William Bland
Encyclopedia
Dr. William Bland was a transported convict
, medical practitioner and surgeon, politician, farmer and inventor in colonial New South Wales
, Australia
.
, the second son of an obstetrician, Dr. Robert Bland.
In January 1809, Bland became a surgeon 5th grade aboard HM sloop Hesper
where at Bombay, India he was involved in a wardroom argument with Robert Case the purser. In the duel, which took place on 7 April 1813, Bland killed Case.
(Tasmania
) with a sentence of 7 years transportation, reaching Hobart Town of Tasmania aboard 'Denmark Hill' in January 1814 and Sydney aboard the 'Frederick' on 14 July 1814 where he served at Castle Hill gaol for a short period of time. He was pardoned on 27 January 1815.
In 1818 he wrote "pipes" (anonymous and variously insulting satires) criticising Governor Macquarie
's treatment of farmers, and making fun of his desire to have his name on foundation stones; the Governor was not amused. Bland's handwriting was recognised and on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 September 1818 he was in court and convicted of libel fined £50/-/-d and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment which he served at Parramatta, New South Wales.
In 1830 he actively opposed attempts to alienate large areas of crown land, and in 1831 joined the committee of the Australian Landowners Association to fight the Ripon land regulations.
In 1825 his committee founded Sydney Free Grammar School. The foundation stone of a new building was laid by the chief justice in 1830 and the Sydney College opened on 19 January 1835. Bland was treasurer from 1835 to 1844 and in 1845 became president, an office he held when the buildings were sold to the University of Sydney in 1853.
In September 1834 Sir Edward Lytton Bulwer, M.P.
, wrote from England that the Australian situation was not well understood in London. He suggested that an organized association should be formed, and that it should appoint a parliamentary agent for New South Wales. As a result the Australian Patriotic Association was formed in 1835 by Wentworth; Bland was its “chairman of the committee of correspondence” (i.e.: Secretary)
In 1839 he contributed funds and land to the building of St John's Ashfield.
During 1839-1841, Bland wrote letters for Australian Patriotic Association (emancipists) which now show the constitutional struggles towards autonomy. Bland as secretary (“chairman of the committee of correspondence”) to the Australian Patriotic Association helped draft two bills for a ‘representative constitution' which was approved in 1842 with Bland representing Sydney at its reading and approval passages.
Bland was an elected member of the NSW Legislative Council twice (1843–1848, 1849–1850) and after the introduction of responsible government was appointed to the NSW Legislative Council (1858–1861)
In approximately 1845, he was the subject of the oldest surviving photograph taken in Australia, held by the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, (upper right).
In February 1846, Bland, then a widower, married a widow, Eliza Smeathman.
In 1849 W. C. Wentworth introduced a bill into the Legislature to create the University of Sydney, naming Bland as one of its first senators, but Robert Lowe
dragged up Bland’s criminal record and the 1813 duel and the bill failed. Bland challenged Lowe to a duel but Lowe avoided it. When the bill was re-introduced Bland’s name had been omitted the bill was passed, but without the list of nominees, and the proclamation appointing the Senate on 24 December 1850 did not include Bland.
A banquet was held in July 1856 to celebrate the grant of a new Constitution by the British government. Bland accepted an invitation to preside and received a deserved ovation. On 5 November 1858 he was given a sum of money and a candelabrum for his services to the community. He resigned on 21 March 1861 and an ensuing attempt to procure an annuity for him was defeated in the Legislative Council. In 1861 he was declared a bankrupt.
He was the subject of the first surviving photograph taken in the Australian colonies and was the founder and first president of the Australian Medical Association
.
He died intestate in Sydney
on 21 July 1868 of pneumonia, and was accorded a State Funeral.
Bland County, New South Wales
was named in his honour.
An electoral division in the first federal parliament, the Division of Bland
, was named after him. This division was abolished in 1906.
Bland is also commemorated in the name of Bland Shire Council and Bland Street in suburban Ashfield
and Haberfield
where he purchased land in 1839.
A public housing building, Blandville Court, on Victoria Road
at Gladesville
is named after the early name of the nearby suburb of Henley
which was originally called Blandville after Dr Bland.
Additional sources listed by the Australian Dictionary of Biography:
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
, medical practitioner and surgeon, politician, farmer and inventor in colonial New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, 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...
.
Early life
Bland was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the second son of an obstetrician, Dr. Robert Bland.
In January 1809, Bland became a surgeon 5th grade aboard HM sloop Hesper
HMS Hesper (1809)
HMS Hesper was a Royal Navy 18-gun ship-sloop of the Cormorant class, launched in 1809 at Dartmouth. Her original builder, Benjamin Tanner, became bankrupt during her construction, so John Cock completed her. In 1810 she was reclassed as a 20-gun sixth rate ship ; in 1817 she was again re-rated,...
where at Bombay, India he was involved in a wardroom argument with Robert Case the purser. In the duel, which took place on 7 April 1813, Bland killed Case.
Australia
Bland was convicted of murder (as manslaughter) and transported to Van Diemen's LandTasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
(Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
) with a sentence of 7 years transportation, reaching Hobart Town of Tasmania aboard 'Denmark Hill' in January 1814 and Sydney aboard the 'Frederick' on 14 July 1814 where he served at Castle Hill gaol for a short period of time. He was pardoned on 27 January 1815.
In 1818 he wrote "pipes" (anonymous and variously insulting satires) criticising Governor Macquarie
Lachlan Macquarie
Major-General Lachlan Macquarie CB , was a British military officer and colonial administrator. He served as the last autocratic Governor of New South Wales, Australia from 1810 to 1821 and had a leading role in the social, economic and architectural development of the colony...
's treatment of farmers, and making fun of his desire to have his name on foundation stones; the Governor was not amused. Bland's handwriting was recognised and on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 September 1818 he was in court and convicted of libel fined £50/-/-d and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment which he served at Parramatta, New South Wales.
In 1830 he actively opposed attempts to alienate large areas of crown land, and in 1831 joined the committee of the Australian Landowners Association to fight the Ripon land regulations.
In 1825 his committee founded Sydney Free Grammar School. The foundation stone of a new building was laid by the chief justice in 1830 and the Sydney College opened on 19 January 1835. Bland was treasurer from 1835 to 1844 and in 1845 became president, an office he held when the buildings were sold to the University of Sydney in 1853.
In September 1834 Sir Edward Lytton Bulwer, M.P.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton
Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton PC , was an English politician, poet, playwright, and novelist. He was immensely popular with the reading public and wrote a stream of bestselling dime-novels which earned him a considerable fortune...
, wrote from England that the Australian situation was not well understood in London. He suggested that an organized association should be formed, and that it should appoint a parliamentary agent for New South Wales. As a result the Australian Patriotic Association was formed in 1835 by Wentworth; Bland was its “chairman of the committee of correspondence” (i.e.: Secretary)
In 1839 he contributed funds and land to the building of St John's Ashfield.
During 1839-1841, Bland wrote letters for Australian Patriotic Association (emancipists) which now show the constitutional struggles towards autonomy. Bland as secretary (“chairman of the committee of correspondence”) to the Australian Patriotic Association helped draft two bills for a ‘representative constitution' which was approved in 1842 with Bland representing Sydney at its reading and approval passages.
Bland was an elected member of the NSW Legislative Council twice (1843–1848, 1849–1850) and after the introduction of responsible government was appointed to the NSW Legislative Council (1858–1861)
In approximately 1845, he was the subject of the oldest surviving photograph taken in Australia, held by the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, (upper right).
In February 1846, Bland, then a widower, married a widow, Eliza Smeathman.
In 1849 W. C. Wentworth introduced a bill into the Legislature to create the University of Sydney, naming Bland as one of its first senators, but Robert Lowe
Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke
Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke PC , British and Australian statesman, was a pivotal but often forgotten figure who shaped British politics in the latter half of the 19th century. He held office under William Ewart Gladstone as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1868 and 1873 and as Home...
dragged up Bland’s criminal record and the 1813 duel and the bill failed. Bland challenged Lowe to a duel but Lowe avoided it. When the bill was re-introduced Bland’s name had been omitted the bill was passed, but without the list of nominees, and the proclamation appointing the Senate on 24 December 1850 did not include Bland.
