Van Diemen's Land

Van Diemen's Land

1852 map of Van Diemen's Land
Geography
Location	Southern Ocean
Area	68,401 km2 (26,409.8 sq mi)
Highest elevation	1,614 m (5,295 ft)
Highest point	Mount Ossa
Country
Australia
Largest city	Hobart Town
Demographics
Population	40,000 (as of 1855)
Density	0.59 /km2 (1.53 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Tasmanian Aborigines

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. Landing at Blackman's Bay and later having the Dutch flag flown at North Bay, Tasman named the island Anthoonij van Diemenslandt in honour of Anthony van Diemen, the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies who had sent Tasman on his voyage of discovery in 1642. Between 1772 and 1798 only the South East of the island was visited. Tasmania was not known to be an island until Matthew Flinders and George Bass circumnavigated it in the Norfolk in 1798-99.

In 1803, the island was colonised by the British as a penal colony with the name Van Diemen's Land, and became part of the British colony of New South Wales. In 1824, Van Diemen's Land became a colony in its own right.

The demonym for Van Diemen's Land was 'Van Diemonian', though contemporaries used Vandemonian, possibly as a play on words relating to the colony's penal origins.^[1]

In 1856 the colony was granted responsible self-government with its own representative parliament, and the name of the island and colony was changed to Tasmania.

Contents 1 Penal colony 2 The name 3 Popular culture 3.1 Film 3.2 Music 3.3 Literature 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links

Penal colony

• Main articles: Port Arthur, Tasmania, Convicts on the West Coast of Tasmania

From the 1800s to the 1853 abolition of penal transportation (known simply as "transportation"), Van Diemen's Land was the primary penal colony in Australia. Following the suspension of transportation to New South Wales, all transported convicts were sent to Van Diemen's Land. In total, some 75,000 convicts were transported to Van Diemen's Land, or about 40% of all convicts sent to Australia.

Male convicts served their sentences as assigned labour to free settlers or in gangs assigned to public works. Only the most difficult convicts (mostly re-offenders) were sent to the Tasman Peninsula prison known as Port Arthur. Female convicts were assigned as servants in free settler households or sent to a female factory (women's workhouse prison). There were five female factories in Van Diemen's Land.

Convicts completing their sentences or earning their ticket-of-leave often promptly left Van Diemen's Land. Many settled in the new free colony of Victoria, to the dismay of the free settlers in towns such as Melbourne.

Tensions sometimes ran high between the settlers and the "Vandemonians" as they were termed, particularly during the Victorian gold rush when a flood of settlers from Van Diemen's Land rushed to the Victorian gold fields.

Complaints from Victorians about recently released convicts from Van Diemen's Land re-offending in Victoria was one of the contributing reasons for the eventual abolition of transportation to Van Diemen's Land in 1853.^[2]

The name

Anthony Trollope used the term Vandemonian ^[3]: -

They are (the Vandemonians) united in their declaration that the cessation of the coming of convicts has been their ruin

Eventually, in order to remove the unsavoury connotations with crime associated with its name (and its homophonic connection to "demon"), in 1856 Van Diemen's Land was renamed Tasmania in honour of Abel Tasman. The last penal settlement in Tasmania at Port Arthur finally closed in 1877.^[4]

The term is not used much, but in a review of a new book of the era the Australian newspaper chose the title of the review as Vandemonian vanity^[5]

Popular culture

Film

• The critically acclaimed award winning The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce tells the true story of Alexander Pearce through his final confession to fellow Irishman and colonial priest Philip Conolly. The film was nominated for a Rose d'Or, an Irish Film and Television Award, an Australian Film Institute Award and won an IF Award in 2009.
• The feature film Van Diemen's Land focuses on the true story of convict Alexander Pearce and his infamous escape from Macquarie Harbour in 1822.

