Name Robert Cottrell | ||
Robert Cottrell (15 September 1815 – 3 November 1880) was a coachbuilder and politician in the colony of South Australia. His first sojourn in Australia was in Maitland, New South Wales and his last near Maitland, South Australia.
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History
Cottrell first emigrated to New South Wales, arriving in Sydney on the ship Orient in February 1839. He ran a coachbuilding business in Maitland, New South Wales from 1843 to 1845. Cottrell had married Abina Ledsam; their two elder sons were born in Maitland, where various members of the Ledsam family had settled from the early 1830s including poundkeeper John Ledsam and auctioneer Jeremiah Ledsam, with whom he was closely associated.
Cottrell, his wife Abina and children, returned as immigrants to South Australia on the Rachel, arriving in September 1847. In 1848 he opened a coachbuilding business in Rundle Street, which prospered, enabling him to move several times, finally to Grenfell Street.
He was member for East Adelaide in the South Australian House of Assembly April 1868 – February 1875, and was an advocate of protection. In 1875, he stood again for East Adelaide, but was defeated by William Kay.
He purchased a farm "Brook Cottage", Woodforde, near Magill around 1865, where they lived, and later moved to a much larger property at Urania, some 9 miles (14 km) from Maitland, South Australia.
He had been an invalid for some time, and died of bronchitis.
Family
Robert Cottrell married Abina Ledsam (c.1813 – 30 May 1890) around 1838. Among their children were:
Both G. T. Cottrell and T. L. Cottrell were born in Maitland, New South Wales.