Charles Thomas Biass Edward Turner (1862 - 1944)

Born 1862 in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah (Matthews) Turner — married 1882 (to 1883) in Petersham, New South Wales, Australia

Husband of Harriett Emma (Goldman) Turner — married 1891 (to 1909) in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Husband of Edith Susan Rebecca (Sargent) Hills — married 1912 (to 1944) in Woollahra, New South Wales, Australia

Died 1 Jan 1944 at about age 82 in Manly, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

Charles Turner is Notable.

Charles Thomas Biass Turner was born in 1862 in Bathurst New South Wales. He is the son of Charles Biass Turner and Mary Pye.

• Bank Officer.
• Married 3 times.
• One-time world-famed Australian Test bowler.

Australian Test Cricketer Charles Turner made his debut against England at Sydney from January 28 - 31, 1887. He played the last of his 17 Tests also against England at Sydney also from February 01 - 04, 1895. He was one of the inaugural winners of the international Wisden Cricketers of the Year award in 1889, then known as the "Six Great Bowlers of the Year". In 2013 he was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame along side the modern era's greatest fast bowler Glenn McGrath.

Charles Turner passed away of senile decay on the 1st of January 1944; and was cremated at the Northern Suburbs crematorium. He was survived by a daughter of his second wife Harriett Emily, née Goldman, whom he had married at the Registrar-General's Department, Sydney, on 28 October 1891, and by his third wife Edith Rebecca Susan, née Sargent.

Sources

• NSW Birth Cert 5140
• NSW Death Cert 3246
• NSW Marriage Cert 2265 - Sarah
• NSW Marriage Cert 1485 - Harriet
• NSW Marriage Cert 16577 - Edith
• Appears in Bathurst Pioneer Register No 4828
• Ryerson Index - TURNER C T B Other 09JAN1944 Death at Sydney Portland Guardian 10JAN1944. TURNER C T B Funeral notice 04JAN1944 Cremation late of Manly Sydney Morning Herald 03JAN1944
• B. G. Andrews, Turner, Charles Thomas (1862–1944), Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/turner-charles-thomas-4759/text7907, published first in hardcopy 1976, accessed online 29 December 2021.

• Charles Turner (Australian cricketer) from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. first accessed online on the 29th of December 2021 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Turner_(Australian_cricketer)

• Charlie Turner Australia from the ESPNCRICINFO website. first accessed online on the 29th of December 2021 at: https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/charlie-turner-7990

• ANOTHER OLD CRICKET SKETCH from the Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939) of Wednesday 13 January 1915, Page 12. first accessed on TROVE on the 29th of December 2021 at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/129344045?

• 314 Wickets on English Tour from the Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939) of Wed 13 January 1915, Page 12. first accessed on TROVE on the 29th of December 2021 at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/129344044/12823928

• MR. CHARLES THOMAS BIASS TURNER. from the Illustrated Sydney News (NSW : 1881 - 1894) of Thursday 6 February 1890, Page 3. first accessed on TROVE on the 29th of December 2021 at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63610476?

• Re the estates of the undermentioned deceased persons.— from the Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001) of Friday 21 January 1944 [Issue No.6], Page 97. first accessed on TROVE on the 29th of December 2021 at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/225093139?searchTerm=%22Charles%20thomas%20Turner%20%22%20Cricket%20Biass%20Byass%20death%20funeral%20died

• Charles Turner from the MONUMENT AUSTRALIA website. first accessed online on the 29th of December, 2021 at: https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/sport/display/20242-charles-turner

• Wisden Cricketers of the Year from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. first accessed online on the 29th of December, 2021 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisden_Cricketers_of_the_Year

• The Australian Cricket Hall of Fame first accessed online on the 29th of December, 2021 at: https://www.mcg.org.au/the-stadium/mcg-history/cricket/australian-cricket-hall-of-fame

Obituaries

• Millard, P. J. Turner Ranked With Spofforth from The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954) of Monday 3 January 1944, Page 8. first accessed on TROVE on the 29th of December 2021 at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/245316862?

• Bailie, E. H. M. “TURNER THE TERROR” IS DEAD from the Sporting Globe (Melbourne, Vic. : 1922 - 1954) of Wednesday 5 January 1944, Page 15. first accessed on TROVE on the 29th of December 2021 at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/181043084?

• C. T. B. Turner Was a Great Bowler from the IN SCHOOL AND OUT article: in The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946) of Saturday 22 January 1944, Page 27. first accessed on TROVE on the 29th of December 2021 at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/142418133?

