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Joseph Gilbert (1800 – 23 December 1881) was a
pastoralist 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 deter ...
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, Gloucestershire ...
, 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 Salisbury ...
. 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 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 sepa ...
. He later moved his flock to a selection near
Lyndoch
Lyndoch is a town in Barossa Valley, located on the Barossa Valley Highway between Gawler and Tanunda, 58 km northeast of Adelaide. The town has an elevation of 175m and an average rainfall of 560.5mm. It is one of the oldest towns in Sou ...
, 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 destinati ...
, with substantial cellars, and Pewsey Vale clarets, burgundies and
hocks achieved considerable success.
[
He married Anna Browne (1812–1873) in 1848. Her brothers Dr. William James Browne (1815 – 4 December 1894) and Dr. John Harris Browne (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 male given name of Germanic 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 conquest of Engl ...
.
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 road ...
. His son William
William is a male given name of Germanic 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 conquest of Engl ...
, 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
The Adelaide Cup is a South Australian Jockey Club Group 2 Thoroughbred handicap horse race for three-year-olds and older, run over 3,200 metres at Morphettville Racecourse in Adelaide, Australia on the second Monday in March. Total prize mone ...
winner), Skylark, Lapdog and Poodle.
Joseph and Anna Gilbert and several of their descendants were buried at the Pewsey Vale
Pewsey Vale vineyard was founded in Eden Valley, South Australia during 1847 by Englishman, Joseph Gilbert. It is currently part of S.Smith and son. It was the first vineyard established in what is now the Eden Valley wine region 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
Sir Edward Charles Stirling (8 September 1848 – 20 March 1919) was an Australian anthropologist and the first professor of physiology at the University of Adelaide.
Early life
Stirling was born at "The Lodge" Strathalbyn, South Australia, t ...
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 a ...
, Berkshire).
Recognition
His name was given to the Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
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