GIPPSLAND’S ITINERANT MINISTER
Edward Gifford Pryce was born on 26 August 1814 at Liverpool, Lancashire, England, the son of Edward Pryce, merchant, and his wife Eleanor, nee Gifford. He was educated for the ministry at Trinity College, Dublin (B.A.1837). On 21 April 1840 he arrived at Sydney, New South Wales from Liverpool, Lancashire, England per “Clyde” with his sister. His first appointment was to Wiseman’s Ferry parish and was later at Braidwood, N.S.W.
By 1844 he was in the Maneroo District. Using Cooma as his base he conducted an itinerant ministry which included occasional visits to Gippsland in the Port Phillip District. He visited Gippsland in April-May 1845 and performed numerous baptisms and an occasional marriage. The places he visited included Bairnsdale, La Trobe River, Tarraville, Port Albert, Bruthen and Lucknow. His registers show: –
27 April 1845 – – – William, son of William & Elizabeth MEIN
27 April 1845 – – – Mary, daughter of William & Elizabeth MEIN
28 April 1845 – – – Thomas JACKSON married Rosanna KELLY
01 May 1845 – – – Sarah Jane Stratford, daughter of Colin & Elizabeth McLAREN
05 May 1845 – – – Thomas Henry MILLER married Margaret MAGEE
06 May 1845 – – – Janet Barr, dauughter of James & Ellen AITKEN
06 May 1845 – – – Margery, daughter of Alexander & Margery FRAZER
06 May 1845 – – – Magdalena, daughter of Alexander & Margery FRAZER
07 May 1845 – – – Thomas, son of Thomas & Eliza WINDSOR
08 May 1845 – – – Edward Daracott, son of Edward & Jane SCOTT
08 May 1845 – – – Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas & Hannah FELL
11 May 1845 – – – Mary, daughter of John & Anne DAVIS
11 May 1845 – – – Elizabeth, daughter of John & Anne DAVIS
11 May 1845 – – – Martha, daughter of John & Anne DAVIS
11 May 1845 – – – Elizabeth, daughter of John & Elizabeth ANDERSON
11 May 1845 – – – Robert Charles Cunningham, son of James & Isabella NELSON
11 May 1845 – – – Isabella, daughter of James & Isabella NELSON
11 May 1845 – – – Isabella, daughter of William & Anne GREENWOOD
11 May 1845 – – – John son of William & Anne GREENWOOD
11 May 1845 – – – Annie, daughter of Charles & Mary TILSON
12 May 1845 – – – Emma, daughter of Henry & Frances SHERWOOD
12 May 1845 – – – Eliza Ann, daughter of James & Sarah ALLEN
13 May 1845 – – – David, son of David Hamilton & Elizabeth WEIR
13 May 1845 – – – John, son of David Hamilton & Elizabeth WEIR
13 May 1845 – – – Elizabeth, daughter of David Hamilton & Elizabeth WEIR
13 May 1845 – – – Joseph, son of Joseph & Anne DAVIS
13 May 1845 – – – Matilda, daughter of Joseph & Anne DAVIS
13 May 1845 – – – Albert Alexander, son of Hugh & Agnes BUNTINE
13 May 1845 – – – William O’Dell Raymond, son of Hugh & Agnes BUNTINE
14 May 1845 – – – John, son of John & Elizabeth ROWLEY
17 May 1845 – – – Frederick James, son of James & Lucy THATCHER
17 May 1845 – – – Mary Ann, daughter of James & Lucy THATCHER
18 May 1845 – – – James, son of James & Margaret DOGHERTY
18 May 1845 – – – James, son of Edward & Margaret MADDEN
A second visit was made in November-December 1847. This time his itinerary included Delvine, Tarraville, Hazelwood, Loy Yang, Flooding Creek, Clydebank, Stratford, Lindnow and Lucknow, baptising the following children:
17 November 1847 – – – Thomas, son of John & Margaret SCOTT
18 November 1847 – – – Anna Colhoun, daughter of Boyd Alexander & Mary CUNNINGHAM
20 November 1847 – – – Joseph, son of Uriah & Martha HODDINOTT
20 November 1847 – – – Emily Jane, daughter of Uriah & Martha HODDINOTT
21 November 1847 – – – James Edward, son of David & Anna Romana DUNCAN
21 November 1847 – – – Margaret, daughter of Robert & Eliza MASSIE
21 November 1847 – – – Donald Sinclair, son of Ramsay & Susan WILLIAMSON
21 November 1847 – – – Hugh, son of James & Margaret DOGHERTY
21 November 1847 – – – Catherine, daughter of William & Ellen SUFFRIEN
