Charles DAWES [1280]

  General Notes:

Born in England, his wife Elizabeth was daughter of William Chandler Coach maker of Fitzroy Place. They were married in the Parish Chapel, St. Marylebone London. Charles is described as a cordwainer living at 22 Drapers Place. They emigrated to South Australia on the "Hooghley" a three masted ship which left London on 20.2. 1839 and arrived at Glenelg S.A. on 17th June 1839 with 290 migrants. He is firstly recorded in November 1840 as living in a tent at the Black Forest in Bowden and is described as a labourer. It would appear that he claimed to be a labourer to take advantage of an assisted passage from England in reality he continued in his trade as shoemaker. A record of a meeting and dinner being held at the DAWES TAVERN is recorded in the S.A. Register of 25.11.1839. There are no other Dawes recorded in South Australia at that time, it is a reasonable assumption that this was his first venture beyond his trade.

He also invested in land at Yatala so that by 1845 he was able to lease a shop and dwelling in Craigie Buildings, Hindley St, where he established a boot and shoe making business. Although leather was produced locally, Charles found it necessary to travel by ship to Hobart Town and Melbourne to procure fine quality leather. In 1849 he moved his business to Currie Street. In 1850 he purchased land in Currie Street, which he leased and a month later he bought a blacksmithy at Woodville for 12.0.0 pounds. In April 1853 he sold the blacksmithy for 110.0.0 pounds and built the Prince Albert Hotel on his property in Curry Street, shortly after which he transferred the licence until 1861.

In January 1854 he bought more land in Currie St for 845.0.0 pounds, part of which he sold, meanwhile living in Currie St and Hindley St working as a shoemaker , general dealer and cabinet maker. From 1861-64 Charles had an upholstery and cabinet making shop in Hindley St but continued to live in Currie St in the house adjoining his Prince Albert Hotel, the licence of which he resumed and held until 1870 when he finally relinquished it.

An interesting advertisement in the newspaper of the time states:- "A Public Ball will take place this evening (Monday) at the Prince Albert Hotel, Currie Street. Dancing to commence at 8 o'clock. Tickets, single 2/6 double 5/- to be had at the bar."

In 1864 he moved his cabinet making business, which he expanded to include furniture brokerage, to 22 Hindley St, which included a residence until 1871, when they resided in Mill Street, while still retaining the business in Hindley Street. In 1874 he shifted the business to larger premises on the corner of Hindley and Peel Streets, on a 21 year lease. While in Melbourne purchasing furniture for re-sale in his Adelaide business, Charles died of apoplexy in 1876 aged 61 having been a colonist for 37 years.

Following his death Elizabeth re-negotiated the 21 year lease into her name, at the same time covenanting to erect a "good and substantial building to the sum of 1,200.00 pounds before the expiration of the first 3 years". A year later she mortgaged the lease to W.T.Foster, solicitor, and so the building was completed by mid 1879 (this is the remodelled building presently occupied by Fletcher Jones). Due to unsound advice, which placed her in a position beyond her capabilities to meet mortgage repayments for this building, she underleased it and removed the business further down Hindley Street to the S.W. corner of Gray Street, where it continued until 1881 when the four sons went into business separately, and Elizabeth subleased the property for the balance of the lease. She retained an interest in the Peel Street property until 1883 when she relinquished the remainder of the 21 year lease to H.H.Walters. She died in 1888 at Charles St, Norwood and is buried with her daughter, Amelia, in the West Terrace Cemetery
<@DAWES*5-6> excerpt from The descendants of William & Hannah Dawes in Aust. ²¹⁶³

Charles married Elizabeth CHANDLER [1279] [MRIN: 385], daughter of William CHANDLER [1286] and Charlotte SAVILL [1297], on 13 Nov 1838 in London, Middlesex, England.²¹⁵⁷ (Elizabeth CHANDLER [1279] was born on 28 May 1821 in Bermondsey, London, England ^2158,2159, christened on 8 Jul 1821 in Bermondsey, London, England, died on 22 Jun 1888 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia ^2160,2161 and was buried in Jun 1888 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.)