• OUR PORTRAIT GALLERY. Our Portrait Gallery. No. 15.— CHARLIE TURNER from The Bird O' Freedom (Sydney, NSW : 1891 - 1896) of Saturday 20 October 1894, Page 1. first accessed on TROVE on the 14th of February, 2022 at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/207808122 & https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/207808124

• Biographical Database of Australia

Expanded Biographic Item of Charles Thomas Byass Edward TURNER, which includes mention of Charles Byass TURNER

Biographic record Charles T. B. Turner, Esquire. All that tends to improve the physique of man is advantageous to the nation, and the robust oarsman, or footballer, or cricketer, takes as good a place in the advancement of a country as the statesman or the judge. A strong, hardy, and energetic people must conquer all, and must push along the road of progress the nation which they form. Great ability, mental and intellectual, has often been found in puny bodies, but these are the exceptional cases, and if such people have succeeded in life, it was through having a strong and healthy race to act upon. True it is that there is a danger of physical exercises being pursued too much, and that their exponents will be accorded merit over and above what is really deserved. To cultivate the body at the expense of the intellect and the mind would be but to retrograde, and to lead back mankind to the primitive state in which bodily strength ruled, and might was right. With our present increasing artificiality of living that state would, be inconsistent, and chaos would be likely to return. Yet, when excellence in athletic exercises is seen, and such excellence is not found to be inconsistent with refinement, then let it be fittingly recognised. Such is the case in the career of the gentleman whose name stands at the head of this sketch. Charles Thomas Byass Edward Turner, so well known as the champion cricketer, was born in Bathurst, in 1863. His father is a native of Oxfordshire, but having come to the colony at a very early age, he may be considered to be essentially an Australian, so that the subject of our present sketch is without doubt a representative Australian. He received his education at Prosser's private school, Bathurst, where he remained for some years, leaving it to go into the office of Cobb and Co., the coaching firm, in which he remained for five years. This great firm was at one time known on every road in the colony, and before the introduction of railways might be said to have monopolised the passenger traffic of the country. Even at present, where the railways have not yet penetrated, the name of Cobb's coaches is as familiar as a household word. With the view of bettering himself, and finding opportunities to rise in the world, Mr. Turner left the office of Cobb and Company, and came to Sydney, where he entered the Australian Joint Stock Bank, and still remains. During his service in the bank, short though it is, he has obtained considerable promotion, and from his first joining he has been marked for recognition. Not undeserved is his success, as he has always been most assiduous in the discharge of his duties, and is attentive and careful of all that comes before him. While still young, he was distinguished in the cricket field, and was well-known in Bathurst as one of the best cricketers in the Western district. Taking an active part in the game, he became one of its most prominent supporters, and for three years was secretary to the Bathurst district club. From the first he found a place in the representative team, and became one of the best and most reliable playing members of the club. This early aptitude for cricket was cultivated by Mr. Turner, and when he came to Sydney he joined the Carlton Cricket Club, one of the leading clubs of the metropolis, and at once took his place in it, prominent among the old and recognised champions of the bat and ball. The life of a young clerk in a bank is not one fruitful of incident, nor has that of Mr. Turner been an exception. It is by his performances in the cricket field that he has become known, and it is by his bowling that his name is famous. The goal of the ambition of a colonial cricketer in his colony is to be chosen to represent her in the intercolonial matches. Among such good cricketers as New South Wales possesses, this is a coveted distinction, and he who obtains it may be considered as excelling in that particular branch of sport. For three years Mr. Turner has played for New South Wales against the other colonies, and on every occasion he has distinguished himself. As a bowler he has done some wonderful work, and may be considered as one of the best that the colony has seen. Together with being selected to play in the Intercolonial matches, Mr. Turner has for the last two years been picked in the teams against the English Elevens that have visited us during that time. These visits of English cricketers have been the means of bringing out the best players amongst us, and it is not going beyond the truth in saying that only the best men of the colonies have been picked in the teams that have opposed the visitors. As an example of the skill displayed by him it must be here recorded that, when he was but eighteen years of age, he took seven wickets in the first innings, and the whole ten wickets in the second innings, in a match against an English Eleven. This fine performance stamped him as the best bowler in the colony, which was justified in after years, and was so appreciated by the large crowd of his admirers, that he was the recipient of a handsome watch and chain subscribed by many of his friends. In 1886 he also performed a wonderful feat with the ball in the match All England against New South Wales, when he took thirteen wickets for fifty-four runs. This was an astonishing performance, as he was opposed by some of the best batsmen of England, and the match was played on a ground second to none for scoring upon. For this great performance he was presented with a silver shield by Mr. H. C. Gleeson, of the Carlton Club, a gentleman among the foremost to recognise merit in all branches of sport. Further, as a proof of the esteem in which he was held by his club mates, he was presented with a diamond ring by the members