Gother Kerr Mann (1809 - 1899)

Born 1 Jan 1809 in Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1 Jan 1899 at age 90 in Greenwich, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

Gother Mann is Notable.

Gother was born in 1809. He married Mary Joanna Hely in 1838. ^[1] He passed away in 1899. ^[2]

Born in Ireland in 1809, he attained the rank of Captain in the Royal East India Company. Ill health caused him to leave India and travel to New Zealand and Australia. In his spare time he also designed weapons and prisons and sketched Maori chiefs.

By 1836 he had settled in Sydney and set up practice as an engineer. After a number of failed business ventures during the 1840s depression, Mann was appointed Engineer-in-Chief of Cockatoo Island and was requested to prepare plans and estimates for the construction of a dry dock on the Parramatta River. During construction large quantities of rock needed to be excavated and Mann used large charges of powder fired by electricity. It was said to be the first time such a process had been used in the colony of New South Wales. The Fitzroy Dock was completed eight years later in 1854 and named for the then Governor, Sir Charles Fitzroy. Gother Kerr Mann was then appointed Chief Commissioner for Railways in New South Wales from 1855 - 1857 and in 1859 Mann was appointed Superintendent of the Penal Establishment of Cockatoo Island, making him responsible for every aspect of life on the island. He remained in this position until his retirement in 1870.

Gother married Mary Hely in 1838 began a large family, initially they lived in Sydney before moving to St. Leonards, where he could commute to his office at Circular Quay or Cockatoo Island by boat. In December 1853, Mann purchased the large stone mansion on the Greenwich peninsular from George Green for £1250. He named the house Willoughby after a friend and brother officer, but later changed it to Greenwich House, because of confusion with the adjoining district also named Willoughby. The property had its own wharf and was minutes away by boat from Cockatoo Island. Thus began Gother's and the Mann family’s long connection with the suburb of Greenwich.

Gother Kerr Mann died in his 90th year on 1 January 1899. Gother and Mary’s marriage lasted sixty-one years. In 1898 they celebrated their diamond wedding with twelve children, nineteen grandchildren and four great grand children and were described as well-known residents of Sydney. Greenwich House was occupied by members of the Mann family for nearly 100 years. He is buried in St. Thomas' Cemetery, North Sydney. (ON THE STREETS WHERE YOU LIVE, Lane Cove Council, undated. [1])

Removed from the suffix field: R.E., I.G.

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Government, Justice Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Index). Marriage Reg. No. 1618/1838 V18381618 22 Groom's family name MANN Groom's given name(s) GOTHER K Bride's family name HELY Bride's given name(s) MARY J District CJ
2. ↑ New South Wales Government, Justice, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Index). Death MANN GOTHER K Reg. No. 3240/1899 Father's given name(s) CORNELIUS Mother's given name(s) SARAH District ST LEONARDS

• Find A Grave, St Thomas Rest Park, Crows Nest, North Sydney Council, New South Wales, Australia. Death 1 Jan 1899.[2]
• Peter Smales

Sources - Newspaper Articles

• New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900) Wed 8 May 1839 [Issue No.414] Page 543 Government Gazette Appointments and Employment. Gother Kerr Mann appointed magistrate. [3]
• The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) Sat 15 Jun 1912 Page 5 COCKATOO ISLAND. In February 1847, Captain Gother Mann was Instructed to prepare plans and estimates for the construction of a dry dook at Cockatoo Island, ....... [4]
• The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912) Sat 22 Jan 1898 Page 182 1838.—Diamond Wedding.—1898. Contains photographs of Gother his wife and family. [5]
• Goulburn Herald (NSW : 1881 - 1907) Mon 2 Jan 1899 Page 3 GENERAL NEWS. Captain Gother-Kerr Mann died last evening at his residence, North Sydney. [6]
• The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930) Tue 3 Jan 1899 Page 4 PERSONAL. DEATH OF CAPTAIN MANN. [7]
• The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) Thu 16 Apr 1931 Page 13 OLD SYDNEY. Link with the Past. HOME OF THE MANN FAMILY. Contains a short biography of Gother.
• The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) Thu 16 Apr 1931 Page 12 FOUR GENERATIONS. Descendants of Captain Gother Kerr Mann, who arrived in Sydney in 1836. From left: Mrs. David Davies, Mrs. Guy Blake, Mrs. Mordaunt Clarke, aged 91 (centre), and Master Gother Blake. Photograph. [8]
• The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) Thu 20 Dec 1934 Page 7 A ROYAL TEASET. Australian's Family Link With Gibraltar. [9]
• The Gosford Times and Wyong District Advocate (NSW : 1906 - 1954) Tue 31 Jul 1951 Page 3 Origin Of Mann St. Mann Street, Gosford, commemorates the name of Captain Gother Kerr Mann ..... [10]
• The Gosford Times and Wyong District Advocate (NSW : 1906 - 1954) Fri 7 Mar 1952 Page 3 HOW STREETS WERE NAMED. MANN STREET. [11]