John Langtree/Langtry Melbourne, Victoria

[sparrett]

Paul, you may remember the obituary for John contained a rather lengthy section about a complaint lodged against him during his career and the subsequent deathbed apology by the complainant.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/58153773/5931018

I think the issue was an accusation of corruption in what we would call compensation for the compulsory acquisition  of property required for road development by the Fitzroy Council. In this case Moore Street.

The affair began around July 1855 and moved forward over the next months.

John LANKTREE was one of the arbitrators appointed to decide on appropriate payment to landholders. His son the barrister Henry LANKTREE had bought land in the way of the road only months before the announcement of the acquisition.

The story is that the amount offered by the arbitrator was far in excess of the valuation of the land. Some fellow councillors were outraged and there was a public meeting etc.. and his resignation was requested

I have not been quite able to ascertain who was the primary accuser as it is all quite long-winded

Here are few links

March 1855 Henry is advised of Acquisition by council of all or some of his land for the development of Moore Street in Fitzroy
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4805176

Pg 5 describes the valuation versus the "offer"
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/154895003/18210828

Requested to resign 1855
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/154895496/18211018

A search of his LANKTREE  confined to 1855 will bring up more.

Sue

ADDING
About the download of the will and probate papers at Pro Vic, the site is well known for it's slow download. I pegged the washing out while I waited for it to appear this morning with the thing going round and round on the screen! 




 

[Paulmag]

Sue
This is fascinating but very complex. I hadn't spotted the information on the issue of alleged corruption re John Lanktree's arbitration on the value of his son's land purchase.

What I was focusing on was his conflict as Secretary to the Water and Sewage Commissioners with their Engineer over the specifications for pipe work supplied for the supply of water from the Yan Yean reservoir to Melbourne. It's longwinded as you say but intriguing.
Paul

[sparrett]

Yes. I saw that one too.
Be interesting to know which incident it was that upset him enough that the whole thing became a quite major part of his obituary.
You would think with (what is it?) twelve or fourteen children, and his prosperous circumstances,there would be something more positive to dwell on in reflecting on his life.

Sue

[Paulmag]

Yes, Sue. I found it a curious obituary too with its focus on this row which took place so many years before his death in 1876.
 I know that he had been in Australia since 1852 but he had lived 2/3 of his life, 46 years in Ireland. He had spent an important career as a land agent to the Londonderry family there and had achieved much even though it ended badly for him in a court case and insolvency in 1851.
Much of the legal and financial controversy went above my head but I was interested to see that in spite of his financial setbacks, he ended up comfortably off.

A thought:
If History is as much about what we choose to forget as what we decide to remember, no where is it truer than with obituaries.
Paul

[MatildaHalliday]

Hi,

I am John’s 3 x great granddaughter and have undertaken a lot of research about the family in Australia. I am happy to share what I can but this is my first time using this site so not sure of the best way to do so.