Family background
William Robert Thomas Eggleton was born in 1858 to William S. Eggleton and his wife Phoebe Egeleton. His father operated one of the early bus services in Newtown, later working as a bricklayer and publican of the ‘Bricklayer’s Arms’, ‘Cottage of Content’, ‘Prince of Wales’ and ‘Sandringham Hotel’.
William Eggleton married Sarah Tye at age 18 in 1876 and they had nine children, living at Bray Street, Macdonaldtown. After Sarah died in 1906, Eggleton married Gertrude Taylor in 1910. They lived at Station Street, Kogarah at the time of his death on 2 April 1924. He was survived by seven children from his first marriage and was buried in the Methodist section of Woronora Cemetery.
Occupation & interests
Eggleton was a brickmaker who worked in partnership with his father when he was declared bankrupt in 1891. At that time, he was also noted as a carter. His debt was discharged in 1909. In 1924, when he died aged 65, he was noted as having worked for the Sydney Morning Herald for over 30 years
Community activity
Eggleton was a member of the Masonic Lodge Kilwinning, the United Friendly Societies Dispensary and also, in 1876, the Manchester Unity Oddfellows’ Loyal St. John’s Lodge of which he later became a Grand Master.
Local government service
William Robert Thomas Eggleton was an alderman on Newtown Council in 1886-90, representing Camden Ward.
References
Biographical information for this alderman was originally researched by Mark Matheson for the Newtown Project Website.
Find a grave: William Robert Thomas Eggleton
‘Law’, The Daily Telegraph, 10 October 1891, 10, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article235938251
‘Obituary’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 April 1924, p. 11 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16134536
‘Mr W R T Eggleton’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 4 April 1924, p. 10 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16153801