Edward Hamersley (Snr)

Edward Hamersley, Sr.
Born	25 March 1810 Sandgate, Kent, England
Died	26 November 1874 Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Nationality	English
Education	Pembroke College, Cambridge
Occupation	Landowner Horsebreeder Politician
Spouse(s)	Anne Louise Cornelis
Children	Edward Hamersley (Jnr)
Relatives	Frances (Hamersley) Brockman (sister) William Locke Brockman (brother-in-law)

Edward Hamersley (25 March 1810 – 26 November 1874) was an early settler in colonial Western Australia. He became a successful and wealthy pastoralist, and a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council. The Hamersley family became one of the most prominent families in the colony.

Edward Hamersley was born in Sandgate, Kent on 25 March 1810. He was educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge, graduating BA in 1833. He then spent a number of years touring throughout Europe, during which time he married Anne Louise Cornelis in Paris. Their first son, Edward, was born in Paris in 1836.

Around 1836, he decided to emigrate to Western Australia, largely on the basis of optimistic letters received from his sister Frances, who had emigrated to Western Australia with her husband William Locke Brockman in 1830. He sailed with his wife and son, arriving at Fremantle in February 1837. Upon arriving in Western Australia, he found many of the original settlers to be financially struggling, and he was able to obtain a number of large grants of land extremely cheaply. He then leased the land out, ensuring himself an income and allowing him to live in relative comfort in Perth. Economic conditions improved in the late 1830s, and his large land holdings brought him substantial wealth. In 1839, he became a partner in a horse breeding business with Samuel Pole Phillips, who had recently arrived in the colony, and in 1841 he became a director of the Western Australian Bank. However, late in 1842, the bottom dropped out of the wool market, and many settlers were ruined. His own losses were minor, but the colony overall was struggling, and he preferred not to remain there. He appointed an agent to manage his affairs in the colony, and in January 1843, the Hamersley family set sail for France. They would live there for the next six years.

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