Corby, Robert

CORBY, Robert (c1826–?1869) was born at St Martin in the Fields, Middlesex, England, the son of Thomas Corby, keeper of the Angel Inn, Turnpike Road, Hillingdon, Middlesex, and Mary Lawes. He married Mary Ablett in 1849 and was living with his parents in 1851, working as a builder. Corby arrived at Sydney in January 1853 where he was employed as a clerk of works with a leading architect John Frederick Hilly (1810–83) and from November 1854 as 1^st Clerk of Works in the Colonial Architects Department. In August 1855, Corby was involved in a scandal over alleged bribes in relation to approving variations. His claim to have been libelled by a contractor Thomas Coghlan led to a court case with many of the Department’s staff giving evidence at a committal hearing but when the case was to be heard, Coghlan failed to appear and the case was dismissed. After the murder in 1857 of his brother-in-law at Carcoar, Corby gave evidence. He again gave evidence in a case of theft of material for the Prymont Bridge for which he was superintendent. After his wife died at Braidwood, NSW in 1861, he returned to England where he is thought to have died in 1869.

Education

-1851

As builder, London

Migration and Travel

1853

20 Jan 1853: Arr Melbourne from London enroute to Sydney, passengers on “John Melhuish”

1861-

returned to Eng

Employed:

1853-

Clerk of works, Sydney for FJ Hilly (1810–1883) architect

1854-

1 Nov 1854: 1^st Clerk of Works, Colonial Architects Department, NSW (succeeded Richard Lambeth)

1858

Superintendent of Pyrmont Bridge, Sydney

Genealogy

[F] Thomas Corby (1798–1863) b. c1798, Mounrgall Kings; d. 22 Nov 1863, Brixton, London, Eng.

[M] Mary Lawes (c1796–1872) b. c1796, Droxford, Hampshire, Eng; d. 20 May 1872, Brentford, Middlesex, Eng.

[5C/1-3B] Thomas Corby (1824–1869) b. c1824, Andover, Hampshire, Eng.; d. 28 Apr 1869.
[S, 29 Dec 1845, Middlesex, Eng. / M] Ellen Reid(1823–1897) b. c1823, Hillingdon, Middlesex, Eng; d. 15 Feb 1897, Surrey, Eng
[5C/2-3B]CORBY, Robert(c1826–?1869) b. c1825, St Martin in the Fields, Middlesex, Eng; d. ?1869, Eng.
[S, 1 Jan 1849, Godmanchester, Huntingdonshire, Eng / M] Mary Ablett (c1826–1861) b. c1826, Godmanchester, Huntingdonshire, Eng; d. 1861, Braidwood, NSW.
[BiL] Michael Ablett (c1838–1857) b. c1838; d. 1857, Carcoar, NSW
[5C/3-3B] George Corby (1831–1833) b. c1831, Eng.; d. c1833.
[5C/1-2G] Mary Ann Corby (1836–1895) b. c1836, Eng; d. c1895, Edmonton, Middlesex, Eng.
[5C/2-2G] Emma Corby (1837–1881) b. 8 Aug 1837, Middlesex, Eng.; d. 20 Apr 1881, Surrey, Eng.

References

Peter Reynolds, The evolution of the Government Architect’s Branch of the NSW Department of Public Works, PhD thesis, University of NSW, 1972; Returns of the Colony of NSW 1855; Sydney Morning Herald: 6 Mar 1854, 1 and 19 Feb 1858, 4; Empire (Syd): 5 July 1854, 5 and 14 Aug 1855, 3; People’s Advocate and NSW Vindicator, 18.8.1855, 5-7; Bathurst Free Press, 25.3.1857, 2.