Edward Burton Gleeson

Who was Edward Burton Gleeson?

Edward Burton Gleeson, also known as “Paddy” Gleeson, was a South Australian settler, farmer and founder of the town of Clare.

Gleeson arrived in South Australia on 27 July 1838 with his wife Harriet Gleeson nee Llewelyn on board the Emerald Isle from India. He became involved in pastoral activities in Adelaide and settled east of the city in what is now the suburb of Beaumont. He established a property which he named Gleeville and also took up pastoral runs north of Adelaide, near the Wakefield River. In 1840, he established the Inchiquin run in the Clare Valley area, and in 1842 laid out a plan for a town. This would have a number of different names, but from 1846 would eventually be called Clare, after Gleeson’s home county in Ireland.

Gleeson became insolvent on 30 July 1846 and as a result, sold Gleeville to Samuel Davenport and moved all his farming interests to the Clare Valley. Inchiquin then became his main property and business concern. He was well liked by members of the community and eventually earned the informal title the King of Clare.

Throughout the rest of his life, he had a variety of interests in the area, including being the town’s first mayor and a special magistrate for the region. He died at Inchiquin in 1870, leaving six children.