Mary Gilbert
Encyclopedia
Mary Gilbert was the first European woman to live in the Port Phillip
settlement of Melbourne
, Australia
. She was the daughter of one John Duff, and was married to James Gilbert, blacksmith. The Gilberts were pioneer settlers who disembarked on the banks of the Yarra River
and set up camp on 30 August 1835. The schooner Enterprize
, owned by John Pascoe Fawkner
, had brought them and other settlers from Launceston
, Tasmania, where she had married James at the age of eighteen.
The initial landing party included Captain John Lancey, master mariner, the landing party's leader and Fawkner's representative; George Evans, builder; carpenters William Jackson and Robert Hay Marr; ploughman Charles Wise; blacksmith James Gilbert and his pregnant wife, Mary; and Evan Evans, George Evans' servant.
On 29 December 1835 Mary gave birth to her son, James Melbourne Gilbert, the first European child born in the new district. She was given 500 acres (2 km²) of land and a town allotment.
A life-sized bust of Mary Gilbert can be found at the Conservatory, in the Fitzroy Gardens
.
On 30 April 1837, Mary gave birth to a second son, Charles Phillip Gilbert, also fathered by her husband, James. According to the Transcription of her death, two other sons were John and William.
Although James (possibly later known as John) Melbourne Gilbert was not known to have any offspring, his younger brother Charles was known to have fathered at least eight children to his wife Amelia in both Victoria and New South Wales.
She was accidentally burnt to death in a bush fire at South Talbingo, Tumut River, NSW, on the 20th of February 1878, and buried on the Cumberland Range on the 24th of February that year.
Port Phillip
Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...
settlement of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. She was the daughter of one John Duff, and was married to James Gilbert, blacksmith. The Gilberts were pioneer settlers who disembarked on the banks of the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
and set up camp on 30 August 1835. The schooner Enterprize
Enterprize (1829)
The topsail schooner, Enterprize, was built in Hobart, Tasmania in 1829 by William Pender. It was used for coastal transport of cargo such as coal, livestock, and supplies....
, owned by John Pascoe Fawkner
John Pascoe Fawkner
John Pascoe Fawkner was an early pioneer, businessman and politician of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. In 1835 he financed a party of free settlers from Van Diemen's Land , to sail to the mainland in his ship, Enterprize...
, had brought them and other settlers from Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
, Tasmania, where she had married James at the age of eighteen.
The initial landing party included Captain John Lancey, master mariner, the landing party's leader and Fawkner's representative; George Evans, builder; carpenters William Jackson and Robert Hay Marr; ploughman Charles Wise; blacksmith James Gilbert and his pregnant wife, Mary; and Evan Evans, George Evans' servant.
On 29 December 1835 Mary gave birth to her son, James Melbourne Gilbert, the first European child born in the new district. She was given 500 acres (2 km²) of land and a town allotment.
A life-sized bust of Mary Gilbert can be found at the Conservatory, in the Fitzroy Gardens
Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne
The Fitzroy Gardens are 26 hectares located on the southeastern edge of the Melbourne Central Business District in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
.
On 30 April 1837, Mary gave birth to a second son, Charles Phillip Gilbert, also fathered by her husband, James. According to the Transcription of her death, two other sons were John and William.
Although James (possibly later known as John) Melbourne Gilbert was not known to have any offspring, his younger brother Charles was known to have fathered at least eight children to his wife Amelia in both Victoria and New South Wales.
She was accidentally burnt to death in a bush fire at South Talbingo, Tumut River, NSW, on the 20th of February 1878, and buried on the Cumberland Range on the 24th of February that year.
See also
- History of MelbourneHistory of MelbourneThe history of Melbourne details the city's growth from a fledging settlement into a modern commercial and financial centre as Australia's second largest city.-Pre-European settlement:...
- Fitzroy Gardens - Statue of Mary Gilbert