Music

• "Van Diemen's Land", also known as "The Gallant Poachers", is a traditional Irish folk song
• "Van Diemen's Land" is the title of the second track from the rock band U2's album Rattle and Hum. The lyrics were written and sung by The Edge. The song is dedicated to a Fenian poet named John Boyle O'Reilly, who was deported to Australia because of his poetry.^[6]
• Van Diemen's Land is referenced in the song "The Helm of Ned Kelly" by the group Blackbird Raum on their third album titled "Under the Starling Host"
• Van Diemen's Land is mentioned in the Irish and Australian folk song "The Wild Colonial Boy".
• Van Diemen's Land is often mentioned in the works of Flogging Molly, such as in the song "Every Dog Has Its Day."
• Among the Irish folk songs that mention Van Diemen's Land are "The Black Velvet Band", "Back Home in Derry", and "Van Diemen's Land".
• Van Diemen's Land is the subject of the Irish song, "Back Home in Derry". The music was written to the tune of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot and the lyrics by the famous Irish Republican Bobby Sands. It is most famously sung by the Irish bard Christy Moore.
• Steeleye Span does a rendition of the traditional folk song on their album They Called Her Babylon
• The chorus to the English folk song "Maggie May" says "They've sent you to Van Diemen's cruel shore."
• Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band record a version of "Van Diemen's Land" in No Roses (1971)
• Carla Bruni sings the poem 'If You Were Coming In The Fall', by Emily Dickinson on her album No Promises. The song includes a reference to Van Diemen's land "subtracting till my fingers dropped; into Van Diemen's Land".
• "Van Diemen's island" is mentioned in the song "Highland" by The Elders on their album Pass it on Down
• "Van Diemen's island" is the title of a song by Steve Binetti
• The chorus of "Emigrants" by Scots traditional music group Canterach includes the line: "Sent to the new worlds of America, Australia, and Van Diemen's Land".
• Van Diemen's Land is referred to extensively in "Henry's Downfall" by folk singer Jim Moray
• Van Diemen's Land is mentioned in the song 1788 by Australian band The Go Set
• Van Diemen's Land is a song by Barbara Dickson and is the first track on the album Parcel of Rogues
• The Scottish traditional song "The Braemar Poacher" is about a poacher that was caught and sent to Van Diemen's Land. A version of this song can be found on the album "Turas" of the Irish/Scottish trad band Shantalla.

Literature

• Van Diemen's Land is the setting of Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish by Richard Flanagan (published 2002), which tells the story of a man who is transported to the island, and runs afoul of the local (and rather insane) authorities.
• Brendan Whiting's book Victims of Tyranny, gives an account of the lives of the Irish rebels, the Fitzgerald convict brothers who were sent to help open up the north of Van Diemen's Land in 1805, under the leadership of the explorer Colonel William Paterson.
• In Cormac McCarthy's novel Blood Meridian, one of the characters in the Glanton Gang of scalpers in 1850s Mexico is a "Vandiemenlander" named Bathcat. Born in Wales he later went to Australia to hunt aborigines, and eventually came to Mexico, where he used those skills on the Apaches.
• Van Diemen's Land is mentioned in Edgar Allan Poe's book Narrative of A. Gordon Pym. The main character stops at this island on his way to the South Pole.
• Van Diemen's Land is mentioned in Umberto Eco's novel "The Island of the Day Before" ("L'isola del giorno prima", 1994), a story about a 17th century Italian nobleman trapped at an island at the International Date Line.
• Van Diemen's Land is mentioned in Emily Dickinson's "If You Were Coming in the Fall"
• From "The Potato Factory" by Bryce Courtenay (1995): "... subtracting till my fingers dropped; into Van Diemen's Land." This is a quote from Emily Dickinson's Poem "If You Were Coming In The Fall".
• In Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (1726), the country of Lilliput is described as being “to the north-west of Van Dieman's Land” [sic].
• In the novel The Convicts by Iain Lawrence, young Tom Tin is sent to Van Diemen's Land on charges of murder
• Van Diemen's Land is mentioned in James De Mille's A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder. The manuscript spoken of in the title has been written by British sailor who lost his way after conveying convicts to Van Dieman's Land.
• In the novel The Terror by Dan Simmons (2007). In this novel about the ill fated exploration by HMS Erebus and HMS Terror to discover the Northwest Passage. The ships left England in May 1846 and were never heard from again, although since then much has been discovered about the fate of the 129 officers and crew. References are made to Van Diemen's Land during the chapters devoted to Francis Crozier.
• Van Diemen's Land is mentioned in Peter Carey's book, True History of the Kelly Gang, as a place the Kelly parents suffered on their way to the Colony of Victoria.
• Van Diemen's Land is the setting of the novel English Passengers by Matthew Kneale (2000), which tells the story of three eccentric Englishmen who in 1857 set sail for the island in search of the Garden of Eden. The story runs parallel with the narrative of a young Tasmanian who tells the struggle of the indigenous population and the desperate battle against the invading British colonists.
• Christopher Koch's novel : "Out of Ireland" describes life as a convict in Van Diemen's Land.
• Richard Butler's novel "The Men That God Forgot" (1977) is based on the historical events of 10 convicts who escape from Van Diemen's Land to Valdivia, Chile in 1833.
• Marcus Clarke used historical events as the basis for his fictional For the Term of His Natural Life (1870) , the story of a gentleman, falsely convicted of murder, who is transported to Van Diemen's Land.
• Julian Stockwin's nautical fiction series, the The Kydd Series, includes the book Command (2006) in which Thomas Kydd takes a ship to Van Diemen's Land, at the behest of then governor of New South Wales, Philip Gidley King, for the purpose of preventing French explorers from establishing a French settlement on the island.

