SEARCH THIS SITE SITE MAP   WHAT's NEW ?     Believed to be William Murray Borthwick I & possibly William Murray Borthwick II

Obituary William Murray Borthwick (1782-1866) William Murray Borthwick William Murray Borthwick's obituary was published in the Inverell section of the New England newspaper, The Armidale Express, on 19 May 1866. "Mr Borthwick, of Auburn Vale, died last week, having attained the ninth decade, his actual age being 84 years. Seldom are we called upon to record the demise of any so full of years and honours. Many years ago Mr Borthwick, acting as his own pioneer, took up Auburn Vale station, now occupied by his son-in-law, Mr Angus Fletcher, since which he seems to have led an unobtrusive life. In his earlier days, however, he was well known to fame, having by his genius and ability gained very considerable celebrity in the world of letters. He was at one time connected with the far-famed 'Scotsman' newspaper, and subsequently edited the 'Clydesdale Magazine', a periodical of great merit in those by-gone days. No subject, social, political or ecclesiastical, came amiss to Mr Borthwick, and all were handled with ability much above the average. During a time of great commotion and discord in the Scottish Church, he is said to have written and published a pamphlet which went far towards setting matters at rest. To almost the last he cherished the literary tastes of his youth, and when he happened to meet an appreciative listener he lived once more with his contemporaries, who were amongst the most celebrated men of 40 or 50 years ago. In our degenerate days, when the production of wool, tallow, or wheat is regarded as the acme of all merit, we must of necessity fail to rightly estimate the character and worth of the deceased gentleman." William Murray Borthwick, son of John Borthwick & Elizabeth Dinwoodie, had been baptised in Moffat, Dumfriesshire Scotland, exactly 84 years earlier, on 19 May 1782. His life had been long and varied, peppered with many dramatic and events, as well as hard work and constant concern for the welfare of his family. The impression one gains is that he was intelligent, well-educated, determined, hard-working, passionate, obstinate, litigious, self-righteous at times, and keen to succeed in anything he tried. He was conservative in religion and politics but a risk-taker and adventurous in business. His wife and family had been with him & apparently remained close to him throughout the whole of his fascinating life. Some References: * The Armidale Express, 19 May 1866. Copyright: Ann Carson 2001 All rights reserved. Created: 10 February 2001 Updated: 2 April 2001 If you like this site you may vote for it by clicking on this banner.