Royce—Horsley,—On 28th April, at Burwell, Neil street, by the father of the bridegroom, assisted by Rev. Wm. Williams, Arthur, second son of the Rev.J. S. H. Royce, of Sale, to Alice, second daughter of Wm. Horsley, Ballarat.(P.2, The Ballarat Star, 22-5-1886.)

ROYCE.-On the 10th inst., accidentally drowned at Cape Schanck Thomas William Arthur, son of
Rev J.S.H.Royce, of Geelong, aged 30 years. (P.1, Argus, 21-1-1893.)

Poor pregnant Alice was hoping for a miracle!
ROYCE. —On the 10th inst., accidentally drowned at Cape Schanck, Thomas William Arthur, the beloved husband of Alice V. Royce, Geelong Ladies' College, aged 30. (P.1, Argus, 24-1-1893.)

ROYCE. —On the 8th inst., at 205 Yarra street, the wife of the late T. W. A. Royce—a son.
(P.1, Argus, 14-8-1893.)

itellya NEVER GIVES UP. My Brady (FACEBOOK) post on PIONEERS OF THE MORNINGTON PENINSULA resulted from chance discoveries made while I was looking for an article that changed my mind about how the families of William John Brady and Rose Roberts became acquainted. I'd originally assumed that the two families met because the Brady family's Mount Evergreen (Melway 254 D1) was near the Roberts' grant (Crown allotment 1C, section A, Parish of Flinders, granted to C.Roberts on 21-7-1890) at 255 B1. However John and Hannah Roberts had spent much time at Geelong and since F. Brady (now obviously Frederick George Holland Brady, born in 1866, aged about 26 at about the time of the following tragedy and later a Presbyterian minister and missionary) was teaching at Geelong, it became most likely that the two families became acquainted in Geelong.
It took me about three years to find the proof that Dromana's much-loved medico, Watson Eaton, had never received any medical training and I still haven't found his testimony that he'd never attended University. It looked as if I'd never find the article about the tragedy near Cape Schanck which revealed that young Brady was a teacher at Geelong. Constant changes of search terms on trove (e.g. BRADY TEACHER GEELONG; BRADY ROSEBUD; HEADMASTER DROWNED) brought no results until I tried BRADY MOUNT EVERGREEN.

SAD DEATH BY DROWNING.
A BATHING FATALITY.
Yesterday morning the news of the death by drowning of Mr Thos. W.A.Royce, principal of the Geelong Ladies' College in Ryrie-street east, caused a general expression of deep regret. The lamentable occurrence was known to several gentlemen in Geelong late on Thursday night, but the sad intelligence was not communicated to the relatives until yesterday morning.

The first intimation of the unfortunate affair was communicated from Cape Schanck lighthouse, situated about 20 miles to the eastward of Port Phillip Heads, when it was reported by telegraph that a man was seen drifting out to sea, and the alarm bell at Queenscliff was tolled to attract the attention of the life-boat crew.
The facts connected with the sad event were elicited from Mr F. Brady, one of the masters engaged at the Junior Grammar School, who returned last evening from the scene of the accident. The late Mr Royce, about ten days since, went with Mr Brady to his father's farm at Mount Evergreen, situated between Dromana and Mount Schanck, about 10 miles from the coast, to pass a portion of the school holidays.

He spent a very pleasant time in the locality, and intended returning to Geelong on Wednesday last, but there not being any steamer crossing from Dromana on that day a party was made up for an outing to the coast on Thursday. About noon on the last named day a brother of Mr Brady (either William John, born 1862 or Obadiah Whitfield, born 1864, there being no other brothers), a friend named Ruddock (Rudduck), Mr Royce, and a fourth gentleman whose name has not transpired, went into the sea to have a bath at a site three miles on the Point Nepean side of Cape Schanck.

The place selected for the swim was a deep crescent shaped inlet in the rocks, beyond which was a ledge of rocks lashed by the waves, the intervening space forming a deep channel through which there was an exceptionally strong current. The four swimmers, with the view of reaching the outer rocks, ventured to cross the channel, but soon found that the current was too strong for them and all but Mr Royce were able to regain the still water in the rocky crescent. Poor Mr Royce, as he was swept down the channel, vainly cried for assistance, and his companions made an effort to rescue him but were driven back again owing to the force of the current, one of them narrowly escaping the fate of the rapidly disappearing schoolmaster.

For several minutes Mr Royce was observed struggling on the tops of the waves, and finally he was lost to view. A close search was made along the coast for the unfortunate swimmer, and his friends had to reluctantly conclude that he had been drowned, and whilst two members of the party gave information of the affair to the lighthouse keeper at Cape Schank; young Brady rode off towards Mount Evergreen, and meeting his brother, Mr F. Brady, made him acquainted with the accident.

Parties were at once formed for searching the coast line in the hope that Mr Joyce might have been washed ashore, but up to last night no tidings of the missing swimmer had been received, and our Queenscliff correspondent wired-" There is nothing known here about the man drowned near Cape Schanck on Thursday. It is impossible for the body to be found at Queenscliff, owing to the prevailing winds, which are westerly."

The late Mr Royce, who was 30 years of age, was married to Miss Horsley, of Ballarat, who has been left with five children, the youngest being a baby in arms. The deceased gentleman was the second eldest son of the Rev. J. S. H.Royce, of Yarra-street south, a superannuated clergyman of the Wesleyan denomination. He was a student of Wesley College, Melbourne, and afterwards completed his education at the Melbourne University. For a considerable period he was one of the masters of the Geelong Scotch College,and after leaving that scholastic institution he became one of the masters in the Ballarat Ladies' College, under Mr Buley?, the principal of that college.

When Mr M'Burney? was retiring some years since from the Geelong Ladies' College, in Gheringhap-street, the institution was taken in hand by the late Mr Royce, and the school was subsequently removed to premises in Myers-street, vacated by Mr W. F. Ducker, and a few months since the college was removed to a handsome villa at the corner of Ryrie and Swanston streets. The late Mr Royce was one of the trustees of the Yarra-street Wesleyan church, and was a firm adherent of the Wesleyan denomination and frequently officiated as a local preacher.He took a great interest in all educational matters, and acted as secretary of the University Extension lectures, and he has filled the position of a member of the Geelong Free Library.
(P.3, Geelong Advertiser, 21-1-1893.)

As my correction of digitisation in the article missed a few mistakes and you can bet that funny things will happen to apostrophes etc when I submit, Royce researchers should send me a F.T.C. private message asking me to email the proper correction of text to you.