Wallace Bickley

Wallace Bickley (1810-1876) was an early settler in the Swan Colony and became one of the leading merchants of Fremantle. He was also an agent for Lloyds of London, and a member of the WA Legislative Council from 1872 to his death. He is remembered in the name of Bickley Court, a tiny no-through road in Beaconsfield. His first wife (who died at 25) was Marianne Thomson, a daughter of Robert Thomson (of Rottnest fame).

Coralie Solomon:
Bickley had first arrived in the colony in 1830 but left five years later to work for the East India Company. He returned to the colony with his family in 1851. A merchant and businessman, he owned land at Geraldton and a property, Kenwick Park, at Cannington where horses were bred, mainly for India. Wallace Bickley had been one of the most insistent advocates for the urgent need to build a protected harbour at Fremantle; he even designed what he called a ‘Harbour Dock’ in 1868, but the scheme was opposed. Fremantle Studies, 3: 1-13.

His eldest daughter, Isa Izon (1834-1909) married William Owen Mitchell, son of Rev. William Mitchell. His first daughter by his second wife, Agnes Elizabeth (1846-1886), born in Calcutta, was the first wife of Elias Solomon.

Erickson:
BICKLEY, Samuel Wallace Alexander, b. 11.10.1810 (England), d. 30.6.1876 (Frem), son of Samuel. arr. 26.2.1830 per Protector (in partnership with Percy Earl), m. 1st 23.4.1833 Marianne THOMSON b. 6.12.1815 (England) d. 16. 6.1841 (India). dtr. of Robert. m. 2nd 12.2.1842 Elizabeth BURKE (nee Tynan) b. 9.3.1816 d. 15.1.1878 (Frem). Chd. lst wife, Isa Izon b. 1834 (W.A.) d. 1909. 2nd wife, Agnes Elizabeth b. 1846 (India) d. 1886, Ellen Mary b. 1847 (India) d. 1916 (Vic), Florence Augusta b. 1849 d. 1946, Edith Juliet b. 1851 (bp. RC W.A.), Blanche Frances b. 1853 (W. A.), Wallace 1zon b. 1854 d. 1854 (Kenwick), ?Samuel Wallace d. 1862. Landowner, Kenwick Pk. Canning district. Left for India & ?England 1835 & in 1837 to work for East India Co. Was a merchant at Frem. Involved in the horse trade with India making frequent voyages. Bt. Town Lots at Geraldton 1857-8 & had mining interests at Champion Bay in 1860s. Agent for Lloyds of London 1831. JP. 1867. Nom. MLC 1872. Chairman of Marine Survey Bd. Employed 29 T/L labourers at Canning on occasions 1852-1870.

References and Links

Many thanks to Robert Ward for an invaluable, comprehensive genealogy of the family of Wallace Bickley. Thanks also to Peter Mitchell, Thomson/Bickley descendant, for family information.

Solomon, Coralie 2004, 'Elias Solomon: first Federal Member of Parliament for Fremantle: life and letters 1839-1909', Fremantle Studies, 3: 1-13.

Freotopia

This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 10 May, 2016 and hosted at freotopia.org/people/bickley.html (it was last updated on 19 November, 2023), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.