See also

• Governors of Tasmania
• Colony of Tasmania

Notes

1. ^ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Vandemonian
2. ^ Fletcher, B. H. (1994). 1770-1850. In S. Bambrick (Ed.), The Cambridge encyclopedia of Australia (pp. 86–94). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
3. ^ quoted by Patsy Adam Smith p.248 of Smith, Patsy Adam and Woodberry, Joan (1977)Historic Tasmania Sketchbook Rigby ISBN 0727002864
4. ^ Australian Government, National Heritage site. Port Arthur Historic Site
5. ^ Pybus, Cassandra (2008) review of Van Diemans Land] by James Boyce – page 19 of the Australian Literary Review 2nd April 2008
6. ^ From the liner notes on the U2 album "Rattle and Hum"

References

• Alexander, Alison (editor) (2005) The Companion to Tasmanian History Centre for Tasmanian Historical Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart. ISBN 186295223X.
• Boyce, James (2008), Van Diemen's Land. Black Inc., Melbourne. ISBN 9781863954136.
• Robson, L.L. (1983) A history of Tasmania. Volume 1. Van Diemen's Land from the earliest times to 1855 Melbourne, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195543645.
• Robson, L.L. (1991) A history of Tasmania. Volume II. Colony and state from 1856 to the 1980s Melbourne, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195530314.

