Charles William Hardess (1858-1949) was the son of George Mathew Hardess (1827-1909) and Mary Ann McCarthy (1834-1889). He began his career at the Ferguson and Urie stained glass company as an apprentice stained glass artist circa 1873 at the age of fourteen. As part of his apprenticeship, he attended the Hotham School of Art which was formed in 1873 by prominent members of the Ferguson & Urie company. His father, George, was an Honorary Superintendent of the school in 1877 as well as a reader of the Legislative Assembly.

C. W. Hardess married Janet ‘Jessie’ Gilchrist Pie on the 28th of October 1886 and they had three known children. William, Hilda, and Elsie.

After the Ferguson & Urie company closed in 1899, the stained glass firm of E. L. Yencken purchased the vast majority of  the equipment and stock in trade from their Franklin Street warehouse. My fair assumption at this point in time is that C. W. Hardess was enticed to join the Yencken firm as their stained glass artist. On Good Friday in 1900 a stained glass window was unveiled in the Buninyong Presbyterian Church to the memory of the Rev Thomas Hastie and notes of this event recorded in the  Buninyong Historical Society’s June 2014 newsletter wrote that the window was made by ‘Zenken & Co Melb’ and the artist was a ‘Mr. Hardness’. That clue was too coincidental to ignore and so I’m absolutely sure that this was supposed to refer to the company as
‘E. L. Yencken & Co, Melb’ and the artist was none other than ‘Charles William Hardess)’. 

In later years Hardess teamed up with another former employee of Ferguson & Urie named Frank Clifford Lording, and they became a partnership as ‘Hardess & Lording’. They are known to have done the lead-lighting for the homestead ‘Warra’ in Wangaratta (sometime after 1908). C. W. Hardess was buried in the Burwood cemetery 1^st March 1949.[1]

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic Saturday 13th November 1886, page 1.

“HARDESS-PIE.- On the 28th ult., at the residence of the bride’s parents, Ravenscraig, Flemington-road, Hotham, by the Rev. R. Short, Charles W., second son of George K, Hardess, Royal-park, to Jessie G., eldest daughter of Captain W. Pie, Hotham.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Saturday 5^th March 1949, page 15.

“HARDESS.- On February 28 at the residence of his daughter, 8 Martin Crescent, Glen Iris, Charles William, loved husband of the late Jessie G., and loving father of William G., Hilda (Mrs. Ellis), and the late Elsie Vera (Mrs. Clark), aged 90 years”.

Charles William Hardess. Photo was taken for the June 1887 North Melbourne company dinner