Border Watch (Mount Gambier, SA : 1861 - 1954), Tuesday 25 February 1947, page 3


Spelling Of The Name

Mount Schank

There has been considerable controversy Regarding the correct spelling of Mount Schank. The following extract is taken from, the "Early History of the South East of South Australia" by H. C. Talbot, member of the S.A. Nomenclature Committee:-

"Ida Lee in her interesting book "The Log-books of the Lady Nel-son," maintains the spelling should be Schanck and in her pre-

face states that she has been at

considerable care to correct im-

proper spelling.

Mr. Thomas Gile, C.M.G., I.S.O., wrote to the Mitchell Library, Sydney, regarding the correct spelling and the information sup-plied left it an open question. A

manuscript letter, Grant to Banks,

gives it as Schank.

But it remained for a descend-ant of Admiral Schank to settle definitely the correct way the

name should be spelt. )

This descendant wrote to Mr. W. J. T. Clarke of Mount Schank

in 1916 as follows:-

"Conversative Club, St. James- Street, London.-If the Govern-ment of South Australia will kind-ly refer to Burke's Landed Gentry,

they will see the Schank pedigree

in full, including, the descent of

the Admiral after whom Mount

Schank was named. The spelling

Schanck is wrong. We are an an-cient British family from King-horn, Fifeshire, where Castlerig is situated. Tradition says that we acquired Castlerig in 1319. One

ancestor represented Kinghorn in

the Scotch Parliament in 1642. We still possess the lands of Castlerig. My eldest sister is the present owner. Our name is not

a German or Dutch name. The sch is the old form of spelling (see the works of Chaucer the poet). She used to be spelt sche."