Andrew Bent
Encyclopedia
Andrew Bent was a printer, publisher and newspaper proprietor, active in Australia
.
, England
, and was apprenticed at an early age to a printer. In October 1810 Bent was convicted of burglary and, common for the time, his death sentence was commuted to transportation
for life.
aboard the Guildford in January 1812, was the transferred to the Ruby and arrived at Hobart
Town Van Diemen's Land
(now Tasmania
) on 2 February 1812.
Apparently Bent gained employment under George Clark, publisher of the first Tasmanian newspaper (1810), the short-lived Derwent Star and Van Diemen's Land Intelligencer.
Clark, with Bent assisting, published the Van Diemen's Land Gazette and General Advertiser, soon after, Clark was dismissed and Bent became Government Printer. In 1816 Bent began the Hobart Town Gazette and Southern Reporter, he changed the title of his paper to Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen's Land Advertiser on 1 January 1821. Governor George Arthur claimed the government ownership of the Hobart Town Gazette, but Bent sent evidence against this to Governor Thomas Brisbane
in Sydney, who decided in Bent's favour. Arthur's instigation of the appropriation of the title of Bent's paper was "an act of literary piracy and breach of copyright"
In December 1818 Bent published Michael Howe, the Last and Worst of the Bushrangers of Van Diemen's Land by Thomas E. Wells.
On 1 August 1825 Bent was sentenced to three months imprisonment and fined £500 for libel, the result of comments on the actions of government officers.
In 1836 Bent was again prosecuted for libel for articles in Bent's News and Tasmanian Threepenny Register which ceased publication.
in 1841 where he kept a hotel and was a cedar merchant. The hotel burned down, the cedar was swept away in a flood and Bent was incapacited for six months after a fall. Destitute, Bent entered the Sydney Benevolent Society
Asylum, where he died on 26 August 1851, leaving a large family.
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
Bent 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...
, 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...
, and was apprenticed at an early age to a printer. In October 1810 Bent was convicted of burglary and, common for the time, his death sentence was commuted to transportation
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...
for life.
Australia
Bent reached SydneySydney
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...
aboard the Guildford in January 1812, was the transferred to the Ruby and arrived at Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
Town Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
(now 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...
) on 2 February 1812.
Apparently Bent gained employment under George Clark, publisher of the first Tasmanian newspaper (1810), the short-lived Derwent Star and Van Diemen's Land Intelligencer.
Clark, with Bent assisting, published the Van Diemen's Land Gazette and General Advertiser, soon after, Clark was dismissed and Bent became Government Printer. In 1816 Bent began the Hobart Town Gazette and Southern Reporter, he changed the title of his paper to Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen's Land Advertiser on 1 January 1821. Governor George Arthur claimed the government ownership of the Hobart Town Gazette, but Bent sent evidence against this to Governor Thomas Brisbane
Thomas Brisbane
Major-General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet GCH, GCB, FRS, FRSE was a British soldier, colonial Governor and astronomer.-Early life:...
in Sydney, who decided in Bent's favour. Arthur's instigation of the appropriation of the title of Bent's paper was "an act of literary piracy and breach of copyright"
In December 1818 Bent published Michael Howe, the Last and Worst of the Bushrangers of Van Diemen's Land by Thomas E. Wells.
On 1 August 1825 Bent was sentenced to three months imprisonment and fined £500 for libel, the result of comments on the actions of government officers.
In 1836 Bent was again prosecuted for libel for articles in Bent's News and Tasmanian Threepenny Register which ceased publication.
Late life
Bent left Tasmania in 1839 and headed for Sydney. On 13 April 1839 Bent published Bent's News and New South Wales Advertiser as a weekly paper. Bent soon sold the paper and it became the Australasian Chronicle. Bent moved to the Macleay RiverMacleay River
The Macleay River is a major river on the Mid North Coast , Australia.The headwaters of the Macleay River rise as the Gara River on the eastern side of the Northern Tablelands near Armidale and Walcha, New South Wales. From here the Chandler River, Styx River and Apsley Rivers are important...
in 1841 where he kept a hotel and was a cedar merchant. The hotel burned down, the cedar was swept away in a flood and Bent was incapacited for six months after a fall. Destitute, Bent entered the Sydney Benevolent Society
Benevolent Society
The Benevolent Society, founded by Edward Smith Hall in 1813, is Australia's first charity. It is an independent, non-religious, non-profit organisation which aims to help people overcome the barriers preventing them from participating fully in society...
Asylum, where he died on 26 August 1851, leaving a large family.
External links
- Andrew Bent, printer / Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery at National Library of Australia