Alex Creyghton - Gawler Town Crier

First published on the ‘Gawler: Colonial Athens’ blog on 16/02/2021

 Alex Creyghton was employed by the Gawler South Council (previously District of Munno Para West Council), which covered the south side of the South Para River.
 Creyghton was a painter who worked from Union Street but also worked as a lamplighter, billposter (signage) and town crier.
He was a town crier in Gawler South from as early as 1888 up until he died in 1905.[1] He worked as Gawler’s principal Lamplighter from 1866 until 1897.

 

 Creyghton was employed in Gawler to light and extinguish the gas lamps around the town. He rode a bicycle with a ladder on his shoulder. Gawler Council refused to light the gas lamps for 6 nights before, and six nights after a full moon. It also demanded all lamps to be extinguished from 10:30 p.m. to save money.

From 1866 until 1897 Gawler’s lamplighter was Mr Creyghton. Creyghton was replaced in 1897 after a lamp exploded, and he could not explain to the council how it occurred.

 

The Bunyip published a short epitaph regarding Creyghton on 13 January 1905,

DEATH of Mr. Alex Creyghton

On Tuesday last Mr. Alex Creyghton, Gawler's well-known billposter and town crier, expired at his residence, Gawler South. The deceased arrived from Somerset in the Forfifeshire in I876 and settled at Gawler, where he followed the avocation of painter and signwriter until about eighteen years ago, when he entered into the bill-posting business. He attained the ripe age of 72 years.[2]

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2021

Picture: Alex Creyghton 1888 Advertising Bunyip 12 October p. 3.
[1] 'Advertising', Bunyip. (19 October 1888), p. 3.
[2] 'EDITOR'S NOTES.', Bunyip, (13 January 1905), p. 2.