Henry Upton Alcock (1822 - 1912)

Born 17 Nov 1822 in County Dublin, Ireland

Husband of Jane (Webb) Alcock — married 21 Jul 1864 (to 6 Aug 1912) in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Died 6 Aug 1912 at age 89 in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia

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Biography

Henry Alcock is Notable.

Henry Alcock migrated from Dublin, Ireland to Victoria, Australia.

Birth

HENRY ALCOCK born 17 November 1822

Father STEPHEN ALCOCK

Mother MARGARET

Book Number 6, Page 51, Entry Number 506, Record_Identifier DU-CI-BA-188721 Church Records

NOTE - His death notice gives an age of 89 as do some obituaries - therefore born before Aug 1823 & this source is the only one fits

Baptism

Baptism of HENRY ALCOCK on 1 December 1822, Parish of ST. PETER, DUBLIN (COI)

Marriage

Henry Upton ALCOCK wed Jane WEBB 21 July 1864

Marriage Reg #2540 / 1864

ALCOCK—WEBB.—On the 21st inst., at St. Peter's, by the Rev. H H P Handfield, Mr. Henry Upton Alcock, of Melbourne, to Jane, eldest daughter of Nathaniel Webb, Esq., of Rathlee, county Sligo, Ireland. The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Fri 22 Jul 1864 Page 4

Family

Death & Burial

Henry Upton ALCOCK died 6 August 1912 at Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia

Mother's name, Margaret RAKER

Father's Name, Stephen Upton Alcock

Death Reg #10260 / 1912

ALCOCK.— On the 6th August, at his residence "Corra Lynn," Power street, Hawthorn, Henry Upton, the dearly beloved husband of Jane Alcock. Aged 89 years.

ALCOCK.— The Friend of the late Henry Upton Alcock are Informed. that his funeral will leave his late residence, "Corra Lynn." Power street. Hawthorn, to-morrow (Wednesday) 7th inst., at 3 p.m., for the Boroondara Cemetery, Kew Newspapers: Browse The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954) Tue 6 Aug 1912 Page 12

Mr Henry Upton Alcock, founder of the firm of Alcock and Co., billiard table manufacturers, died at his residence at Hawthorn (Vic.) last Tuesday, aged 88 years. Western Herald (Bourke, NSW : 1887 - 1970) Sat 10 Aug 1912 Page 4

Memorial

Henry Upton Alcock

BIRTH 1823

DEATH 6 Aug 1912

BURIAL Boroondara General Cemetery, Kew, Boroondara City, Victoria, Australia

MEMORIAL ID 199165513 ^[1]

Probate

Probate for Henry Upton Alcock granted 11 Nov 1912, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia ^[2]

Occupation: Timber Mertchan

Death Date: 06 Aug 1912

Series Number: 127

Record Number: 297

Obituary

DEATH OF MR H. U. ALCOCK

Mr Henry Upton Alcock, founder of the firm of Alcock and Company Pty. Ltd., died at his residence, 184 Power street, Hawthorn, shortly before 8 o'clock this morning. He had been ailing with bronchitis for a month past, but the fatal termination of the illness was unexpected.

Mr Alcock was 89 years of age. He leaves a widow and family of three sons and four daughters. One of the daughters is married to Mr A. F. Pearse, of the West Australian Survey Department. The sons are Mr A. U. Alcock, manager of the firm's business at Perth; Mr F. A. Alcock, general manager of Alcock and Company Pty. Ltd., and Mr W. H. Alcock, secretary of the firm.

As the pioneer of the billiard-table manufacturing Industry here, the name of the late Mr Alcock was known throughout the length and breadth of Australia. It was in 1852 that Mr Alcock commenced business in Brunswick street, Fitzroy. At first he confined himself to making bagatelle tables, but the business rapidly extended, and after the lapse of eighteen month larger premises had to be secured in Russell street, City. It was there that the firm billiard table ever made In Australia came to light. In the first ten years that he was in business Mr Alcock turned out 200 tables, which was considered a good output In those days. Relatively speaking, the trade is now on a gigantlc basis, branches being established in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Wellington, Auckland, and Dunedin. There is also an agency in Tasmania. The head office of the firm is in Elizabeth street, and the factory (employing about 100 hands) in South Melbourne. It was in the early 60's that the late Mr Alcock successfully blocked the importation of English tables by the excellence of his own manufactures. His ambition from the outset was to equal the best tables in the world, and to find his material within the colony. This goal was amply realised though, of course, the rubber had to be imported. Mr Alcock many years ago offered a premium of £500 for the first web of Victorian cloth suitable for billiard tables, but the bonus was never claimed. However, he found Australian woods that met all requirements.

In 1879 the late Mr Alcock went to Paris as one of the Australian Commissioners to the great International Exhibition of that year. The late King Edward (then Prince of Wales) was also a commissioner, and one of Mr Alcock's most valued possessions was an autograph letter and portrait sent him by the Prince of Wales on that occasion. When Prince Albert Victor and the present King visited Australia in 1881, they inspected Alcock's factory in Russell street, and each accepted a cue as a memento of the occasion. In 1900 King George (then Duke of York) accepted from Mr Alcock a blackwood case, contain ing two cues, the butts of which were made of Australian timber, inlaid. Though a maker of billiard tables, the late Mr Alcock never played the game himself. At the same time, he took a delight in witnessing others at the table, and had many good stories to tell about John Roberts, senior. and other noted professionals who came to Australia under his management. In disposition the late Mr Alcock was kindly, simple, and generous. He was proud of the business that he had created, and held the position of manageing director of the firm up to the time of his death. The work of active management, however, had for year fallen on the shoulders of his sons. Arrangements for the funeral, which takes place to-morrow afternoon, are in the hands of A. A. Weight Proprietary. The remains will be interred in the Kew Cemetery. The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954) Tue 6 Aug 1912 Page 10

Immigration

Arrivals, April 16 1853 - Africa, from Liverpool, December 6, with 493 passengers Passenger List

The Africa brings a large number of passengers to this port and Sydney, all of whom have been extremely healthy during the voyage, only eight deaths having taken place. Her cargo is almost entirely for Sydney. She left Liverpool on the 6th December, and having experienced some rough weather in the Bay of Biscay, she put into Lisbon to refit and repair damages. The Shipping Gazette and Sydney General Trade List (NSW : 1844 - 1860) Sat 30 Apr 1853 Page 129

The voyage of the Africa is recorded in the day to day log of Henry Upton ALCOCK (Ref. 5), a fellow passenger. The log is a history lesson in its own right describing in some detail, the hazards of such a journey. Only a few days out and most of the rigging was carried away in a violent storm in the Bay of Biscay. The ship just about made it to Lisbon where they spent two weeks getting repairs. When back at sea, the Irish contingent seemed to spend a lot of time singing, drinking and gambling, much to the annoyance of other passengers.

Alcock writes: “The ship sails like a coal barge and rolls like a washtub the captain knows nothing of his profession the mates are beasts that are always drunk whilst the crew are brutes that are never sober the potatoes are rotten and the biscuits mouldy.” State Library of Victoria, Diary of Henry Upton Alcock aborad Africa- MS9447 - MSB38

Alcock Billiards Tables

Alcocks, a family owned Australian business, began trading in 1853, when the founder of the Company, Henry Alcock, settled in Melbourne, Victoria. Restoration of antique billiard tables and equipment

Alcock billiard tables have been recognised as of outstanding quality in many ways during the long life of the business. During the 19th Century they were first recognised by the then reigning World Billiards Champion, John Roberts. In 1867 an Alcock billiard table was selected by the then Victorian Government as a gift for Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (second son of Queen Victoria) during his visit to the Colonies of Australasia.

The rise to prominence of billiards in 19th century Australia has been widely acknowledged as due largely to one man: Henry Upton Alcock. Born in Dublin in 1823, he set sail for Port Phillip in the Colony of Victoria, in October 1852, on the ship “Africa”. He arrived in Melbourne in April 1853, and set up business building billiard tables in Fitzroy with four workmen. Alcock managed to gradually build this tiny enterprise until it became one of Melbourne’s most substantial businesses in the latter period of the 19th century with branches in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and Wellington, New Zealand, plus an agency in Tasmania. He developed a reputation for the quality of Alcock billiard tables throughout the English speaking world.

Alcocks amalgamate, 1930

Following discussions with Thomson & Taylor of Russell Street, Melbourne, a competing business, which had commenced operating in the 1890s, it was decided to amalgamate. Accordingly, the business began to operate as Alcock, Thomson & Taylor Pty Ltd from 1 January 1930.

Heiron & Smith Billiards

During 1988 Alcocks joined forces with the highly respected New South Wales company, Heiron & Smith Billiards, founded in Sydney in 1883. This enabled Alcocks to develop one centralized manufacturing system to provide tables of the highest quality for both companies. The first joint operation of the two companies was preparation of Tables for the 1988 IBSF World Snooker Championship

The Alcock Book of Billiards

The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929) Tue 3 Sep 1901 Page 6 REVIEWS OF BOOKS. "The Alcock Book of Billiards", Alcock and Co., Melbourne.— In its former editions this work has long been widely known, and equally generally appreciated. It first appeared nearly 40 years ago. The new edition, which has just been issued, is the fifth; and the book has been rewritten to date, enlarged, and supplied with numerous diagrams and other illustrations showing the right and WTone methods of playing the game. The editor js Mr. Henry Upton Alcock, who has had the assistance of the champions Roberts, father and son, and other accepted authorities. The volume ' is dedicated to the Governor-General: and, so far as the reviewer is able to judge, its editor does not exaggerate its merits when he claims that it comprises 'solidly all the information extant on billiards at the most recent date. . . In every essential this work is a billiards epitome.'

Sources

1. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W3KD-LCT2 : 6 June 2019), Henry Upton Alcock, ; Burial, Kew, Boroondara City, Victoria, Australia, Boroondara General Cemetery; citing record ID 199165513, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
2. ↑ "Australia, Victoria, Index to Probate Registers, 1841-1989," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JV77-3J3 : 9 March 2018), Henry N Alcock, 11 Nov 1912; citing Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, series 127, record 297, Public Record Office, Victoria; FamilySearch digital folder 004104588.

• Marriage & Death - Victoria BDM

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