External links

• Constitution Act 1855, establishing an elected parliament in the colony

British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations Legend Current territory  ·   Former territory * now a Commonwealth realm  ·   now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations Europe  18th century 1708–1757  Minorca since 1713  Gibraltar 1763–1782  Minorca 1798–1802  Minorca 19th century 1800–1964  Malta 1807–1890  Heligoland 1809–1864  Ionian Islands 20th century 1921–1937  Irish Free State North America  17th century 1583–1907  Newfoundland 1605–1979  *Saint Lucia 1607–1776  Virginia since 1619  Bermuda 1620–1691  Plymouth Colony 1623–1883  Saint Kitts (*Saint Kitts & Nevis) 1624–1966  *Barbados 1625–1650  Saint Croix 1627–1979  *St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1628–1883  Nevis (*Saint Kitts & Nevis) 1629–1691  Massachusetts Bay Colony 1632–1776  Maryland since 1632  Montserrat 1632–1860  Antigua (*Antigua & Barbuda) 1636–1776  Connecticut 1636–1776  Rhode Island 1637–1662  New Haven Colony 1643–1860  Bay Islands since 1650  Anguilla 1655–1850  Mosquito Coast (protectorate) 1655–1962  *Jamaica 1663–1712  Carolina 1664–1776  New York 1665–1674 and 1702-1776  New Jersey since 1666  British Virgin Islands since 1670  Cayman Islands 1670–1973  *Bahamas 1670–1870  Rupert's Land 1671–1816  Leeward Islands 1674–1702  East Jersey 1674–1702  West Jersey 1680–1776  New Hampshire 1681–1776  Pennsylvania 1686–1689  Dominion of New England 1691–1776  Massachusetts 18th century 1701–1776  Delaware 1712–1776  North Carolina 1712–1776  South Carolina 1713–1867  Nova Scotia 1733–1776  Georgia 1762–1974  *Grenada 1763–1978  Dominica 1763–1873  Prince Edward Island 1763–1791  Quebec 1763–1783  East Florida 1763–1783  West Florida 1784–1867  New Brunswick 1791–1841  Lower Canada 1791–1841  Upper Canada since 1799  Turks and Caicos Islands 19th century 1818–1846  Columbia District / Oregon Country1 1833–1960  Windward Islands 1833–1960  Leeward Islands 1841–1867  Province of Canada 1849–1866  Vancouver Island 1853–1863  Colony of the Queen Charlotte Islands 1858–1866  British Columbia 1859–1870  North-Western Territory 1860–1981  *British Antigua and Barbuda 1862–1863  Stikine Territory 1866–1871  Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1867–1931  *Dominion of Canada2 1871–1964  British Honduras (*Belize) 1882–1983  *St. Kitts and Nevis 1889–1962  Trinidad and Tobago 20th century 1907–1949  Dominion of Newfoundland3 1958–1962  West Indies Federation 1Occupied jointly with the United States 2In 1931, Canada and other British dominions obtained self-government through the Statute of Westminster. see Canada's name. 3Gave up self-rule in 1934, but remained a de jure Dominion until it joined Canada in 1949. South America  17th century 1651–1667  Willoughbyland (Suriname) 1670–1688  St. Andrew and Providence Islands4 18th century 19th century 1831–1966  British Guiana (Guyana) since 1833  Falkland Islands5 20th century since 1908  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands5 4Now the San Andrés y Providencia Department of Colombia 5Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April–June 1982 Africa  18th century 1792–1961  Sierra Leone 1795–1803  Cape Colony 19th century 1806–1910  Cape Colony 1810–1968  Mauritius 1816–1965  Gambia 1856–1910  Natal 1868–1966  Basutoland (Lesotho) 1874–1957  Gold Coast (Ghana) 1882–1922  Egypt 1884–1966  Bechuanaland (Botswana) 1884–1960  British Somaliland 1887–1897  Zululand 1888–1894  Matabeleland 1890–1965  Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) 6 1890–1962  Uganda 1890–1963  Zanzibar (Tanzania) 1891–1964  Nyasaland (Malawi) 1891–1907  British Central Africa Protectorate 1893–1968  Swaziland 1895–1920  East Africa Protectorate 1899–1956  Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 20th century 1900–1914  Northern Nigeria 1900–1914  Southern Nigeria 1900–1910  Orange River Colony 1900–1910  Transvaal Colony 1906–1954  Nigeria Colony 1910–1931  South Africa 1911–1964  Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) 1914–1954  Nigeria Colony and Protectorate 1915–1931  South West Africa (Namibia) 1919–1960  Cameroons (Cameroon) 7 1920–1963  Kenya 1922–1961  Tanganyika (Tanzania) 7 1954–1960  Nigeria 1979–1980  Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) 6 6Southern Rhodesia, self-governing from 1923, issued a Unilateral Declaration of Independence on 11 November 1965, as Rhodesia. It returned to British control in December 1979. 7League of Nations mandate Asia  17th Century 1685-1824  Bencoolen (Sumatra) 18th century 1702–1705  Côn Đảo 1757–1947  Bengal (West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh) 1762–1764  Manila 1795–1948  Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1796–1965  Maldives 19th century 1812-1824  Banka (Sumatra) 1812-1824  Billiton (Sumatra) 1819–1826  British Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore) 1824-1946  Straits Settlement of Malacca 1826–1946  Straits Settlements 1839–1967  Colony of Aden 1839–1842  Afghanistan 1841–1997  Hong Kong 1841–1946  Kingdom of Sarawak (Malaysia) 1848-1946  Crown colony of Labuan 1858–1947  British India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Burma) 1879–1919  Afghanistan 1882–1963  British North Borneo (Malaysia) 1885–1946  Unfederated Malay States 1888–1984  Sultanate of Brunei 1888–1946  Sultanate of Sulu 1891–1971  Muscat and Oman protectorate 1892–1971  Trucial States protectorate 1895–1946  Federated Malay States 1898–1930  Weihai Garrison 1878–1960  Cyprus 20th century 1918–1961  Kuwait protectorate 1920–1932  Iraq7 1921–1946  Transjordan7 1923–1948  Palestine7 1945–1946  South Vietnam 1946–1963  Sarawak (Malaysia) 1946–1963  Singapore 1946–1948  Malayan Union 1948–1957  Federation of Malaya (Malaysia) since 1960  Akrotiri and Dhekelia (before as part of Cyprus) since 1965  British Indian Ocean Territory (before as part of Mauritius and the Seychelles) 7League of Nations mandate Oceania  18th century 1788–1901  New South Wales 19th century 1803–1901  Van Diemen's Land/Tasmania 1807–1863  Auckland Islands8 1824–1980  New Hebrides (Vanuatu) 1824–1901  Queensland 1829–1901  Swan River Colony/Western Australia 1836–1901  South Australia since 1838  Pitcairn Islands 1841–1907  Colony of New Zealand 1851–1901  Victoria 1874–1970  Fiji9 1877–1976  British Western Pacific Territories 1884–1949  Territory of Papua 1888–1965  Cook Islands8 1889–1948  Union Islands (Tokelau)8 1892–1979  Gilbert and Ellice Islands10 1893–1978  British Solomon Islands11 20th century 1900–1970  Tonga (protected state) 1900–1974  Niue8 1901–1942  *Commonwealth of Australia 1907–1953  *Dominion of New Zealand 1919–1942  Nauru 1945–1968  Nauru 1919–1949  Territory of New Guinea 1949–1975  Territory of Papua and New Guinea12 8Now part of the *Realm of New Zealand 9Suspended member 10Now Kiribati and *Tuvalu 11Now the *Solomon Islands 12Now *Papua New Guinea Antarctica and South Atlantic  17th century since 1659  St. Helena13 19th century since 1815  Ascension Island13 since 1816  Tristan da Cunha13 20th century since 1908  British Antarctic Territory14 13Since 2009 part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Ascension Island (1922—) and Tristan da Cunha (1938—) were previously dependencies of St Helena 14Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands)