John George Blantyre (Gowland) Gowlland (1867 - 1908)
Dr. John George Blantyre
(Jack) Gowlland formerly Gowland
aka Nichols
Born 15
Jan 1867 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Ancestors
Son of John
W Gowland and Ann
(Blantyre) Nichols
Brother
of Miriam
Russell [half]
Husband
of Annetta Regina Lotinga
— married 1892 (to 1897) in Kensington, London, Registry Offce
Husband
of Lucy Alberta (Attenborough) Gowlland — married 12 Sep 1901 in St Patricks,
Melbourne, Australia
Father of
Reginald
Blantyre Gowlland and Doris
Alberta Gowlland
Died 18
Mar 1908 in St. George's Hospital, London, England
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Gowland-130
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Categories:
Boxing
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Jack (Gowland) Gowlland is a black
sheep because they were outcast, outlawed, or outlandish. |
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"Dr"
Jack Gowland was a confabulator and impostor; a hard
drinker, hard smoker, pugilist and wife beater. See also Dr Jack Gowlland
Writes Home
Dr Jack Gowlland's Famous Rant on Smoking
Born 15th January 1867 to Ann Blantyre.[1] Her name on the register entry
is Gowland but there is no evidence John W. Gowland married her and she was actually Mrs Nichols when
the baby was born. As a child John George was called John George Blantyre Gowland Nichols. [2]
At different times he added various embellishments to his name, hinting at
higher social status. He added an "l" making his name the same as a
prominent Sydney family's. On his marriage he gave his
middle name as "St George". Later in life he named himself
"Blantyre-Gowlland" with a hyphen.
Gowlland put it about in England that he was the son of
"a gentleman who played an active part in Parliamentary life in New South
Wales"[3] When he married Annetta Lotinga he said his father was a Railway Contractor. When
he married Lucy Attenborough he neglected to mention that his father had been
transported to the Colonies, saying he was "of Rawcliffe
Grange, York, England".
Jack's
friend W.F Corbett (Note 2.) called him "the little medic". He was
apparently lively, friendly and verbose. He must have had a good standard of
education: his letters are literate: he quotes Latin and makes references to
the classics.
According
to the "Hobart Mercury" Gowlland had for a
short time been a journalist with that newspaper "before he took up
medicine". That would be prior to his going to England in 1892. [4]
John was
an amateur boxing enthusiast, and was reputed to be a former amateur
lightweight champion of either New South Wales or of Australia - (once, of
England). Gowlland either perpetrated or failed to
contradict this characterisation of himself as a past champion. Despite dozens
of references to the accolade in newspapers of the time, the year he was
supposed to have won is never reported.
In
England, during the time he was supposed to be studying medicine, Gowlland was a member of the National Sporting Club, [5]
a prestigious London boxing establishment. He was listed on an NSC program as
former amateur lightweight champion of Australia.
In1897,
however, the truth emerged when newspaper reports of his divorce revealed him
as a poseur, calling him "Mr John Gowlland, who
has for some time posed in England as amateur champion boxer of
Australia." [6]
Although this information, along with his divorce, was published in several
Australian newspapers, the Australian boxing world was slow to catch up, still
crediting him with a championship in either England or Australia in news items
long after his death.
In boxing
circles John was known as "Jack" or "Doc". He was called on
to referee as far afield as Auckland, New Zealand.[7]
He was a walking encyclopaedia of things fistic
Member of the NSC quoted in London Mirror of Life 31 Aug 1907
The story
goes that Jack went to "the old country" to study medicine in 1892.
In the same year he married Annetta Lotinga/Lottinger. Annetta compained that, when he was not out late, he spent evenings
at home in London watching his dogs torment cats and mice he brought home for
that purpose, hardly the life of a medical student. On return to Australia he
claimed to have degrees in Medicine and Surgery from Edinburgh and Glasgow
Universities. Later he said he studied medicine at the St George's Hospital
Medical School. No evidence has come to light that he ever went to Scotland.