21 November 1847 – – – Hannah, daughter of William & Ellen SUFFREIN
21 November 1847 – – – Caroline, daughter of Henry & Frances SHERWOOD
22 November 1847 – – – Elizabeth Isabella, daughter of John & Elizabeth Sarah McKENZIE
22 November 1847 – – – Jane, daughter of James & Isabella NEILSON
22 November 1847 – – – John, son of Joseph & Clare VARNAY
22 November 1847 – – – Esther, daughter of Joseph & Clare VARNAY
23 November 1847 – – – Thomas, illegitimate son of Thomas WILLIAMS & Hannah WILSON
23 November 1847 – – – James Wylie, son of John & Isabella GILLION
24 November 1847 – – – Emma Olivia, daughter of Charles & Eleanor LUCAS
24 November 1847 – – – Henry, illegitimate son of Richard NEBBITT & Eleanor LUCAS
24 November 1847 – – – Thomas, son of Richard NEBBITT & Eleanor LUCAS
24 November 1847 – – – Agnes Admeston, son of Hugh & Agnes BUNTINE
26 November 1847 – – – Fredericka Anna daughter of William & Lavinia BENNETT
26 November 1847 – – – Francis Charles, son of William & Lavinia BENNETT
26 November 1847 – – – Eliza Adams, daughter of William & Lavinia BENNETT
26 November 1847 – – – Helena, daughter of Edward William & Helena HOBSON
26 November 1847 – – – Eliza, daughter Thomas & Elizabeth WINDSOR
26 November 1847 – – – William, son of Thomas & Elizabeth WINDSOR
27 November 1847 – – – Matilda, daughter of Alexander & Margaret DODDS
27 November 1847 – – – William, son of James & Sarah ALLEN
27 November 1847 – – – Mary Ann, daughter of William & Mary Ann DAVIS
27 November 1847 – – – William, son of William & Mary Ann MOORE
27 November 1847 – – – Joseph, son of William & Mary Ann MOORE
27 November 1847 – – – Mary Ann, daughter of William & Mary Ann MOORE
27 November 1847 – – – Mary Ann, daughter of John & Grace McDONALD
28 November 1847 – – – Isabella, daughter of Robert & Jane FITCHETT
28 November 1847 – – – Annabella, daughter of Alexander & Martha FRAZER
28 November 1847 – – – James, son of James & Ellen AITKIN
28 November 1847 – – – Martin, son of James & Ellen AITKIN
28 November 1847 – – – Joseph, son of John & Sarah ATKINSON
29 November 1847 – – – Susannah, daughter of John & Elizabeth ROWLEY
29 November 1847 – – – Janet, daughter of John & Marjory McCALLUM
29 November 1847 – – – Mary Jane, daughter of John & Marjory McCALLUM
29 November 1847 – – – Robert, son of John & Marjory McCALLUM
29 November 1847 – – – Emma, daughter of George & Emma HOPWOOD
29 November 1847 – – – John, son of John & Mary Ann WEILDON
29 November 1847 – – – Robert, son of Patrick & Mary MORLEY
30 November 1847 – – – Anne, daughter of David Hamilton & Elizabeth WEIR
01 December 1847 – – – Alfred, son of William & Catherine BEVAN
02 December 1847 – – – John Harris, son of Phillip Harris & Mary McARDELL
02 December 1847 – – – James, son of Robert & Christina HUBBARD
02 December 1847 – – – Elizabeth, daughter of Robert & Christina HUBBARD
02 December 1847 – – – Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Colin & Elizabeth McLAREN
05 December 1847 – – – Agnes, daughter of William & Elizabeth MEIN
05 December 1847 – – – Ellen, daughter of Cornelius & Agnes HAYES
06 December 1847 – – – David, son of Charles & Mary TILSON
06 December 1847 – – – Frederick, son of Charles & Mary TILSON
08 December 1847 – – – Michael, son of John & Mary WILSON
He married on 30 May 1849 at Jeyedyrick in the Maneroo District, N.S.W. to Emma Weston, eldest daughter of Edward G. Weston of Horsley, near Liverpool, N.S.W. A residence was built for them at Cooma and in 1859 Rev. Pryce was described as the Incumbent of Christ Church, Cooma, with the Maneroo District. He was later at Daylesford, Victoria; White Hills, Bendigo, Victoria, and Gegedzerik, New South Wales. He died on 18 June 1904 at his son’s residence, “Bellfield”, Rossmore, near Liverpool, New South Wales and was buried on the 20 June 1904 at Rossmore Cemetery, N.S.W.
Contributed by Alexander Romanov-Hughes (PPPG Member No. 52)