Alexander Schramm - The Gilbert family - Google Art Project

Joseph Gilbert (1800 – 23 December 1881) was a

pastoralist Pastoralist may refer to: * Pastoralism, raising livestock on natural pastures * Pastoral farming, settled farmers who grow crops to feed their livestock * People who keep or raise sheep, sheep farming Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the r ...

and

winemaker A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to det ...

in South Australia from 1839 until his death. Gilbert was born in Puckshipton,

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershir ...

, England, in the

Vale of Pewsey The Vale of Pewsey or Pewsey Vale is an area of Wiltshire, England to the east of Devizes and south of Marlborough, centred on the village of Pewsey. Geography The vale is an extent of lower lying ground separating the chalk downs of Salisbur ...

. The second of four sons, his father was Joseph Gilbert and his mother, Jane (née Pike). He studied at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

in Wiltshire and learnt about vine-growing and winemaking on the European mainland. He migrated to South Australia in 1839 on the ''Buckinghamshire'' and immediately erected his prefabricated two-roomed

Manning cottage A prefabricated building, informally a prefab, is a building that is manufactured and constructed using prefabrication. It consists of factory-made components or units that are transported and assembled on-site to form the complete building. Hist ...

on an Adelaide allotment. He acquired a property on the South Para River and stocked it with sheep purchased from

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sep ...

. He later moved his flock to a selection near Lyndoch, which he named "Pewsey Vale" and developed into an ideal country home. In 1847 he established Pewsey Vale winery in Eden Valley, the same year Jacob's Creek winery was established in the neighbouring

Barossa Valley The Barossa Valley (Barossa German: ''Barossa Tal'') is a valley in South Australia located northeast of Adelaide city centre. The valley is formed by the North Para River. It is notable as a major wine-producing region and tourist destinat ...

, with substantial cellars, and Pewsey Vale clarets, burgundies and

hocks Hock may refer to: Common meanings: * Hock (wine), a type of wine * Hock (anatomy), part of an animal's leg * To leave an item with a pawnbroker People: * Hock (surname) * Richard "Hock" Walsh (1948-1999), Canadian blues singer Other uses: * A ...

achieved considerable success. He married Anna Browne (1812–1873) in 1848. Her brothers Dr.

William James Browne William James Browne, (1815 – 4 December 1894), generally referred to as Dr. Browne, was a grazier and pastoralist in South Australia who was born and died in England. His brother, John Harris Browne, was a noted explorer and pastoralist in ...

(1815 – 4 December 1894) and Dr.

John Harris Browne John Harris Browne (22 April 1817 – 12 January 1904), generally referred to as J. Harris Browne, was an explorer in Australia and a pioneer pastoralist. Early years Browne was born in Ilford, Wiltshire, England, son of Benjamin Browne, lando ...

(1817–1904) made a wedding present of the property "Wongalere" near Williamstown. Joseph's brother William emigrated to South Australia and leased Wongalere for ten years, after which it was managed by Joseph's son, also called

William William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conq ...

. In 1872 he acquired leases 3-5 in the Northern Territory, just north of

Oodnadatta Oodnadatta is a small, remote outback town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia, located north-north-west of the state capital of Adelaide by road or direct, at an altitude of . The unsealed Oodnadatta Track, an outback roa ...

. His son

, in company with James Churchill-Smith and E. M. "Ted" Bagot (whose father E. M. "Ned" Bagot had acquired leases 1&2) drove 1,000 head of cattle from Adelaide to the MacDonnell Ranges. Gilbert was a member of the

South Australian Jockey Club South Australian Jockey Club is the principal race club in South Australia. First racing events The first horse racing events in South Australia took place at a well-attended picnic meeting held over 1 and 2 January 1838. In August 1838, ridin ...

and raced several good horses, notably Ace, Ace of Trumps (1874 Adelaide Cup winner), Skylark, Lapdog and Poodle. Joseph and Anna Gilbert and several of their descendants were buried at the Pewsey Vale Anglican Cemetery built on land excised from their property in 1861; around half the graves or memorials are for members of the Gilbert family.

Family

Joseph Gilbert married Anna Browne (26 April 1812 – 28 September 1873), sister of Dr. W. J. Browne, at "Wongalere" on 21 January 1848. They had three children: * William Gilbert (12 October 1850 – 29 March 1923) born at "Pewsey Vale", married Mary Young Clindening (26 January 1854 – 7 May 1939) on 22 July 1879; further developed the Pewsey Vale Estate. For details of their large family, see his article. *Jane Gilbert (14 August 1852 – 21 January 1936) married Edward Charles Stirling MB FRCS (8 September 1848 – 20 March 1919) on 27 June 1877. *Sarah Gilbert (24 June 1856 – 25 May 1936) married Colonel John Adam Dalrymple-Fergusson (7 May 1845 – 5 December 1920) on 31 July 1871 and retired to England. (Fergusson became Professor of Tactics, Military Law and Administration at

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry ...

, Berkshire).

Recognition

His name was given to the

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

suburb of

Gilberton, South Australia Gilberton (formerly Gilbert Town) is an inner northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia on the northern bank of the River Torrens. It is a short distance from Adelaide's city centre. It is bounded by the river, Park Terrace, Stephen Terrace a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Joseph 1800 births 1881 deaths Australian pastoralists Australian winemakers Settlers of South Australia People from Pewsey 19th-century Australian businesspeople