William Giles (27 December 1791 – 11 May 1862), occasionally referred to as William Giles, sen. to distinguish him from his eldest son, was the third colonial manager of the

South Australian Company The South Australian Company, also referred to as the South Australia Company, was formed in London on 9 October 1835, after the '' South Australia (Foundation) Act 1834'' had established the new British Province of South Australia, with the So ...

, and a South Australian politician, prominent in the founding of the state of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

Early life

Giles was born on 27 December 1791 in

Great Staughton Great Staughton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Great Staughton lies approximately south-west of Huntingdon. Great Staughton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as ...

Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England, which was historically a county in its own right. It borders Peterborough to the north, Fenland to the north-east, East Cambridgeshire to the e ...

, England, and was educated at

Kimbolton School Kimbolton School is a British HMC co-educational private day and boarding school in the village of Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, England. There are 1,000 students, aged 4 to 18. Boarding and flexi-boarding is available to a limited number o ...

in nearby Cambridgeshire.

Travel to South Australia

The new

British Province of South Australia British colonisation of South Australia describes the planning and establishment of the colony of South Australia by the British government, covering the period from 1829, when the idea was raised by the then-imprisoned Edward Gibbon Wakefield, ...

was established on 19 February 1836 when King William IV signed Letters Patent under the ''

South Australia Act 1834 The South Australia Act 1834 ( 4 & 5 Will. 4. c. 95), or Foundation Act 1834 and also known as the South Australian Colonization Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which provided for the settlement of a province or multipl ...

'', signalling the final action needed to establish the Province under United Kingdom law. Giles, a close friend of one of the founders of the

George Fife Angas George Fife Angas (1 May 1789 – 15 May 1879) was an English businessman and banker who, while residing in England, played a significant part in the formation and establishment of the British colonisation of South Australia, Province of South ...

, left England for South Australia on the ship ''Hartley'' sixteen months later, in June 1837. He was accompanied by his new (and pregnant) second wife, Emily Elizabeth (née McGeorge) (c. 1814 – 5 August 1876) and their 1-year-old daughter Emily jnr, together with all nine children from his earlier marriage to Sarah (née Roper). Emily gave birth to her second child, George Hartley Giles during the voyage. Passenger list of the ''Hartley'' – detail
SA Memory. The Giles' family are passengers 1 to 12, with the annotation "George Hartley Giles born at sea". The ''Hartley'' was a three-masted vessel measuring 27 x 7 x 5.6 metres built at

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

in England in 1836. Her owner and captain was Thomas Fewson.Passenger list of the ''Hartley''
SA Memory On 16 October 1837 the ''Hartley'' arrived at

Kingscote, Kangaroo Island Kingscote is a town in the Australian state of South Australia located on Kangaroo Island about south-west of the state capital of Adelaide. It is South Australia's oldest European settlement and the island's largest town. It is a well-establis ...

where the Company's first settlement was founded.Heaton, J. Henniker ''Australian Dictionary of Dates and Men of the Time'' George Robertson, Sydney 1879 Once in South Australia, William and Emily had a further ten children. By November 1837, the European population of the new province had reached approximately 2,500. The pre-settlement indigenous population of South Australia is estimated to have been approximately 15,000.

Business life

Shortly after arrival on

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island (, ) is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island, Northern Territory, Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest of Adelaide. Its closest point to the mainland is Snapper Poi ...

in 1837, Giles, T. H. Beare, and

Henry Mildred Henry Richard Mildred (9 March 1795 – 22 March 1877) was a politician in the early days of the Colony of South Australia. History Mildred was born in Portsea, Hampshire, England. Trained as a shipbuilder, he was contracted by the South Aus ...

imported a flock of

Merino The Merino is a list of sheep breeds, breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monop ...

ewes from

Van Diemens Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania during the European exploration and colonisation of Australia in the 19th century. The Aboriginal-inhabited island was first visited by the Dutch ship captained by Abel Tasm ...

, some of the first brought into the colony, though stock losses on the unusually long trip aboard the ''Cygnet'' were considerable. Giles was appointed Stipendiary Magistrate by

Governor Hindmarsh Rear-Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh KH (baptised 22 May 1785 – 29 July 1860) was a naval officer and the first Governor of South Australia, from 28 December 1836 to 16 July 1838. Family His grandfather William Hindmarsh was a gardener in Coni ...

in 1838 then appointed as the third colonial manager of the

in January 1841, succeeding David McLaren. He continued as manager until 1861, when he retired.

Political life

Giles stood for the

Electoral district of Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly. Named after Port Adelaide, which it surrounds, it is a 118.8 km2 suburban and industrial electorate on Adelaide's Lefevre Peninsula, and stretc ...

in the first elected parliament in July 1851, but was narrowly defeated by Captain George Hall. He was elected as member for the District of Yatala for five sessions of the

South Australian Legislative Council The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the South Australian House of Assembly, H ...

