Christopher Rolleston
Christopher Rolleston CMG (27 July 1817 – 9 April 1888) was an English-born colonial public servant in Australia.
Christopher Rolleston | |
|---|---|
 Christopher Rolleston | |
| Registrar-General of New South Wales | |
| In office 1855–1864 | |
| Auditor-General of New South Wales | |
| In office 1864–1883 | |
| Preceded by | William Mayne |
| Succeeded by | Edward Rennie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 July 1817 Watnall, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Died | 9 April 1888 (aged 70) |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
Rolleston was born 27 July 1817 in Watnall, Nottinghamshire, the second son of Rev. John Rolleston and Elizabeth, née Smelt.[1]
A prominent colonial civil servant in New South Wales, Rolleston served as the Register-General of New South Wales (1855 – 1864). During his time as registrar general he was responsible for the launch of compulsory registration of births, deaths and marriages. He also served in a range of previous roles including Commissioner of Crown Lands in the Darling Downs (1842-1853), private secretary to the Governor of New South Wales, Sir William Denison (1855), as well as auditor-general (1864-1883).[1]
His commercial appointments included director, European Assurance Society, the Mercantile Bank of Sydney and the Australian Gas Light Company, and a superannuation fund commissioner.[1]
He served as the president and later a trustee of the Australian Club. For his lifelong service to colonial New South Wales he was appointed CMG in 1879.[1]
Legacy
A number of places in Queensland are named after him:
- The town of Rolleston in the Central Highlands Region (24.4631°S 148.6236°E)[2]
- Mount Rolleston (27.7983°S 151.7178°E) in Felton in the Toowoomba Region on the Darling Downs[3]
Publications
- The Condition and Resources of New South Wales — A lecture delivered at Sydney, December 12, 1866. (1867)
References
- Cunneen, Chris (1976). "Rolleston, Christopher (1817–1888)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- "Rolleston – population centre in the Central Highlands Region (entry 28948)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
- "Mount Rolleston – mountain in Toowoomba Region (entry 28953)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
External links
- Christopher Rolleston at the Australian Dictionary of Biography
Works by or about Christopher Rolleston at Wikisource- Mennell, Philip (1892). . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.
- Colonial Secretary's papers 1822-1877, State Library of Queensland- includes digitised letters written by Rolleston to the Colonial Secretary of New South Wales (Specifically Reel 14)