Robert Tooth
Encyclopedia
Robert Tooth was one of three brothers of Sydney
's Tooth brewery family. He built two of Sydney's grandest houses, Cranbrook House
and The Swifts
.
, England. His brothers were Edwin (1822–1858), and Frederick (1827–1893). His uncle was John Tooth (b. 1803), Cranbrook merchant and brewer, who first migrated to Sydney in the Bencoolen in 1828 and received a 2560-acre (1036 ha) grant in Durham County, New South Wales
. After John established himself as a successful merchant he opened the Kent Brewery on Parramatta Road
. In August 1843 Robert and Edwin arrived in Sydney on the Euphrates. The enduring merchant and brewing firm of R. and E. Tooth began on 1 September 1843 when John leased them the brewery.
land bills
they bought as much land as possible in their own names and disbanded in 1860.
For 10 months from May 1856 he was a member of the Legislative Council
. A large squatter with about 600 employees, in January 1858 he stood for seat of Sydney Hamlets
in the Legislative Assembly
, advocating free selection of land at £1 an acre without auction, tramways instead of expensive railways to bring produce to market and an elective Upper House. He lost, but represented Sydney City
in the assembly in 1858-59. Questionably claiming to have disposed of all his runs except one on the Queensland border and opposing Robertson's land bill, Robert stood for West Sydney
in December 1860 but again was defeated.
Tooth then concentrated on his business interests. Their London house, R. & F. Tooth & Mort, 155 Fenchurch Street, acted also as agents for Smyth's Sydney Marine Assurance Office and the Peak Downs Copper Mining Co. He became a committee-man of the Society for the Suppression of Cattle Stealing in 1861 and of the Agricultural Society of New South Wales
. He was a partner of Robert Cran, F. F. Nixon, (Sir) Robert Lucas Tooth and Frederick under the style of Tooth and Cran until March 1872 at Yengarie near Maryborough, Queensland
, and in the Wide Bay and Burnett districts. From 1865 they experimented with meat preserving at Yengarie and in 1870 won a prize at the Intercolonial Exhibition, Sydney. In the mid-1860s Robert still nominally held the Lachlan and Wide Bay runs he had leased in the 1850s; he had added Jondaryan and Irvingdale, almost 300 sq. miles (777 km²) on the Darling Downs and some twenty-eight runs, amounting to 700 sq. miles (1813 km²), in the Maranoa District of Queensland. Tooth was also a director of the Bank of New South Wales in the 1850s and 1860s (president in 1862-63) and a director of the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. in 1855-63;
A prominent Anglican layman, he was a director of the Society for the Relief of Destitute Children, a fellow of St Paul's College
within the University of Sydney
and an original committee-man of the Union Club. He began building his fine residence, Cranbrook, at Rose Bay
in 1859 but sold it to Robert Towns
in 1864. Robert retired from R. and F. Tooth & Co. in April 1872 and Frederick and R. L. Tooth carried on as F. Tooth & Co. This partnership was dissolved on 31 March 1873 when Frederick retired, Mitchell and R. L. Tooth carrying on as Tooth & Co. Most of the profit from this successful business came from importing wines, spirits and beer, as colonial beer was not widely drunk until the 1880s.
On 1 May 1849 he had married at St Mark's Church, Pontville, Van Diemen's Land
, Maria Lisle, daughter of Captain G. B. Forster, R.N.; on 24 June 1871 he married Elizabeth Mansfield.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's Tooth brewery family. He built two of Sydney's grandest houses, Cranbrook House
Cranbrook (house)
Cranbrook is a large house built at Rose Bay in Sydney, Australia in 1859. It is now one of the buildings of Cranbrook School-Early History:...
and The Swifts
The Swifts
The Swifts is a historic house in the Sydney suburb of Darling Point. The Australian Heritage Commission describe it as "...perhaps the grandest house remaining in Sydney". It has federal and state heritage listings.....
.
Early life
Robert was the first son of Robert Tooth (b.1799) and Mary Ann (née Reader), a hops merchant of Swifts Park, Cranbrook, KentCranbrook, Kent
Cranbrook is a small town in Kent in South East England which was granted a charter in 1290 by Archbishop Peckham, allowing it to hold a market in the High Street. Located on the Maidstone to Hastings road, it is five miles north of Hawkhurst. The smaller settlements of Swattenden, Colliers...
, England. His brothers were Edwin (1822–1858), and Frederick (1827–1893). His uncle was John Tooth (b. 1803), Cranbrook merchant and brewer, who first migrated to Sydney in the Bencoolen in 1828 and received a 2560-acre (1036 ha) grant in Durham County, New South Wales
Durham County, New South Wales
Durham County was one of the original Nineteen Counties in New South Wales and is now one of the 141 Cadastral divisions of New South Wales. It is bordered on the south and west by the Hunter River, and on the north and east by the Williams River. It includes Aberdeen and Muswellbrook...
. After John established himself as a successful merchant he opened the Kent Brewery on Parramatta Road
Parramatta Road
.Parramatta Road is the major historical east-west artery of metropolitan Sydney, Australia, connecting the Sydney with Parramatta. It is the eastern-most part of the Great Western Highway. Much of its traffic has been diverted to modern expressways such as the M4 and the City West Link...
. In August 1843 Robert and Edwin arrived in Sydney on the Euphrates. The enduring merchant and brewing firm of R. and E. Tooth began on 1 September 1843 when John leased them the brewery.
Business and Public Life
Frederick joined Sydney and the partnership about 1853 and R., E. and F. Tooth became R. and F. Tooth & Co. on 2 January 1860 when J. S. Mitchell became a partner. In 1852 with John Edye, James Alexander and (Sir) William Montagu Manning, Mort, J. Croft and Edwin, Robert formed the Twofold Bay Pastoral Association which acquired some 400,000 acres (161,876 ha) on the south coast and Monaro; Kameruka was the head station. Threatened by (Sir) John Robertson'sJohn Robertson (Australian politician)
Sir John Robertson, KCMG was an Australian politician and Premier of New South Wales on five occasions. Robertson is best remembered for land reform and in particular the Robertson Land Acts of 1861, which sought to open up the selection of Crown land and break the monopoly of the...
land bills
Robertson Land Acts
The Crown Lands Acts 1861 were introduced by the New South Wales Premier, John Robertson, in 1861 to reform land holdings and in particular to break the squatters' domination of land tenure...
they bought as much land as possible in their own names and disbanded in 1860.
For 10 months from May 1856 he was a member of the Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
. A large squatter with about 600 employees, in January 1858 he stood for seat of Sydney Hamlets
Electoral district of Sydney Hamlets
Sydney Hamlets was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales from 1856 to 1859, including what were then outer suburbs of Sydney and are now the inner suburbs of Paddington, Surry Hills, Redfern, Chippendale, Glebe, Camperdown, O'Connell Town ,...
in the Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
, advocating free selection of land at £1 an acre without auction, tramways instead of expensive railways to bring produce to market and an elective Upper House. He lost, but represented Sydney City
Electoral district of Sydney City
Sydney City was a former electoral district for the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales from 1856 to 1859, when it was split into the electorates of East Sydney and West Sydney.-Members for Sydney City:...
in the assembly in 1858-59. Questionably claiming to have disposed of all his runs except one on the Queensland border and opposing Robertson's land bill, Robert stood for West Sydney
Electoral district of West Sydney
West Sydney was an electoral district for the Legislative Assembly in the Australian State of New South Wales created in 1859 from part of the electoral district of Sydney, covering the western part of the current Sydney central business district, Ultimo and Pyrmont, bordered by George Street,...
in December 1860 but again was defeated.
Tooth then concentrated on his business interests. Their London house, R. & F. Tooth & Mort, 155 Fenchurch Street, acted also as agents for Smyth's Sydney Marine Assurance Office and the Peak Downs Copper Mining Co. He became a committee-man of the Society for the Suppression of Cattle Stealing in 1861 and of the Agricultural Society of New South Wales
Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales
The Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales is an Agricultural society based in New South Wales, Australia. They run many of the agricultural shows around New South Wales including the Sydney Royal Easter Show....
. He was a partner of Robert Cran, F. F. Nixon, (Sir) Robert Lucas Tooth and Frederick under the style of Tooth and Cran until March 1872 at Yengarie near Maryborough, Queensland
Maryborough, Queensland
Maryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000 . It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is...
, and in the Wide Bay and Burnett districts. From 1865 they experimented with meat preserving at Yengarie and in 1870 won a prize at the Intercolonial Exhibition, Sydney. In the mid-1860s Robert still nominally held the Lachlan and Wide Bay runs he had leased in the 1850s; he had added Jondaryan and Irvingdale, almost 300 sq. miles (777 km²) on the Darling Downs and some twenty-eight runs, amounting to 700 sq. miles (1813 km²), in the Maranoa District of Queensland. Tooth was also a director of the Bank of New South Wales in the 1850s and 1860s (president in 1862-63) and a director of the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. in 1855-63;
A prominent Anglican layman, he was a director of the Society for the Relief of Destitute Children, a fellow of St Paul's College
St. Paul's College, Sydney
St Paul's College in Sydney, Australia, is an Anglican residential college for men which is affiliated with the University of Sydney. Founded in 1856 by an 1854 act of the New South Wales Legislative Council, it is Australia's oldest university college...
within the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
and an original committee-man of the Union Club. He began building his fine residence, Cranbrook, at Rose Bay
Rose Bay, New South Wales
Rose Bay is a harbourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rose Bay is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Waverley Municipal Council and Woollahra Council .Rose Bay has views of both the Sydney...
in 1859 but sold it to Robert Towns
Robert Towns
Robert Towns was an Australian businessman, pastoralist, and founder of Townsville, Queensland.Towns was born at Longhorsley, Northumberland, England, on 10 November 1794. This is the date usually given, and it agrees with his death notice in the Sydney Morning Herald of 12 April 1873 which stated...
in 1864. Robert retired from R. and F. Tooth & Co. in April 1872 and Frederick and R. L. Tooth carried on as F. Tooth & Co. This partnership was dissolved on 31 March 1873 when Frederick retired, Mitchell and R. L. Tooth carrying on as Tooth & Co. Most of the profit from this successful business came from importing wines, spirits and beer, as colonial beer was not widely drunk until the 1880s.
On 1 May 1849 he had married at St Mark's Church, Pontville, Van Diemen's Land
Pontville, Tasmania
Pontville is a small rural community north of Hobart, in the south east of Tasmania, Australia. At the 2006 census, Pontville had a population of 2,166....
, Maria Lisle, daughter of Captain G. B. Forster, R.N.; on 24 June 1871 he married Elizabeth Mansfield.