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8C
William Lawson (1774–1850)
William Lawson (1774-1850),
explorer and pastoralist, was born on
2 June 1774 at Finchley, Middlesex,
England. Educated in London, William
was trained as a surveyor, but in June
1799 he bought a commission in the
New South Wales Corps. He arrived
at Sydney in November 1800 and was
soon posted to the garrison at Norfolk
Island, where he married Sarah
Leadbeater. He returned to Sydney
in 1806.
Like many of his fellow officers
Lawson quickly began to acquire
agricultural interests. About 1807 he
bought a small property, and in 1810
received a grant of 202 hectares.
In January 1812 he accepted a
commission as lieutenant in the New
South Wales Veterans Company. He
now built a fine 40-room mansion in
early colonial style.
In 1813 Gregory Blaxland invited
Lawson to accompany him and
William Charles Wentworth on what
proved to be the first successful
attempt to find a route across the
Blue Mountains. Lawson’s knowledge
of surveying made him a particularly
valuable member of the expedition.
His journal, with its accurate record of
times and distances, enables the route
to be precisely retraced. Macquarie
rewarded each explorer with a grant
of 405 hectares on the west of the
ranges. Lawson selected his on the
Campbell River near Bathurst. In 1819
he was appointed commandant of the
new settlement of Bathurst, occupying
this post until 1824 when he retired.
During his years at Bathurst
Lawson undertook three journeys of
exploration to find a practicable pass
through the ranges to the Liverpool
Plains. In this he was unsuccessful
but his journeys helped to open up
the rich pastoral district of Mudgee.
He owned many extensive estates. He
imported merino rams and ewes from
England, as well as Shorthorn cattle
and blood horses. His horses were
famous throughout the colony in the
coaching days.
A generous supporter of the
Presbyterian Church, Lawson took
an active part in the establishment
of both Scots Church, Sydney, in
1824 and Scots Church, Parramatta,
State Library of New South Wales
in 1838. As a magistrate he
entered freely into public life and
on 10 October 1825 signed a letter
approving trial by jury. He entered
politics in 1843 as a member for
Cumberland in the first partly elective
Legislative Council; he attended
regularly until 1846, but took little part
in its debates. On 16 June 1850 ‘Old
Ironbark’ Lawson died, leaving most
of his estates to his son William.
EW Dunlop, Online Dictionary of Australian Biography, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/lawson-william-2338
6 Complete the biographical table in activity page 8A for Lawson.
26
Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains