Person
Hardman, Edward Townley (1845 - 1887)
FCS FGS
- Born
- 6 April 1845
Drogheda, Louth, Ireland - Died
- 30 April 1887
Dublin, Ireland - Occupation
- Geologist
Summary
Edward Hardman was seconded from Ireland to the Colonial Office in Western Australia as a temporary geologist (1883). His primary task was to find the colony's first profitable goldfield. Hardman went on two expeditions to the Kimberlys, first in 1883 and then again the following year. It was during the 1884 visit that he discovered good deposits of alluvial gold. This instigated the deployment of many private prospecting parties to the Hall's Creek area in 1885. During these expeditions, Hardman made good notes and geographical maps of the area. His appointment was terminated in October 1885 so he returned to his post in Ireland. In 1887 a position for a permanent government geologist was created, but Edward Hardman fell ill and died before he could accept the posting.
Details
Chronology
- 1870
- Career position - Geologist on the Geological Survey of Ireland
- 1871 -
- Career position - Fellow of the Royal Geological Society of Ireland (FGS)
- 1874 -
- Career position - Fellow of the Chemical Society of London (FCS)
- 1883
- Career position - Survey of the Kimberleys region
- 1883 - 1885
- Career position - Government Geologist with the Colonial Office of Western Australia
- 1884
- Career position - Discovery of the Kimberley goldfield
- 1885
- Career position - Geologist on the Geological Survey of Ireland
Related entries
Published resources
Book Sections
- Playford, Phillip, 'Edward Townley Hardman, 1845-1887' in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004). Details
- Playford, Phillip E., 'Hardman, Edward Townley (1845-1887), geologist' in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Douglas Pike, ed., vol. 4 (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1972), p. 342. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A040387b.htm. Details
Journal Articles
- 'Obituary. Edward Townley Hardman', Geological Magazine (1887). Details
- Downes, Peter J.; Deacon, Geoff L.; and Bevan, Alex W. R., 'Northampton lead, Kimberley gold and the Youndegin iron meteorite: early mineral collections in Western Australia (1848 - 1887)', Earth Sciences History Group Newsletter, 44 (2013), 15-25. Details
- Zylstra, Baige, '"Those riches of which we are so proud": Western Australian geological collecting for international and intercolonial exhibitions 1850 - 1890', Studies in Western Australian history, 35 (2020), 59-74. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1292467. Details
- VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/92860530. Details
- 'Hardman, Edward T (1845-1887)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1010045. Details
McCarthy, G.J.
Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 15 June 2022
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