Banner Company, of Pitfield and Springdallah, quarterly meeting, October 1869
• Golden Belt Company, Springdallah, special meeting, November 1880.
• Gulf Stream Gold Mining Company, Scarsdale (?), specifications of tender for boring available.
• Lucky Gold Mining Company, Happy Valley, held its ordinary meeting, October 1865.
• Napier Quartz Company, Staffordshire Reef, first meeting of shareholders, October 1869
• Stanley Company, annual meeting, December 1864
• Trunk Lead Company, Haddon, extraordinary meeting to authorise raising further capital, October 1869

Lodges

• The Prince of Wales Lodge of Freemasons, No. 434, held their meetings at the hotel <1865-1870>.

The ceremony of the installation of the officers of the Prince of Wales Lodge of Freemasons, No. 434, I.C., took place at Lamotty's Court House hotel, Smythesdale, on the evening of Thursday, 28th December. The ceremony was performed by P.M. Sullivan, assisted by P.M. Cashmore. The following officers were installed, viz.;-Br. P.M. H. A. Corinaldi, W.M.; Br. W. Robertson, S.W.; Br.D. Hart, J.W.; Br. F. Wortham, treasurer; Br. J. Trevor, secretary; Br. G. E. Michell, S.D.; Br. H. Young, J.D.; Br. W. Baird, J.G.; and Br. J. Ward was unanimously re-elected tyler. After the installation, the brethren retired to a sumptuous banquet provided by Br. Host La Motty, the newly elected W.M, presiding, and supported by Past Masters Sullivan and Cashmore. The usual toasts were drank, and the brethren separated about one o'clock highly delighted with the evening's proceedings. About twenty brothers sat down to the repast.

• In June 1902 an unamed lodge held a dinner at the hotel:

A very pleasant evening was spent at Mrs Kiernan’s Courthouse Hotel on Saturday, when the members of the above lodge presented Br P. Hauser with a neatly-inscribed gold medal.

Politics

• William Clarke, February 1877, committee room for the Grenville election.

The People

Publicans

• In June 1861 the publican's license was granted to David La Motty.
  • His license was renewed in June 1862. He still held the license at the time of his death in May 1869.
• In January 1870 the publican was Coe.
• In December 1873 and 1874 the publican's license was granted to C. Tenbrink.
• In December 1876 Mr. Warnecke had his license renewed.
• In April 1877 the licence was transferred from Mr. Warnecke to Mr. Rawlings.
• From April 1877 the publican was Thomas Rawlings. Rawlings had transferred his license from the Royal Hotel.
  • His license was renewed in December 1877, 1878, 1879, 1881, 1882, 1883 and 1884
  • Rawlings was granted a billiards license in December 1884.
• James Kiernan held the license until his death in May 1898. Kiernan, a native of Carrigallen, county Leitrim, Ireland, aged 61 years, died at the hotel on 2 May 1898.
• His wife Mary Kiernan took over as publican until her death in 1906.
• In December 1906, Kiernan's daughter, Margaret Eleanor Kiernan took over the license.
• In January 1911 an application to transfer the license was postponed:

An application was made to Mr. Goldsmith, P.M., sitting as a licensing magistrate yesterday, by Mr. Pearson, on behalf of Helen Kelly for a transfer of the license of the Court House Hotel, Smythesdale, from Margaret Eleanor Kiernan. The police opposed the application on several grounds. Mr. Goldsmith ruled that opposed applications of this kind should be heard by a full licensing bench, and accordingly adjourned the case.

• In December 1915 the publican was Jack McCarron
• In February 1918 the license was transferred from Mary McCarron to Julia Hanrahan.
• In March 1937 the publican, Thomas Francis Cunningham, gave evidence into the death of Michel Denis Leahy of Piggoreet, who died in a road accident after drinking at the hotel, the Royal Exchange Hotel, and The Barb Hotel:

Thomas Francis Cunningham, of Smythesdale, said that during the afternoon the two men had four drinks each in his hotel.