Councillor William Murcott , J.P., who was the first Mayor of Hampden, Mayor again from 1895 to 1898, and a member of the Council from the inauguration of the borough till the end of 1898, is now (1904) again a member. He was born at Kenil worth, Warwickshire, England, in 1831. Mr. Murcott was educated, and brought up in his native place as a carpenter and joiner, came to Victoria in 1854, was goldmining for upwards of four years on the Heathcote and McIvor goldfields, and afterwards in business as a builder and contractor until he returned to England in 1860. He arrived in Dunedin on Boxing Day, 1860, by the “Stormbird,” from Melbourne, and in the following April, he settled in Hampden, and built the Hampden Hotel, which he conducted for fifteen years. On leaving the hotel, Mr. Murcott built his residence, “Aldergrove,” on his freehold section of forty-six acres, where he has since lived. He was a member of the firm of McKenzie, Paisley and Co., who constructed the Kartigi section of New Zealand railways, and when the contract was completed he settled down as a grazier, having acquired 1100 acres of freehold and 300 acres of leasehold to the west of Hampden. His property is named “Kenilworth.” Mr. Murcott is a sheep and cattle breeder and rears some very fine crossbreds from Lincoln and Leicester sheep. He has been a prominent member of all the public bodies in Hampden; is a member of the school committee, on which he has continuously held a seat since its formation, and was a member and chairman of the Moeraki Harbour Board, during the latter part of its history. He also acted on the Hampden and Chalgrore Road Hoards, and served six years as a member of the Waitaki County Council for Moeraki riding. In the early days, Mr. Murcott was a warden of Moeraki Hundred for several years. He has served for years on the local Athenaeum committee and holds office as president, and is also chairman of page 457 the cemetery trustees. Mr. Murcott has been associated with the volunteer movement since 1870, when he joined the Hampden Rifles as lieutenant and served fifteen years, holding rank as captain for the last ten years of that term. He is now on the unattached list as major. Mr. Murcott was married on the 28th of June, 1860, at Kenilworth, to a daughter of the late Mr. J. Wood, of that town, and has one son and one adopted daughter.