Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds wants to bust the myths around William Crowther

Since the vote to remove the statue of William Crowther, discussion about the disgraced former Premier has been a hot topic, and Hobart’s mayor says it’s led to myths being circulated.

The William Crowther statue in Franklin Square Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds says there are several myths which have been circulated after the Hobart City Council voted to remove the statue of disgraced former Premier William Crowther, ones she hopes to address.

The Hobart City Council voted in August last year to remove the statue of the colonial figure because of his misdeeds.

Crowther is known for decapitating the corpse of Tasmanian Aboriginal man William Lanne, stealing his skull and sending it to the Royal College of Surgeons in London.

The William Crowther statue in Franklin Square Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

Nearly a year on from the decision, the statue stills stands. It’s due to be considered once again by the Hobart City Council, after which it will need approval from the Tasmanian Heritage Council.

Since the historic vote to remove the statue, debate has continued on whether it should be removed, with statue supporters making a last ditch bid to keep it standing, by launching a petition.

Ms Reynolds said one of the biggest myths being perpetuated was the idea Crowther did not take Mr Lanne’s skull.

“In his letters to Sir William Flower between 1864 and 1869, William Crowther writes about ‘obtaining a skeleton of one of the aboriginal human inhabitants’ which Flower was seeking,” Ms Reynolds said.

“In his March 1869 letter, Crowther identifies the seaman who died of cholera and how he was competing for the remains with others in the Hobart medical profession. He laments how he, ‘with considerable difficulty obtained the head’.

Hobart Lord mayor Anna Reynolds at the street dining trial at Simple, Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

“There are numerous other references to the Lanne skull in letters published in volumes 1 and 2 Letterbooks of the Royal College of Surgeons, researched by Cassandra Pybus for an upcoming book.”

Hobart City councillor Louise Elliot has been making the case Crowther did not take the skull, this year putting two separate motions before council that an alternative version of events be considered.

Louise Elliot has been advocating the William Crowthers statue remain right where it is. Picture: Kenji Sato

Ms Reynolds said it was also a myth that the removal of body parts advanced modern medicine.

“Phrenology was a pseudoscience popular in the 19th century that claimed to be able to determine a person’s character and intelligence based on the shape and size of their skull,” Ms Reynolds said.

“This field of racial science was used to support discriminatory practices during colonial times and divided human beings into races, of which the ‘caucasian’ was the highest and the ‘primitives’ were doomed to extinction.

“Colonial phrenology was not used for medical advancement but rather to support a fad that was misused to justify discrimination, violence, and persecution.”

The last myth Ms Reynolds hoped to dispel was the argument the council was trying to change history.

“Statues erected during the colonial era often glorify individuals who played significant roles in oppression, racism, and injustice,” she said.

“Deciding to relocate this statue doesn’t change history – the records, books, articles, dates and stories associated with the statue will all remain unchanged.

“The statue itself will be cared for, conserved and potentially reinterpreted in a new location.”