Edward Hargraves
Encyclopedia
Edward Hammond Hargraves (5 October 1816 – 29 October 1891) was a gold
prospector who claimed to have found gold in Australia
in 1851, starting the Australian gold rush.
Hargraves was born at Gosport
, Hampshire
, England
, third son of Lieutenant John Edward Hargraves and his wife Elizabeth. He was educated at Brighton
Grammar School in England and Lewes
. He travelled to California
during the California Gold Rush
but his prospecting in California was not successful. On 12 February 1851, he announced the find of gold at a meeting in Bathurst, going against a prior agreement with the two other men.
Hargraves was awarded by the New South Wales Government
for his find, he was paid £
10 000 and was appointed Commissioner for Crown Land, the Victorian Government
paid him £5 000. He only claimed £2 381 before the funds were frozen after James Tom protested. An enquiry was held in 1853 which upheld that Hargraves was the first to discover a goldfield.
In 1856 Hargraves purchased a 640 acres (2.6 km²) landing at Budgewoi
on the Central Coast of New South Wales. He went on to build "Norahville" at Noraville
. Wollombi Aboriginal Tribe members are known to have worked on the property. Some sources state that Hargraves had "be-friended" the Aboriginal tribe members. In 1877 Hargraves was granted a pension
of £250 per year by the Government of New South Wales, which he received until his death. Shortly before his death in Sydney
in 1891 a second enquiry found that John Lister and James Tom had discovered the first goldfield.
Hargraves wrote a book about his discovery titled Australia and its goldfields: a historical sketch of the Australian colonies from the earliest times to the present day with a particular account of the recent gold discoveries., published in 1855.
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
prospector who claimed to have found gold in 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...
in 1851, starting the Australian gold rush.
Hargraves was born at Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, third son of Lieutenant John Edward Hargraves and his wife Elizabeth. He was educated at Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
Grammar School in England and Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
. He travelled to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
during the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
but his prospecting in California was not successful. On 12 February 1851, he announced the find of gold at a meeting in Bathurst, going against a prior agreement with the two other men.
Hargraves was awarded by the New South Wales Government
Government of New South Wales
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
for his find, he was paid £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
10 000 and was appointed Commissioner for Crown Land, the Victorian Government
Government of Victoria
The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...
paid him £5 000. He only claimed £2 381 before the funds were frozen after James Tom protested. An enquiry was held in 1853 which upheld that Hargraves was the first to discover a goldfield.
In 1856 Hargraves purchased a 640 acres (2.6 km²) landing at Budgewoi
Budgewoi, New South Wales
Budgewoi is a suburb located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, as part of the Wyong Shire local government area. Budgewoi itself is located more than 100 km north of the Sydney central business district....
on the Central Coast of New South Wales. He went on to build "Norahville" at Noraville
Noraville, New South Wales
Noraville is a suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Wyong Shire local government area. Originally it was the site of Edward Hargraves' property that he purchased after his discovery of payable gold, but it has since developed into a suburb of the Wyong...
. Wollombi Aboriginal Tribe members are known to have worked on the property. Some sources state that Hargraves had "be-friended" the Aboriginal tribe members. In 1877 Hargraves was granted a pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
of £250 per year by the Government of New South Wales, which he received until his death. Shortly before his death in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1891 a second enquiry found that John Lister and James Tom had discovered the first goldfield.
Hargraves wrote a book about his discovery titled Australia and its goldfields: a historical sketch of the Australian colonies from the earliest times to the present day with a particular account of the recent gold discoveries., published in 1855.