John Manton
Encyclopedia
John Allen Manton was an English
-born Australia
n Methodist minister, school principal and founding President
of Newington College
, Sydney
.
, Bedfordshire
. As a teenager he became aware of his vocation
and after a trial with the Methodist Society he was made a local preacher before being ordained in 1830. The following year he left for missionary
service in New South Wales
.
. He transferred six months later to a penal settlement at Macquarie Harbour
, Van Diemen's Land
and then to Port Arthur
as chaplain
. There, he also organized and conducted convict schools for adult convicts and convict boys. From 1834, Manton conducted a successful ministry in Launceston
. After several short appointments he was reappointed to Port Arthur, remaining there until Wesleyan
chaplains were withdrawn from service. He later served as superintendent minister in Hobart
.
, as its first principal. He asked to be relieved of its oversight in 1857 and moved to New South Wales, where he proposed the establishment of a Wesleyan collegiate institution. In 1862 Newington House
was leased and, with Manton as President, it was opened in July as Newington College. His health had never been robust and he died at the college in the following year, survived by his widow, Anne, and several children.
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...
-born 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...
n Methodist minister, school principal and founding President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Newington College
Newington College
Newington College is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for boys, located in Stanmore, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, 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...
.
Early life
Manton was born in BiggleswadeBiggleswade
Biggleswade is a market town and civil parish located on the River Ivel in Bedfordshire, England. It is well served by transport routes, being close to the A1 road between London and the North, as well as having a railway station on the main rail link North from London .-Geography:Located about 40...
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
. As a teenager he became aware of his vocation
Vocation
A vocation , is a term for an occupation to which a person is specially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity.-Senses:...
and after a trial with the Methodist Society he was made a local preacher before being ordained in 1830. The following year he left for missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
service in 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...
.
Australian Ministry
On his arrival in Australia in 1831, Manton was appointed to ParramattaParramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
. He transferred six months later to a penal settlement at Macquarie Harbour
Macquarie Harbour
Macquarie Harbour is a large, shallow, but navigable by shallow draft vessels inlet on the West Coast of Tasmania, Australia.-History:James Kelly wrote in his narrative "First Discovery of Port Davey and Macquarie Harbour" how he sailed from Hobart in a small open five-oared whaleboat to discover...
, 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...
and then to Port Arthur
Port Arthur, Tasmania
Port Arthur is a small town and former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula, in Tasmania, Australia. Port Arthur is one of Australia's most significant heritage areas and the open air museum is officially Tasmania's top tourist attraction. It is located approximately 60 km south east of...
as chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
. There, he also organized and conducted convict schools for adult convicts and convict boys. From 1834, Manton conducted a successful ministry in Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
. After several short appointments he was reappointed to Port Arthur, remaining there until Wesleyan
Wesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
chaplains were withdrawn from service. He later served as superintendent minister in 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...
.
Schoolmaster
In 1855 he opened Horton College, Campbell Town, TasmaniaCampbell Town, Tasmania
Campbell Town is a town in Tasmania, Australia, located on the Midland Highway. At the 2006 census, the town had a population of 772.Campbell Town was originally one of the four garrison towns linking Hobart and Launceston. Today, it acts as the only major rest area on the Midland Highway, with...
, as its first principal. He asked to be relieved of its oversight in 1857 and moved to New South Wales, where he proposed the establishment of a Wesleyan collegiate institution. In 1862 Newington House
Newington, New South Wales
Newington is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. Newington is located 19 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Auburn Council....
was leased and, with Manton as President, it was opened in July as Newington College. His health had never been robust and he died at the college in the following year, survived by his widow, Anne, and several children.
External links
- E. R. Pretyman, ' Manton, John Allen (1807 - 1864)', 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 2, MUP, 1967, pp 205-206.