Diocesan Archives

Dr Ernest Roberton

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NameErnest RobertonTime at School1903 - 1949PositionFounding member of the School CouncilHouseRobertonBiographical InformationDr Roberton served on the School Board (or School Council as it was first called) as a founding member from 1903 until 1949, and his length of service has seldom been bettered.

Ernest Roberton was the third of the nine children of John and Selina Roberton. He was born and grew up in Auckland at the family home in Symonds Street. His father, John was Scottish, the youngest of a large Lanarkshire family. As a young man, he emigrated to Sydney to join his older sister Bethia and her husband William Wright in their business there. Ernest’s mother, Selina (née Butterfield), was from a Hertfordshire family. The couple met and married in Sydney in 1858 but after a year or two they relocated to Auckland during the early 1860s to manage the expanding business interests that William Wright had developed there.

Ernest Roberton studied medicine in Edinburgh, graduating with an M.D. degree. He then practised as a family doctor in Remuera. He and his wife Annie had three sons and a daughter. After the death of his father in 1894, Ernest became the head of the large family. Family letters that have been kept are notable for the kindly advice, guidance, and assistance he provided to his much younger siblings and later to their families.

Ernest Roberton strongly believed that girls should receive just as good an education as boys. His daughter Isobel, as well as his three sons, all studied medicine and qualified as doctors. It was no doubt this belief in an excellent education that led to his becoming a Founder of Diocesan. His daughter and many of his nieces were pupils in the early decades of the school. One who particularly benefitted from his support was his niece, Elizabeth Roberton, who went on to have a long career in teaching herself, and was later Headmistress of Diocesan between 1966-1972.

Roberton House takes its name from the Roberton family. This family has been associated with the School since 1903, due to notable members such as Doctor Ernest Roberton and Miss Elizabeth Roberton.

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Founders of Diocesan High School for Girls

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Miss Elizabeth Roberton

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CollectionFoundersOrganisationROBERTONPersonMiss Elizabeth Roberton

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Dr Ernest Roberton