Charles Richard Wilton (25 May 1855 – 8 March 1927) was a journalist in the State of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, a longtime literary editor of ''The Advertiser'' and authored, under the pen name of "Autolycus", a long-running weekly column in '' The Courier'' of Mount Barker.

History

He was born in

Brunswick, Victoria Brunswick is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Melbourne city centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Merri-bek Local government areas of Victoria, local gov ...

to John Wilton (ca.1824 – 17 October 1903) and his first wife, his cousin Sarah Nowill Wilton (1815–1862). Richard Wilton, canon of

York Cathedral The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Archbis ...

, was an uncle. He began his working life as an "articled" clerk in a

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

law firm, but left them around 1878 to work as a

draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to: * An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century * An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...

for the Adelaide architectural firm of Woods & McMinn. He had a literary bent, and some years previously had started writing for the Press, and had articles published in the '' Melbourne Spectator'' and '' Melbourne Daily Telegraph''. This was the very paper which employed him in his next change of career, as a relieving sub-editor. It seems that he had affinity for printers' ink, for by 1877 he had left architecture to join J. C. F. Johnson, Dan Magill, and W. J. Kennedy, in producing the ''

Adelaide Punch ''Adelaide Punch'' (1878–1884) was a short-lived humorous and satirical magazine published in Adelaide, South Australia. Like ''Melbourne Punch'', it was modelled on ''Punch'' of London. History ''Adelaide Punch'' had its origin in ''The Rat ...

''. For a time he replaced George Ash as editor of the

Narracoorte Herald ''The Naracoorte Herald'' is a weekly newspaper first published in Naracoorte, South Australia on 14 December 1875. It was later sold to Rural Press, previously owned by Fairfax Media, but now an Australian media company trading as Australian Commu ...

, then for eight years edited the '' Mount Barker Courier''. He never lost contact with the people of Mount Barker, and as "Autolycus" (subtitled "A snapper-up of unconsidered trifles"), contributed a weekly column to the ''Courier'' for 36 years; right up to the week of his death. He also used this ''nom de plume'' for occasional contributions to '' The Bulletin''. In 1889 he returned to Melbourne, where he edited the ''

Weekly Times The Herald and Weekly Times Pty Ltd (HWT) is a newspaper publishing company based in Melbourne, Australia. It is owned and operated by News Pty Ltd, which as News Ltd, purchased the HWT in 1987. Newspapers The HWT's newspaper interests date ba ...

'', and sub-edited the ''Melbourne Daily Telegraph'' in place of

Joe Melvin Joseph Dalgarno Melvin (15 August 1852 – 26 June 1909) was a Scottish-born journalist and editor, mainly based in Melbourne, Victoria. History Melvin was born in Banff, Scotland, a son of John Melvin (ca.1829 – 21 September 1905), and his wi ...

. In his spare time he edited ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

'' a popular magazine first appearing in 1904. In April 1890 he was back in Adelaide as theatre critic and sub-editor of ''The Advertiser'', subsequently leader of the ''Advertiser'' and ''Hansard'' staff, positions he held until ill-health forced him to retire.

Other interests

Despite his change of career, he retained an interest in architecture and designed a number of buildings in the Mount Barker region, including: *The Mount Barker Courier's original building *A residence for John Paltridge (ca.1831–1917), father of Amelia, who married

Charles Dumas Charles Everett "Charlie" Dumas (February 12, 1937 – January 5, 2004) was an American high jumper, the 1956 Olympic champion, and the first person to clear 7 ft.(2.13 m) While attending Compton College, near Los Angeles, Dum ...

, founder of the ''Courier''. *The Bridgeport Hotel,

Murray Bridge Murray Bridge may refer to. *Murray Bridge, South Australia, a city and locality *Rural City of Murray Bridge, a local government area in South Australia *Corporate Town of Murray Bridge, a former local government area in South Australia See also ...

Family

He married Annie Isabel Gladstones ( – 5 June 1927) on 3 July 1883. Their children included: *Professor John Raymond Wilton (2 May 1884 – 1944) married Winifred Aimee Welbourn on 25 May 1936. *Dr. Alexander Cockburn Wilton MB, BS (22 April 1888 – c. 9 June 1954) of Clarendon was a

godson In infant baptism and denominations of Christianity, a godparent (also known as a sponsor, or '' gossiprede'') is someone who bears witness to a child's christening and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelon ...

of Sir

John Alexander Cockburn Sir John Alexander Cockburn (23 August 185026 November 1929) was Premier of South Australia from 27 June 1889 to 18 August 1890. Early life Cockburn was born in Corsbie, Berwickshire, Scotland, in 1850 to Thomas Cockburn, farmer, and his wife ...

. *Dorothy Kenyon Wilton (1 September 1890 – 1962) married William Albert Smith in 1928. *Richard Gladstones Wilton (30 October 1892 – 1946), a hydraulic engineer, married Annie Heath on 27 December 1917. They lived at

42 Hutt Street, Adelaide 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

from around 1900, perhaps earlier, but 100 Hutt Street when he died.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilton, Charles Richard Australian newspaper editors Australian journalists 1855 births 1927 deaths Journalists from Melbourne People from Brunswick, Victoria 19th-century Australian architects