Edward Hamersley Senior

Edward Hamersley was born in 1810 in Kent, England. He earned a BA in 1833 from Cambridge University and then went to Paris to study theology. While there, he met Anne Louise Corneles, and they were married in approximately 1834 by the English Consul in Paris. They had two sons (Edward in 1834 and Charles in 1836) in France. They visited England in 1836. The marriage was not legal in England, so they were married again in 1836, at St Martin in the Fields and on the same day their two sons were baptised at the same church. They migrated to Australia in 1837, and two more sons were born (Hugh in 1840 and Samuel Richard in 1842). In 1843, the family went to France so that Edward could study grape vine growing. Two more children were born, while in France (Margaret Elvire in 1844 and Bevan in 1849). The family returned to Australia in 1850, and their last two children were born in Australia (George in 1853 and Flora Frances in 1862).

Edward was illegitimate, so his younger (legitimate) brother was the heir to most of their father’s estate; Edward’s inheritance was 500 pounds, and he brought this with him to the colony (Western Australia).

Edward had several properties in Perth including what became the Emu Brewery in Spring Street, a property at Point Belches in South Perth and two properties in Guildford. He had a home in the city called “The Bungalow” in Hay Street and the family also had land at North Beach which included the current Star Swamp and Mount Flora on which they built a holiday home “the Castle”. He had property which he co-owned in Toodyay, Northam, York and Beverley and he bred horses there. Other properties were held in the south and in Champion Bay (now the Greenough area), on which he bred horses and later beef.

Edward was on the Executive Council and a Member of the Legislative Council from 1857 until 1865. He was also a Founding Director on the committee and shareholder of the newly formed Western Australian Bank in 1857. He also did work in the community, serving on the Guildford Board of Education from 1861-1871, donated land and money to the Anglican church and donated toward a bridge. He financed and promoted FT Gregory’s exploration of the state’s northern areas, and the Hamersley Range was named for him.