Edward Charles Close, Marine "Matilda" 1817 - Lieut. 48th Regiment of Foot

An obituary published in the "Empire" of 9 May 1866 has substantially the same text as that which follows (from the Sydney Morning Herald). Extra points include:

"The name of Mr. Close is inseparably connected with the town of Morpeth. Originally the town site formed a portion of his grant and the natural advantages of its position marking its importance, the town was laid out, and the " Green Hills" of the Hunter gradually rose to its present status-returning a member to the Parliament of the colony. Mr. Edward Charles Close, junior, the oldest son of the lamented subject of our notice, was twice elected to represent the electorate.

Yesterday shutters were closed in every house in Morpeth, and in many places on East and West Maitland the same token of respect was visible.

The remains of the lamented deceased will be borne to their last resting place at 2 o'clock to-morrow (Wednesday). "

Mr Thomas the coroner returned a verdict at the inquest on the following day of "died from apoplexy" - ie stroke.

George Close had slept in the room adjoining his father with the door between the rooms open.

Obituary of a fine old gentleman published in "The Sydney Morning Herald" of Wednesday 9 May 1866:

"SUDDEN DEATH OF MR. E. C. CLOSE, SEN. IT is with deep regret that we have to chronicle the unexpected death of one of the oldest colonists, and perhaps the most respected resident, of the district-Mr Edward Charles Close, of Morpeth The deceased gentleman on Sunday last was in his usual health, and though for some time past his advanced years, and partial palsy of the right side, arising from his having met with several accidents, had made him feeble, he attended Divine service on Sunday morning at St James's Church, Morpeth. He retired to rest on Sunday evening, and made no complaint of any ill- ness or weakness. Early yesterday morning Mr George Close entered his room, and beheld his father lying on the floor near the bed, and on approaching him, to his grief, he found life had departed. It would appear that the deceased gentleman had during the night got out of bed, and was re turning to it when he fell and died in an attack of apoplexy.

His features were placid, and no signs of a struggle with death were visible. Mr Close was quilt cold when discovered, and apparently had been dead several hours.

Mr Close was born at Rangamatti, in India, in the year 1789 and was brought up and educated at a place called Chantrey, in Ipswich, Suffolk, the residence of his uncle, Charles Strencham Collinson, high sheriff of the county.

Mr Close's early education was imparted with a view to fit him for the ministry of the Church, but as he advanced to manhood the warlike spirit of the period gained possession of him, and won him to the profession of arms. He entered the British army under the Duke of Wellington, and during the Peninsula War he saw much service, and was present at seven engagements. His career in battle won for him the Peninsula medal, and this decoration, with seven clasps bearing the names of the battles which he had shared the fortunes of, he ocassionally wore. The fields named on these clasps are famous in history - Toulouse, Orthes, Nivelle, Vittoria, Albuera, Busaco, and Talavera.

In the year 1817 Mr Close arrived in this colony with the 48th Regiment of Foot, in which he held a Lieutenant's commission. Four years afterwards he received a grant of land, as was usual in those days, and he chose the site of the present town of Morpeth, and the land adjoining it. He settled in Morpeth in the year 1821, and resided there from that time - a period of forty-five years. He was the first police magistrate of this district, and that office he held for a number of years. He was eight or nine years a member of the first Legislative Council of these colonies. Until a very late period was Warden of the Maitland District, and in that capacity, as in all others, he ful filled his duties with honour to himself and benefit to his adopted country. To his credit it can also be said that he filled all these offices without emelument- he never received a shilling from the revenue of the colony. Of the Maitland hospital he has long been the honoured president, and has always been a liberal supporter of that excellent institution. In recog nition of his efforts on its behalf, a number of friends of the institution some time ago had a fine portrait of him taken in oil colours, and that painting now adorns the committee room. Throughout life Mr Close maintained the character of a sincere Christian. His Christianity was not mere outward show or sanctity. He was always a liberal contributor to his own church, and to the churches of other denomi nations he presented valuable sites for the erection of places of worship. The poor and afflicted ever found a helping hand extended, with the kind words of comfort he would utter. As a landlord he was indulgent in the extreme, especially in seasons of distress ; his sympathetic heart was ever ready to respond to the appeal of the distressed. His tenants will ever gratefully venerate his memory.

It is but rarely that a whole district is found uniting in deep and sincere regret for a gentleman, one of whose prominent characteristics was a very modest estimate of his own ability and influence. Mr Close never was a fluent or ready speaker at public meetings, and he used always laughingly to remark that he never was a speaker ; nor would he, when appealed to, ever attempt even to repeat the expressions he had used, so strong was this conviction with him. Yet we have repeatedly seen Mr Close turn the current of feeling at a meeting where people had got warm and angry. He was a man of sin gularly genial and cordial manner, equally pleasant in demeanour to the rich and poor, the influential and the retiring ; and never himself arousing any angry feeling by his words or acts, and being a man of strong common sense and clearness of thought - his "hesitating" short speech would be listened to with the deepest respect, and would often still the clamour and anger that more ready speakers had tried in vain to allay. But though not a public speaker, Mr Close was eminent for conversational power and charmed the most intelligent men by his quiet humour and genial enjoyment of the passing joke. These qualities, united with his readiness to take part in nearly all public movements, made Mr Close, in the days of his strength, the favourite chairman of this part of the Hunter.

We have had among us, and we happily can still number among our leading residents, some true specimens of the "fine old English gentleman"-but we have never known any one who was a finer or truer example than Mr Close -Maitland Mercury of yesterday. "

also see http://www.jenwilletts.com/edward_close.htm