William Grills Knight
William Grills Knight (23 January 1839 – 3 May 1903) was prominent businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Albany the Great Southern region of Western Australia.
Knight was born 23 January 1839 in Perth in Western Australia.
Knight married Ann Augusta Knight (nee McKail) and togther they had four children.[1] In 1865 Knight was working as a farmer and grazier at Woodlands, a farm owned by the McKail family, in the Porongurups.[2]
The Rocks, an iconic building in Albany, was built by Grills in 1882 as his residence. The building, now used as an exclusive hotel, is heritage listed.[3][4]
Knight was elected as Mayor of Albany in 1886,[5] after serving on the council for at least the previous two years.[6]
While Mayor, Knight raised the required capital to build the Albany Town Hall in 1886[7] which he later opened in 1888.[8] By 1889 Lancel Victor De Hamel was elected Mayor,[9] with Knight remaining on the council[10] until his re-election as Mayor in 1897.[11] He remained as Mayor until 1899 when C. M. McKenzie was elected to the position.[12]
In 1896, Knight and his son, started a shipping and station agents business in Albany.[13]
Knight died in Albany on 4 May 1903 and was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery.[14]
References
- ^ "Knight, Ann Augusta (Gussie) (nee McKail) (1840 - 1904)". Australian National Herbarium. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "William Grills Knight". Great Southern Pioneers. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "The rocks, Albany". Luxury Australia. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "The Rocks". Heritage Council of Western Australia. 8 February 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "Government Gazette". The Daily News. Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 13 August 1886. p. 3. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "Classified Advertising". The West Australian. Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 9 October 1884. p. 2. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "History". City of Albany. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "Albany Town Hall, 217 York Street, corner Grey Street West". Albany Gateway. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "Albany". The W.A. Record. Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 24 January 1889. p. 7. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "General News". The Daily News. Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 13 October 1891. p. 2. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "The Advertiser". Albany Advertiser. Albany, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 6 November 1897. p. 2. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "Country News". The Inquirer and Commercial News. Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 13 January 1899. p. 6. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "Advertising". Kalgoorlie Miner. Kalgoorlie, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 28 July 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ Lorraine Larment (2008). "Albany Memorial Cemetery". Retrieved 26 December 2015.