A banquet was held in July 1856 to celebrate the grant of a new Constitution by the British government. Bland accepted an invitation to preside and received a deserved ovation. On 5 November 1858 he was given a sum of money and a candelabrum for his services to the community. He resigned on 21 March 1861 and an ensuing attempt to procure an annuity for him was defeated in the Legislative Council. In 1861 he was declared a bankrupt.
Late life
Bland continued in active medical practice until 1868.He was the subject of the first surviving photograph taken in the Australian colonies and was the founder and first president of the Australian Medical Association
Australian Medical Association
The Australian Medical Association is a professional association for Australian doctors and medical students.The AMA uses a representative structure involving state branches and committees to work with members to promote and protect the interests of doctors.The mechanisms that allow this include:*...
.
He died intestate 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...
on 21 July 1868 of pneumonia, and was accorded a State Funeral.
Bland County, New South Wales
Bland County, New South Wales
Bland County is one of the 141 Cadastral divisions of New South Wales. It contains the town of Temora.Bland County was named in honour of William Bland who was a medical practitioner and politician between .- Parishes within this county:...
was named in his honour.
An electoral division in the first federal parliament, the Division of Bland
Division of Bland
The Division of Bland was an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It was abolished in 1906. It was named for Dr William Bland, a New South Wales colonial politician...
, was named after him. This division was abolished in 1906.
Bland is also commemorated in the name of Bland Shire Council and Bland Street in suburban Ashfield
Ashfield, New South Wales
Ashfield is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Ashfield is about 9 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield.The official name for the...
and Haberfield
Haberfield, New South Wales
Haberfield is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Haberfield is located 9 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield....
where he purchased land in 1839.
Present day
In honour of Dr William Bland's contribution to medical practice within early Australia, a twelve level building opposite Sydney Hospital at 229-231 Macquarie Street in Sydney was built in 1960 and named the William Bland Centre. It predominantly houses private medical practices such as Physiotherapy Clinic mySydneyPhysio, addressing the health needs of Sydney's CBD workforce.A public housing building, Blandville Court, on Victoria Road
Victoria Road, Sydney
Victoria Road is a major road in Sydney, Australia.Victoria Road connects Parramatta with the Rozelle end of Anzac Bridge. Victoria Road passes through the Sydney suburbs of Rydalmere, Ermington, West Ryde, Ryde, Gladesville and Drummoyne and is currently one of the longest roads in Sydney.The road...
at Gladesville
Gladesville, New South Wales
Gladesville is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Gladesville is located 9 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of the City of Ryde and the Municipality of Hunter's Hill and is part of the Northern Suburbs area.Gladesville prides...
is named after the early name of the nearby suburb of Henley
Henley, New South Wales
Henley is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Henley is located 9 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Hunter's Hill...
which was originally called Blandville after Dr Bland.
See also
- John Cobley, 'Bland, William (1789 - 1868)', Australian Dictionary of BiographyAustralian Dictionary of BiographyThe Australian Dictionary of Biography is a national, co-operative enterprise, founded and maintained by the Australian National University to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's history....
, Volume 1, MUP, 1966, pp 112–115.
External links
- William Bland biography (with picture)
- Designs for Bland's atmotic ship - State Library of NSW
- Shades of Light (Australian Photography 1839 - 1988) the online version of the original Shades of Light published 1998, Gael Newton, National Gallery of Australia.
- Australian History, volume 2 published by Grollier Society, Sydney 1956
Additional sources listed by the Australian Dictionary of Biography:
- A. M. McIntosh, ‘The Life and Times of William Bland’, Bulletin of the Post-Graduate Committee in Medicine, University of Sydney, vol 10, no 6, Sept 1954, pp 109–52; P. Thompson, William Bland (draft M.A. thesis, Australian National University, 1964).