, from July 1851 until 1854. He was a devout Congregationalist. As a legislator he opposed state aid to religion, as did his close friend, Rev. T. Q. Stow. He died at his home in Beaumont on 11 May 1862.

Family life

William's second daughter, Jane Isabella, described the family's new life, using pseudonyms, in her book "Family Life in South Australia", published in 1890. A précis of Jane's book was compiled in 2015 including references to the actual family members.

Family

William married twice: :* to Sarah Roper (25 November 1791 - 6 October 1833) on 1 November 1813, and :* to Emily McGeorge (7 December 1813 – 5 August 1876) on 12 January 1835. In total his two wives had 21 children from 1814 to 1852, resulting in 78 grandchildren. ;Children with Sarah Roper 1. William Giles, (9 October 1814 – 14 January 1875) married Margaret McFarlane (11 June 1821 – 22 October 1901), daughter of

Allan McFarlane Allan McFarlane (10 April 1792 – 11 March 1864) was a Scottish pastoralist and parliamentarian in Electoral district of The Murray (South Australia), The Murray and then Electoral district of Mount Barker, Mount Barker districts of the Colony o ...

; home at Hackney then George Street, Norwood. He later had a business in Kanmantoo and was not involved in public affairs. Their son Alan McFarlane Giles ( – 24 November 1888), stationmaster at Tennant Creek, was the sole survivor of a relief party sent to Attack Creek in 1883, saved by an Aboriginal woman, and died of

brain fever Brain fever (or cerebral fever) is an outdated medical term that was used as a synonym for phrensy, beginning in early 19th century medical literature. Supposedly the brain becomes inflamed and causes a variety of symptoms, most notably mental co ...

at Renner Springs five years later, following a murder to which he was a close witness. 2. Henry Giles (10 June 1816 – 10 February 1888) married Jane Leslie (1825 – 13 November 1892) in Scotland in 1845; home "Braemar", Stirling West. Co-founded stock and station firm Giles & Smith. Their eldest daughter, Amy, married

George Fullerton Cleland George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Giorg ...

in 1878. 3. Mary Giles (4 August 1818 – 19 September 1893) married Josiah Partridge (1805 – 27 November 1897) on 22 June 1840; home "Malvern", near Clarendon. 4. Thomas "Tom" Giles (20 May 1820 – 12 February 1899) married Mary O'Halloran (died c. 1 October 1915) on 20 January 1859. He developed pastoral leases on the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas. :*Dr. W(illiam) Anstey Giles (c. 1860 – 7 May 1944) :*T. O'Halloran Giles (1863 – ) married Jean Balfour St. Clair Barr Smith (20 December 1864 – ) on 4 October 1888. She was a daughter of

Robert Barr Smith Robert Barr Smith (4 February 1824 – 20 November 1915) was an Australian businessman and philanthropist in Adelaide, South Australia. He was a partner in Elder Smith and Company from 1863 (now Elders Limited). Early life and education Smith w ...

. ::*Hew O'Halloran Giles ( – ) married Nellie Cosford Verco (1901–1965), eldest daughter of Dr. W. A. Verco, and great-granddaughter of James Crabb Verco, on 27 October 1920 :::*

Geoffrey O'Halloran Giles Geoffrey O'Halloran Giles (27 June 1923 – 18 December 1990) was an Australian politician. Giles was born in Adelaide, South Australia, a son of Hew O'Halloran Giles, and Nellie Cosford Giles (née Verco), eldest daughter of Dr. W. A. Verco. ...

MLC, MHR (27 June 1923 – 18 December 1990) ::*Robert O'Halloran Giles (c. 1896 – 9 April 1918) was killed in action in Italy. :*Dr. Henry O'Halloran Giles (c. 1867 – 9 March 1911) :*Eustace Giles (1866 – 24 December 1927), solicitor of Yarra House, Anderson-street, South Yarra, Victoria, died in London 5. James Giles (25 February 1821 – 20 December 1861) married Eliza Dean (c. 1823 – 5 April 1882) in 1848 6. Jane Isabella "Minnie" Giles (10 January 1824 – c. 19 August 1894) married Alfred Watts (c. 1815 – 28 November 1884) on 18 May 1842 They were the original owners of

Leabrook Leabrook is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Burnside. It is a primarily residential suburb in eastern Adelaide, and was the site of Coopers Brewery, until its relocation to Regency Park, South Australia. Most of the suburb ...

