William Harcus (c. 1823 – 10 August 1876) was a Congregationalist minister in England and South Australia, where he later turned journalist and editor.

History

Harcus was born in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

and trained for the Congregational ministry at

Cotton End Cotton End is a small village and civil parish on the outskirts of Bedford. It became its own parish as of 1 April 2019, having previously been part of the parish of Eastcotts. Ordnance Survey maps from the 1880s show its name as 'Cardington Cott ...

. He served as minister of religion in

Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second larg ...

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

, and Toxteth Park (Liverpool). While in England he made literary contribution to several journals, notably a series "Lives of the Apostles" for the ''

Christian Witness In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are in ...

''. In 1860 he emigrated with his wife and children to South Australia, where he was appointed minister of the

Clayton Congregational Church Clayton Wesley Uniting Church, formerly Clayton Congregational Church, is a church building in the Adelaide suburb of Beulah Park (historically located in Kensington), located on Portrush Road, in a commanding position at the eastern end of The ...

in a part of Kensington now known as Beulah Park. In 1862, following some kind of difficulty within the church, he started on a journalistic career as a leader writer for the

South Australian Register ''The Register'', originally the ''South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register'', and later ''South Australian Register,'' was South Australia's first newspaper. It was first published in London in June 1836, moved to Adelaide in 1837, and f ...

, but continued to serve as pastor at Clayton Church until 1865, when the post was filled by the Rev.

Eliezer Griffiths Eliezer Griffiths (3 February 1827 – 21 April 1920) was a Welsh Congregationalist minister with a significant career in Australia and America, where he died. History Griffiths was born in Lampeter, Ceredigion, Wales, a son of Rev. G. Griffiths, ...

(1827–1920). In 1872, when Griffiths left for England, Harcus served in an honorary capacity for some six months until a permanent replacement, Thomas Hope (1846–1916), was appointed. In 1867 he left the ''Register'' for its competitor, '' The Advertiser'', where on the death of J. H. Barrow, he took over the position of Editor. Aside from serious journalism, he was a capable poet and humorous writer, noted for his "Laconic Leader" columns in ''The Advertiser''. Harcus was made a Justice of the Peace in 1871, and was frequently called on to act on the Bench or as Coroner. He was editor of, and contributor to, the ''Handbook of South Australia'' and ''South Australia, its History, Resources and Productions''. He died in August 1876 after a six days of intense suffering. His wife Eliza founded Dryburgh House School at "Palm House" in Hackney in 1876 following his death.

Family

William Harcus married Eliza Oliver (1822 – 12 March 1902) in England. Among their six children were: *eldest daughter Eliza Oliver Harcus (c. 1851 – 2 April 1926) married Benjamin Kelsey (c. 1845 – ) on 22 June 1870. She was an author and poet, and took over the running of Dryburgh House School at Palm Place, Hackney from her mother in 1887, and was a noted champion of education for women. The

State Library of South Australia The State Library of South Australia, or SLSA, formerly known as the Public Library of South Australia, located on North Terrace, Adelaide, is the official library of the Australian state of South Australia. It is the largest public research l ...

has a great deal of documentation relating to E. O. Kelsey. A son, Benjamin Harold Kelsey (1871–1937), was general manager of Newton McLaren Ltd. Another son, Rowley Harcus Kelsey worked for ''The Advertiser'' and left SA for London early in 1876, later in Perth. *eldest son Lorimer Edward Harcus ( – ) worked for ''The Advertiser'' and left for London. He was active in the

Independent Order of Good Templars The International Organisation of Good Templars (IOGT; founded as the Independent Order of Good Templars), whose international body is known as Movendi International, is a fraternal organization which is part of the temperance movement, promotin ...

. *second daughter Edith Bell Harcus ( – ) married Leonard William Holmes ( – ) on 5 January 1882 *second son W. Elliott Harcus ( – 1927) married Clara Sagar ( – 1920) on 28 November 1880. He was a Government surveyor. *Frank Tennyson Harcus (16 June 1864 – 1927) married Elizabeth Marion Knight ( – 1948) on 27 September 1899

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harcus, William 1823 births 1876 deaths English Congregationalist ministers Australian Congregationalist ministers Australian journalists Australian newspaper editors