The Record (Melbourne)

William Marshall

The Record building (1883)

The Record was founded by theatrical printer William Marshall (c. 1845 – 12 June 1900), at Emerald Hill, Victoria after the demise of four other South Melbourne newspapers, Mason & Hill's Emerald Hill Weekly, which first appeared on 28 April 1856, which lasted a year, and its successor R. Mills's Emerald Hill and Sandridge Post, edited by David Blair, and its bitter rival, Morris & Rees's South Melbourne Standard, of which Rev. W. Potter became editor, then shortly became defunct and was followed by Ferguson and Moore's Courier, edited by James Ward, which also proved unprofitable.[1]

It was at first named the Emerald Hill and Sandridge Record, then in 1880 Marshall purchased the Melbourne firm of Charlwood & Son, and sold the business to a local consortium, who appointed the aforesaid Rev. W. Potter FRGS as manager.[1] Around 1880 a handsome building, architect Sydney Smith, was erected for the business, and in 1882 Rev. Potter purchased the business.[1] In 1893 he became insolvent after disposing of his assets through a complex "round robin" of children and his future wife.[2] He died a year later in a buggy accident[3].

In 1881 it was published on Saturdays at the office of "The Record" Newspaper Company, 28 Dorcas Street East, Emerald Hill, and consisted of four pages, price 1d. (one penny).

In 1954 it was published on Saturdays at the office of C. J. Meehan, of Wynward Street, South Melbourne, and consisted of eight pages, price 3d. (three pence).

The National Library of Australia has digitized photographic copies of most issues from No.656 of 1 April 1881 to Vol. LXXXV No.50 of 22 December 1954, and may be examined via Trove.