William Giles (colonial manager)

William Giles, c. 1840

William Giles (27 December 1791 – 11 May 1862) was the third colonial manager of the South Australian Company, and a South Australian politician, who was prominent in the founding of the colony of South Australia.

Early life

Giles was born in Great Staughton, Huntingdonshire, England, and was educated at Kimbolton School.^[1]

Travel to South Australia

An apparently close friend of one of the founders of the South Australian Company, George Fife Angas, Giles travelled to South Australia on the ship Hartley in 1837 accompanied by his new (and pregnant) wife, Emily Elizabeth (née McGeorge) (died 5 August 1876 aged 62^[2]) and their 1 year old daughter Emily jnr.

The Hartley was a three-masted vessel measuring 27.13 x 7.19 x 5.61 metres built at Sunderland in England in 1836. Her owner and captain was Thomas Fewson.^[3] Emily gave birth to her second child, George Hartley Giles during the voyage. William's new family (Emily, Emily jnr and George) was also accompanied by William's nine children from his earlier marriage to Sarah (née Roper).^[4] On 16 October 1837 the Hartley arrived at Kingscote, Kangaroo Island where the Company's first settlement was founded.^[5] Once in South Australia, William and Emily had a further ten children.

Family life

William married twice: to Sarah Roper (died 1833) on 1 November 1813, and to Emily McGeorge (c.1814 – 5 August 1876) on 12 January 1835. In total he had 21 children and 78 grandchildren.^[1][4]

Children with Sarah Roper

• William Giles (ca.1814 – 14 January 1875)^[6] eldest son, married Margaret McFarlane (11 June 1821 – 22 October 1901), daughter of Allan McFarlane;^[7] home at Hackney then George Street, Norwood. 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 at Renner Springs five years later, following a murder to which he was a close witness.
• Henry Giles (1816 – 10 February 1888)^[8] second son, married Jane Leslie (1825 – 13 November 1892) in Scotland in 1845;^[9] home "Braemar", Stirling West. Co-founded stock and station firm Giles & Smith.^[10] Their eldest daughter, Amy, married George Fullerton Cleland in 1878.^[11]
• Mary Giles (ca.1818 – 19 September 1893)^[12] eldest daughter married Josiah Partridge (1805 – 27 November 1897)^[13] on 22 June 1840;^[14] home "Malvern", near Clarendon.
• Thomas "Tom" Giles (1820 – 12 February 1899),^[15] third son, pastoralist who developed leases on the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas.
• James Giles (ca.1821 – 20 December 1861)^[16] may have married a Miss Dean
• Jane Isabella "Minnie" Giles (1824 – ca.19 August 1894)^[17] married Alfred Watts (ca.1815 – 28 November 1884)^[18] on 18 May 1842^[19] Original owner of Leabrook.^[20]
• John Stokes Giles (1825–)^[4]
• Lydia Giles (1827 – 25 January 1910)^[21] married George Marsden Waterhouse (6 April 1824 – 6 August 1906) on 5 July 1848.^[22] Waterhouse was Premier of South Australia from 1861 to 1863 and Premier of New Zealand from 1872 to 1873.
• Samuel (1830– )^[4]
• Sarah (1833– )

Children with Emily McGeorge

• Emily Rebecca Giles (1836 – 24 January 1929)^[23] married Francis William Stokes (1832 – ca.1 August 1889)^[24] on 17 April 1861^[25] developed Konetta Station.
• George Hartley Giles (ca.1837 – ) was born on ship Hartley at sea;^[4] practised law, admitted to Supreme Court in 1862,^[26] but was struck off the rolls for misappropriation.^[27] 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.
• Edward Hollingworth Giles (1838 – 18 July 1839)
• Percy Ludlow Giles (1839 – 20 December 1840)
• Leonard Hollway Giles (18 May 1841 – 15 January 1898)^[28] tenth son, married Marianne Baily (13 February 1854 – 5 May 1901)^[29] on 12 September 1878^[30]
• Hubert Giles (21 October 1842 – 11 August 1901^[31]) Prizewinning student at Adelaide Educational Institution, married Charlotte Julian Kingston ( – ca.19 May 1913), youngest daughter of Sir George Strickland Kingston on 17 March 1880.
• Clement Giles (1844 – 28 July 1926),^[32] pastoralist, merchant and politician. Prizewinning student at Adelaide Educational Institution, 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.^[1] He was the twelfth of fifteen sons, and had six sisters.^[10] He married Isabel Cockburn (sister of Sir John Cockburn) on 7 August 1872^[33]
• Louis Henry Lobeck Giles (14 July 1845 – 21 November 1902) married Alice Margaret Andrews (9 February 1862 – ), second daughter of Rev. Canon Andrews on 26 November 1884. He was a prizewinning student at Adelaide Educational Institution then a licensed land broker at the Grange and Adelaide.^[34]
• Acland Giles (ca.January 1847–8 June 1858)^[35] He was a prizewinning student at Adelaide Educational Institution in 1856 and 1857, including one posthumously.
• Mortimer Giles (1848 – 17 May 1914)^[36] married Agnes Reid Andrews (ca.1849 – 18 July 1907), the daughter of Mr. Justice Andrews, on 16 May 1874.^[37] He was a prizewinning student at J. L. Young's Adelaide Educational Institution. In 1904 he was appointed Registrar-General of Deeds, Registrar of Building Societies, Commissioner of Trade Marks, and Registrar of Copyrights.^[38] A son, also named Mortimer Giles, was admitted to the Bar in 1912.^[39]
• Caroline Ada Giles (28 February 1850 – 21 May 1933)^[40] married Charles Edward Stokes (1851–1911) on 12 June 1877.^[41] She had some success as an artist.^[42]
• Florence Giles (13 January 1852 – 30 January 1930)^[43] married Rev. Francis Herbert Stokes (29 December 1854 – 21 February 1929)^[44] on 3 September 1879^[45] A son, also named Francis Herbert Stokes, was killed at Gallipoli in 1915.^[46]

Summary

Business life

Giles was appointed Stipendiary Magistrate by Governor Hindmarsh in 1838^[5] then appointed as the third colonial manager of the South Australian Company in January 1841, succeeding David McLaren.^[1] He continued as manager until 1861, when he retired.

Political life

Giles stood for the seat of Port Adelaide in the first elected parliament in July 1851, but was narrowly defeated by Captain George Hall.^[47] He was elected as member for the District of Yatala for five sessions of the South Australian Legislative Council, from July 1851 until 1854.^[48] As a legislator, he opposed state aid to religion, despite being a zealous Congregationalist^[49] and close friend of T. Q. Stow.^[5]

He died at his home in Beaumont on 11 May 1862.^[1]

References