William Lane Milligan

For other people named William Milligan, see William Milligan (disambiguation).
William Lane Milligan
Born 1 February 1795
Cavan, Ireland
Died 2 September 1851
London, England
Nationality British
Occupation Military surgeon
Title Dr
Spouse(s) Elizabeth Sybil Lane
Children 3

William Lane Milligan (1795–1851) was a British military surgeon. He became an early resident of the Swan River Colony in Western Australia.

Early life

Milligan was born on 1 February 1795 in Cavan, Ireland.[1] He received a Licentiate of Midwifery and a Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Edinburgh.[2]

Career

He was a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London and served as a military surgeon.[1][2] He originally joined the 16th Regiment of the British Army, but he transferred to the 63rd Regiment on 8 February 1827.[2]

In 1830, he emigrated to Western Australia with his wife, child and a nephew[3][4] on James Stirling's expedition.[1] They arrived aboard Wanstead.[1][3][4] On the second day after their arrival, he helped Drummer Mitchell deliver the first white child born in the colony.[2] He opened the first hospital in the colony in June 1830[3][4] and served as its superintendent.[2]

He was the original owner of the land at the southern end of Milligan Street, Perth, which was named after him.[2][5] He moved to Fremantle in 1834, but was then transferred to India and left on Merope in April 1834.[1][3][4][6]

Milligan retired from the army in 1847 due to ill health, and lived in Nuneaton, England.[7]

Personal life

He married Elizabeth Sybil Lane in 1823.[1] They had four children: Anna, William, Harriet, Maria. The last three were born in the colony;[3][4] William lived only four days.[2]

Death

He died on 2 September 1851 in London, England.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "William Lane Milligan". Australian Medical Pioneers Index. 2012-05-02. Retrieved 2014-05-20.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Cygnet (1938-09-24). "Perth Names. 9: Milligan of Milligan-street.". The West Australian (Perth, WA). p. 5.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Pamela Statham (1979). Dictionary of Western Australians 1829–1914: Volume 1: Early Settlers 1829–1850. University of Western Australia Press. p. 232. ISBN 0-85564-159-2.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Rica Erickson (1988). The Bicentennial Dictionary of Western Australians pre-1829 – 1888: Volume III K-Q. University of Western Australia Press. p. 2167. ISBN 0-85564-278-5.
  5. ↑ "The Origin of Perth's Names: City Streets". Stephen Yarrow. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22.
  6. ↑ "Shipping Intelligence". The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal. 1834-04-26. p. 274. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  7. ↑ "WA Early History". Royal Perth Hospital Heritage Society. Retrieved 2014-05-25.