It's
notable that in the divorce court Gowlland was called
"Mr" not "Dr" and evidence was given that he had "at
one time studied medicine" not that he had graduated. After the
disgraceful divorce he promptly departed for Australia. By the time he arrived
in Australia he had acquired not only the title "Dr" but claimed to
have been the ship's surgeon on the voyage home!
In
interviews Gowlland claimed to have occupied lofty positions
such as "in charge of the Cloncurry
Hospital". In fact, after a brief stint in Townsville, his practice
amounted to a long series of locum positions, just a few weeks each, in remote
rural settlements like Burraga and Molong (1902), Cumnock (1903), Dungog,
then Gulgong (1905). When he
was offered a surgeon's position in Central Queensland at the Muttaburra Hospital, he was sacked from the position before
he'd even taken it up, for failing to reply to telegrams announcing his
appointment. [8]
Soon
after his arrival i England in 1892, Gowlland married Annetta Lotinga/Lottinger in London. He was 25. Gowlland
had told Annetta they would have an income of 500
pounds a year, (see Note 1) but she later reported that she relied on her
mother for her livelihood. They had one child, Reginald, in 1893 in London. Gowlland was sadistic and violent towards Annetta and her child. The marriage ended in 1897 when Annetta sued him for divorce on the grounds of cruelty. She
was granted custody of the child and Gowlland went
back to Australia.
In
Melbourne in 1901, Jack married Lucy Attenborough. He was 34. Their baby,
Doris, was born in 1902, in Sydney. The family moved to Auckland, New Zealand
in late 1905. Lucy had to hide from Jack when he was on an alcoholic bender,
and kept money from him so he wouldn't spend it on drink. [9]
John was
an inveterate smoker of cigarettes, which he predicted would cause his early
death. W. F. Corbett, editor of "Referee" quoted him on the subject
in an editorial. [10]
The story was reprinted dozens of times in Australian newspapers. See Dr Jack Gowlland's Famous Rant on Smoking
|
|
|
From
N.Z. "Star" 8 May 1909 |
Soon
after the Muttaburra Hospital fiasco, Jack, Lucy and
Doris moved to Auckland, New Zealand for Jack to take up a position as Medical
Officer to the "Friendly Society Dispensary"[11].
The appointment must have been shortlived because on
1st November 1905 the Auckland United and friendly Societies' Dispensary and
Medical Institute put a notice in the paper that "Dr. J.G. Blantyre Gowlland is no longer in the service of the
Institute."[12]
The reason for this abrupt termination becomes clear upon reading the several
newspaper reports of an incident of arson at the home of Dr and Mrs Jack Gowlland. See Dr Jack Gowlland,
Arsonist.
- ↑
Tasmanian State Archives
- ↑
John W. Gowland's
Will
- ↑
The Advertiser, 4 May 1908
- ↑
The Hobart Mercury: Obituary Mr John Gowlland,
14th May 1908
- ↑
"Referee" 23 Oct 1907
- ↑
The Advertiser, John Gowlland Divorce, 17 April
1897
- ↑
"Referee" boxing newspaper June 27 1906 Sydney, New South Wales,
Australia
- ↑
"Morning Bulletin" Rockhampton,
Queensland : under heading "Muttaburra"
18th April 1905
- ↑
Auckland Star 7 Nov 1905 "Fire Enquiry"
- ↑
Dr Jack Gowlland's Famous Rant on Smoking
- ↑
New Zealand Observer, 18 April 1908
- ↑
New Zealand herald, 1st November 1905, Advertisements Column 7.
- ↑
"Referee" (Sydney, NSW Australia ) Mar 21 1917
- Medical studies could easily
have absorbed most if not all of 500 pounds a year, leaving nothing much
to live on. It certainly would not have financed medical studies and
Gowlland's bon vivant lifestyle as a member of
the National Sporting Club.
- W.F. Corbett was a
contemporary of Gowlland's, a sportsman and a
leading figure in sports journalism in Australia. See [1]
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It may be possible to confirm family relationships
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Y-chromosome or his
mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA
or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or
maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA
test-takers will share DNA with Jack:
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Images: 18
John
Gowland Townsville Daily Bulletin
John
Gowland Burra Record, South
Australia
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