Transcript

of

William Frederick Collier [Obituary]

Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol. XXXIV, (1902), p. 35.

by

J. Brooking-Rowe (Ed.).

Prepared by Michael Steer

The obituary was read at the Association’s July 1902 Bideford meeting. The Collier family were since 1676 well known in Plymouth as wine and spirit merchants. In March 1854, Mr Collier married Miss Cycill Christiana Calmady, of Langdon Court, at Wembury Parish Church. A more complete obituary for Mr Collier is available at Brian Mosely’s “Old Plymouth, U.K.” website. A memorial to Mr Collier, with an obituary and a photograph is held by Plymouth Archives. His obituary, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.

William Frederick Collier, of Plymouth, and of Woodtown, Horrabridge, was for long an active member, having been elected in 1866. He was a son of John Collier, merchant, of Plymouth, for some time member of Parliament for the town. He was born 14th March, 1824, and his life was a busy, active one, not only in connection with his own business - he being a member of the old firm of Collier and Co., corn and wine and spirit merchants - but in many public and philanthropic activities in the town and neighbourhood. He was associated with the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, Cattewater Harbour Commissioners, Sutton Harbour Improvement Company, Plymouth College, the Plymouth High Schools for Boys and for Girls, the Plymouth Branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and was chairman of the Parish Council and School Board of Sampford Spiney, in which parish his country residence, Woodtown, is situated. He was fond of sport, and for some years was a prominent member of the Dartmoor Hunt. He was an old member of the Plymouth Institution, and frequently lectured. Several papers from his pen will be found in our Transactions, relating principally to Dartmoor. The Dartmoor Preservation Association owed much to his energy. Besides the papers we have referred to, he was a frequent contributor to the Saturday Review; and he published two little books, the lives of William Robert Hicks, of Bodmin, and Henry Terrell. Some of his contributions to periodicals were collected in two volumes - A New Book of Sports, and Country Matters in Short. For some years before his death he had been in ill health, and frequently suffered severe pain, borne with patience and fortitude. He died at Woodtown on 9th February, 1902, aged seventy-eight, and was buried at Sampford Spiney on the 13th February.