A matter of life and death
William Cottier was born on the Isle of Man on May 9, 1840.
In 1852 aboard the barque Tancred he went with his parents to Australia where he spent the early part of his life on the goldfields.
Grasping the opportunity, he later ran a small trading vessel in and around Victoria where business was booming.
However, in 1863 he was drawn to New Zealand by the Dunstan Goldfields in Otago, seeing great promise there for business supplying the goldfield with machinery, and duly applied for a patent he designed for improvements in certain machinery being used there.
The venture seemed to stagnate for William, and it was not the opportunity he had hoped it would be.
During 1863 he went to Taranaki and was caught up in the Land Wars with the military settlers. He received 80 acres for his military service during the campaign.
On the corps disbanding he decided to settle in Taranaki and for several years conducted the canteens north and south of New Plymouth township.
In 1867 in New Plymouth, he married Mary Jane Grylls. Mary’s parents Richard and Mary Ann (nee Autridge) arrived on the Amelia Thompson in 1841.
William and Mary Jane had a large family of eight children who were known by all in musical circles as very talented performers.
He then ran the Taranaki Hotel until 1872 when he took over the Masonic Hotel, which he operated for 10 years. He then took over the Criterion Hotel, which he ran successfully for the next 15 years.
He then lived in retirement on Carrington Rd.
William always took a keen interest in all manner of things beneficial to the province. He was for many years a director of the New Plymouth Finance and Investment Society and was one of the promoters of the New Plymouth Gas Company.
An interesting life of a man who would have had many stories to tell.
William died suddenly in December 1905 aged 65. Both he and Mary Jane were buried in the Te Henui Cemetery.