Henry Lempriere Pringle was a singer, like his father who was a man of some reputation. Young Harry was born down in Hobart and found some measure of fame before he died far too young in London where was had been making his mark. So many Australians sailed to England but most found that what is lauded as operatic talent at home, is merely entry level capability in London, the major English speaking world's Operatic centre.
I'll not go into his career there though as there is a fascinating little story about his father, Charles Lempriere Pringle, known on the stage as "Charles. H. Templeton" who, took flight to the limelight, abandoning the security of being a banking clerk in Hobart, for Opera. Charles himself was the son of James Jones Pringle and Mary Earle Lempriere (from a settler family who had their origins in Guernsey)
Unhappily, his wife and children were dragged into this change of career.
His wife, Margaret Birkmyre had married him in July of 1867. She was named in the newspapers as the daughter of Mrs. Gifford (Sarah Ann Hunt 1840-1887) although not, I think, her natural daughter; perhaps she may have been from a prior marriage, or even perhaps the daughter of a sibling or relation. I simply cannot find anything about her parentage although her death entry lists her parents as James and Elizabeth, which makes things more confusing. We know that the law notices refers to her as Miss Gifford, although she lists her surname on her marriage entry as Birkmyre. The reason she enjoyed such notice was her being the recipient of the funds via a will. Sarah Ann Hunt, prior to marrying Enos Gifford had been involved in it. I still have not sketched out the details but there it is; a classic Victorian will and testament case.
Margaret, now Mrs. Pringle, had to contend with stage life, and eventually filed suit for divorce. It seems Charles had been fooling around with Eleanor Agnes Lambert (died 1901, NSW). The divorce was in the papers and no doubt was uncomfortable for all. Charles married E.A.Lambert, a fellow singer in 1883. Margaret married a fellow clerk of Charles' down in Hobart, Charles James Barclay; he was now a manager.
Margaret took her three sons with her; Charles Lempriere Pringle II, Henry Lempriere Pringle, and E.Neville Pringle. Charles, her philandering ex-husband committed suicide by slashing his throat with a razor in 1889 in Fitzroy, Melbourne. By that time, "Nellie" as E.A.Lambert was known had one daughter by him, Ethel (a pianist of some popularity in the North going by the name Ethel Templeton). Nellie eventually married James Travers Falconer (1860-1938) and remained married until she died in 1901.
Nellie is well know in Opera history by those who dig regularly in that soil; she was the Hoxton born daughter of William Valentine Lambert and wife, Ann Bowery who migrated to the colonies in 1857. William was a compositor by trade and the print industry was hungry for such people. The Lamberts were watch makers, case makers, watch tool sellers and so forth. Nellie, who had been born in about 1859 was the middle sibling of five, and made her way onto the concert platform here in Melbourne first by amateur concerts, then by that slow drift into professional concerts in a colony that was starved for voices of any quality.
This was the storm above the head of young "Lempriere Pringle" the great Australian hope who died well before his time, in London, in 1914.
This photo of Lempriere is from Melbourne Punch's issue of April 18, 1901 page 26
