Friends of Hastings Cemetery

William E and Emily I Gedge & baby Herbert

AU E29

I. M.

Baby Herbert

Born June 28th 1855

Died January 3rd 1856

Melbourne

Victoria

Emily Isabella

Daughter of the late

Robert Purland Esq.

of Norwich

And wife of William Edward Gedge. Late V.C.S

Born December 3rd 1812, Died April 22nd 1885

William Edward Gedge

Late Victoria Civil Service

Born May 17th 1812 - Died June 12th 1887

William Edward Gedge was born on the 17th May 1812.  Resident for twelve years on the Gold Coast, as a merchant at Cape Coast Castle, Anamaboe and Accra.  He wasx General Commandant of the fort of Anamaboe for four years, from 1833 to 1837.

1840 -LETTER of the Merchants at Cape Coast Castle to Mr. President Maclean. W E Gedge is one of the signatories.

He acted as a magistrate in and around Anamanoe for eight years.  At an enquiry he said he had not had an legal education but "benefited from such law books as as IO may have had by me at the time." (Evidence given to the Select Committee on West Coast of Africa 1842.   [P. P. X2,1842, evidence of W. E. Gedge]

Saint James's Chronicle - Thursday 28 July 1842
July 26 - at Binfield, William Edward Gedge, Esq. of Cape Coast Castle, to Emily Isabella, youngest daughter of the late Robert Purland, Esq. of Norwich.

(There was another William Edgar Gedge, married to an Emily during the same period. It has not always been clear which is which, so we have not been able to find a precise date for their departure to Australia.  It has not been possible to ascertain which Gedge couple were staying at Denmark Place with William Belcher Rumsey in 1881.)

Having arrived in Melbourne William became a landing waiter at H.M. Customs, Since the early days of HM Customs, the junior officers stationed in a port had been called Waiters. By the 17th century, there was a distinction between Land-waiters, who had largely taken over from the Searchers the job of supervising the unloading of imported goods and then examining them.

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : Sat 30 Jun 1855
BIRTHS.
On the 28th inst., at Richmond, Mrs. William E. Gedge, of a son.

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.) Thu 24 Apr 1862
STEALING WEARING APPAREL. —Robert Walker pleaded " Guilty" to stealing two coats, the property of Mr. W. E. Gedge, a landing-waiter in Her Majesty's Customs, from the office of the prosecutor, and was sentenced to three months' hard labour.

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. ) Wed 7 Dec 1864
On a second chargp, prisoner was accused of stealing tobacco from No. G Customs Shed,on the Australian Wharf, on the night of Fridov, 25th nit.

W. E. Gedge, landing-waiter to the Customs, deposed he was at No. G Shod on the 26th nit. Tho boxes, which were now produced broken in coutt, woro then entire in the shed, and contained tobacco. The next day he fonnd, on going into tho shed, that the threo boxes were broken opsn and their contents stolen. Entry had been effected thiough the floor by boring and sawing from beneath.///

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic) Wed 26 Feb 1873
GEMMELL, TUCKETT, and Co. have received instructions from W. E. Gedge, Esq. (who is leaving for England), to SELL by AUCTION, at his residence,Waterloo-street, St. Kilda, on Monday, 10th March, at eleven o'cloc,  All his superior household furniture and effects, ........

1873 Sailed from Melbourne to London

"VICTORIAN PENSIONERS.
The following is a return of pensions chargeable upon the revenue of the colony of Victoria for the year ended 30th June 1875. The list gives the offices which the pensioners held:— W. E. Gedge, £242 10s, Landing-Waiter, Customs;

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.) Thu 28 May 1885
GEDGE.—At Clive-vale, Hastings, England, on the 22nd ult., Emily, wife of Mr. W. E. Gedge, formerly of H.M. Customs, Melbourne.

Chelmsford Chronicle - Friday 17 June 1887
GEDGE.—On the 12t.h inst., at Jersey Villa. Romfordroad, Upton, Essex, William Edward Gedge, late Victoria Civil Service, aged 75.