. Watts was a fellow passenger on the ''Hartley'' with Giles and his family, as was Rev. T. Q. Stow, who performed the service. B-5190

7. John Stokes Giles (6 October 1825 – 20 April 1826) 8. Lydia Giles (30 July 1827 – 25 January 1910) married George Waterhouse (6 April 1824 – 6 August 1906) on 5 July 1848. Waterhouse was Premier of South Australia from 1861 to 1863 and Premier of New Zealand from 1872 to 1873. :*One of their two adopted daughters married

William Fitzherbert William Fitzherbert may refer to: * Saint William of York, Archbishop of York *William Fitzherbert (New Zealand politician) (1810–1891), New Zealand politician * Sir William FitzHerbert, 1st Baronet (1748–1791), of Derbyshire * William FitzHe ...

(1842 – 2 February 1906) in 1876 9. Samuel (25 June 1830 – 18 February 1839) ;Children with Emily McGeorge 10. Emily Rebecca Giles (18 November 1835 – 24 January 1929) married

Francis William Stokes Francis William Stokes (c. 1832 – 2 August 1889) was a pastoralist and politician in the colony of South Australia. Stokes was a son of the Rev. John Stokes, Vicar of Cobham and Rector of Milton, Kent, and emigrated to South Australia on the ...

(1832 – 2 August 1889) on 17 April 1861 developed Konetta (Coonatto ?) Station. 11. George Hartley Giles (2 August 1837 – 14 December 1876) was born on ship ''Hartley'' at sea; practised law, admitted to Supreme Court in 1862, but was struck off the rolls for misappropriation. He moved to Queensland, where he ran foul of the law several times. Later references are elusive – perhaps like Charles Whitmore Babbage, the family used its considerable influence to help him start over in another place, perhaps under another name. 12. Edward Hollingworth Giles (7 November 1838 – 18 July 1839) 13. Percy Ludlow Giles (27 November 1839 – 20 December 1840) 14. Leonard Hollway Giles (18 May 1841 – 15 January 1898) married Marianne Baily (13 February 1854 – 5 May 1901) on 12 September 1878 15. Hubert Giles (21 October 1842 – 11 August 1901)), prizewinning student at Adelaide Educational Institution, married Charlotte Julian Kingston (11 September 1845 – 20 May 1913), youngest daughter of Sir

George Strickland Kingston Sir George Strickland Kingston (23 August 1807 – 26 November 1880) was the Deputy Surveyor to William Light, engaged to survey the new colony of South Australia. He arrived in South Australia on the in 1836. Kingston was also the first Spea ...

on 17 March 1880. 16. Clement Giles (21 February 1844 – 28 July 1926), pastoralist, merchant and politician. A prizewinning student at

Adelaide Educational Institution Adelaide Educational Institution was a privately run non-sectarian academy for boys in Adelaide founded in 1852 by John Lorenzo Young.B. K. Hyams'Young, John Lorenzo (1826–1881)' ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 6, Melbourne Uni ...

, he became Secretary-manager and first London representative of the South Australian Farmers' Co-operative Union, and later, sole elected representative of Australian farmers on the compulsory wheat pool of 1917. He married Isabel Cockburn (sister of Sir John Cockburn) on 7 August 1872 17. Louis Henry Lobeck Giles (14 July 1845 – 21 November 1902) married Alice Margaret "Alison" Andrews (9 February 1862 – ), second daughter of Rev. Canon Andrews, on 26 November 1884. He was a prizewinning student at

then a licensed land broker at the

Grange Grange may refer to: Buildings * Grange House, Scotland, built in 1564, and demolished in 1906 * Grange Estate, Pennsylvania, built in 1682 * The Grange (Toronto), Toronto, Ontario, built in 1817 * Monastic grange, a farming estate belonging to ...

and Adelaide. 18. Acland Giles (19 December 1846 – 8 June 1858) A student at Adelaide Educational Institution, he won prizes in 1856 and 1857, the second posthumously. 19. Mortimer Giles (12 August 1848 – 17 May 1914) married Agnes Reid Andrews (c. 1849 – 18 July 1907), the daughter of Mr. Justice Andrews, on 16 May 1874. He was a prizewinning student at J. L. Young's

. In 1904 he was appointed Registrar-General of Deeds, Registrar of Building Societies, Commissioner of Trade Marks, and Registrar of Copyrights. :*Mortimer Giles (1887–1979) was admitted to the Bar in 1912. 20. Caroline Ada Giles (28 February 1850 – 21 May 1933) married Charles Edward Stokes (1851–1911) on 12 June 1877. She had some success as an artist. 21. Florence Giles (13 January 1852 – 30 January 1930) married Rev. Francis Herbert Stokes (29 December 1854 – 21 February 1929) on 3 September 1879 :*Francis Herbert Stokes, jr. (c. 1890 – 27 April 1915) was killed at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

in 1915. ;Summary

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giles, William 1791 births 1862 deaths People from Great Staughton Settlers of South Australia Members of the South Australian Legislative Council People educated at Kimbolton School South Australian Company colonial managers 19th-century Australian businesspeople 19th-century Australian politicians South Australian families 19th-century English businesspeople