of the Carlton Club in 1887, a distinction worthily won and gracefully accorded. Besides these more rich and valuable prizes won by Mr. Turner by his prowess on the cricket field, he has been accorded numerous other trophies for performances in club matches. When the Australian Eleven at present in England were being chosen, Mr. Turner's name was one of the first on the list, and on the 17th of March he sailed for England with the other members of the team. Although adversely criticised by many, and without much encouragement to cheer them, the Australian Eleven of 1888 have by their performances shown themselves to be not behind others that preceded them, and have maintained the reputation gained by previous elevens for superiority in all departments of the game. Much of the success of the team may be attributed to the phenomenal bowling of Mr. Turner, and not soon will his deadly deliveries be forgotten by those English batsmen to whom they have been so often fatal. Mr. Turner married in Sydney in 1883, but lost his wife soon after. He is still a widower. Young, healthy, and full of animal spirits, his arm may be relied on for many years to aid New South Wales in the friendly contest of the cricket field. A memoir of the father of the premier bowler of New South Wales is not inappropriate here, and is illustrative of one of the many phases of colonial life that makes the social history of the colony so interesting. Charles Byass Turner is an Englishman, having been born in Oxfordshire in 1835. While still a child, being but seven years of age, he left his native land with his parents, and arrived in Sydney in 1842. The voyage was made in the Bencoolen sailing ship, and, as was then a matter of common occurrence, many hardships had to be endured by the passengers. Few luxuries were obtainable on the passenger ships, and little more than the necessaries of life were provided. But since then the changes in means of voyaging have been great, and of such a kind as to make one wonder where the ingenuity of man will cease. The trip that was a weary imprisonment for four or six months, is now shortened to a passage of forty-two days, and is but a luxurious pleasure journey, which is ever looked back upon with pleasure. The magnificent steamers that ply between Sydney and London may be considered as floating hotels, in which every luxury and convenience is obtained, and danger is reduced to a minimum. As time goes on other developments will show out, and such speed, for one thing, will be attained, as will make a trip to the old country a matter of everyday occurrence. After landing in the colony his parents engaged in pastoral pursuits, and young Turner grew up among the gum-trees, a veritable Australian. When old enough to take part in the active business of life, he aided his father in his work, and learned a good deal of the country, being for some time settled, among other places, at Moreton Bay. That settlement, which in 1842 was first thrown open to colonists, had been a penal establishment for several years, and was the beginning of the flourishing town of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. The northern portion of the east coast of Australia had been known by the name of Moreton Bay, but in 1859 separation was effected, and the now flourishing colony of Queensland became a distinct and separate Government. After spending several years with his father in various parts of the colony, young Turner, at nineteen years of age, took his way to the diggings which broke out at that time in so many places. The discovery of gold lured many from the quiet and steady paths of regular labour, to seek, often in vain, for fortune with the pick and long-handled shovel. The desire to become suddenly rich has ever been the curse of civilised people, and truly has it been a curse in Australia. Many of those who sought on the goldfields the wealth that tempts men to their ruin, lost their lives in the vain pursuit of the fickle goddess Fortune. But many after trying their luck, and finding that it did not lie in gold-digging, wisely left the unpropitious spot and turned their attention to more regular work. Among these latter was Mr. Turner, who for several years after leaving the Turon fields, devoted himself to pastoral pursuits. After spending some years at this life he, in 1862, became a licensed victualler, opening the Carriers' Arms in Bathurst, and also having an interest with his father in the Duke's Hotel, in the same town. In 1883 Mr. Turner found that he was in a position to leave business, so he left for Europe, and stayed away for seven months, enjoying himself, and also engaging in matters connected with his business. It may be mentioned that it was in the year 1882 that he purchased the lease of the leading hotel in Bathurst, which he has since carried on so successfully, and has made it one of the best-known hostelries in the West. For three years he occupied the position of Alderman of the City of Bathurst, but at present he has retired from municipal life. In 1861 Mr. Turner married, but lost his wife in 1881, and has a family of five children. [Biog Item No. 900110678] Source Book: Australian Men of Mark 1888

• Expanded Biographic Item of Charles B TURNER, which includes mention of Charles Byass TURNER

Biographic record CHARLES B. TURNER, Royal Hotel, (Bathurst), was born in England in 1835, and came to the colony with his parents in 1842. After leaving school he was employed on station work in Queensland, and in gold-digging in different parts of New South Wales till 1854 when he came to Bathurst and commenced hotel-keeping. He had occupied several inns prior to 1882, when he entered on the Royal Hotel, which is one of the oldest houses in town, and is considered the premier establishment in point of excellence. Mr. Turner is thoroughly a public man in Bathurst, having devoted himself so long to its welfare and advancement. For three years he has filled the position of alderman, and is a member of the Jockey Club, the School of Arts, the Agricultural Society, etc. He has a family of two daughters and three sons, one of the latter being the cricketer, C. B. T. Turner, the famous bowler. [Biog Item No. 900211064]

Source Book: Aldine Centennial History of NSW 1888