William Romaine Govett (3 October 1807 – 22 August 1848) was a painter and assistant surveyor in the Surveyor-General's Department of New South Wales after whom Govetts Leap was named.

Background

Govett was born at Tiverton in Devon and educated at

Blundell's School Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school in the English public school tradition, located in Tiverton, Devon. It was founded in 1604 under the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the t ...

. He was appointed assistant surveyor in the Surveyor-General's Department of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

on 10 July 1827 and reached Sydney in December 1828. Part of his work included surveying on the old Bathurst road, during which he discovered Govett's Leap in the Blue Mountains, which was named in his honour by the Surveyor-General of New South Wales ( Major Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell). Mitchell described Govett in his report on the department in 1832 as a 'wild young man who needed control, who had come to the colony ignorant of surveying but with much natural talent had become perhaps the ablest delineator of ground in the department, and who was remarkably clever at dealing with unexplored country'. Govett was sent to the

Hawkesbury River The Hawkesbury River, or Hawkesbury-Nepean River, is a river located northwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its associated main tributary, the Nepean River, almost encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney. ...

in February 1829, where many farms required measurement, but in 1833 his career ended abruptly when the department was reduced. Govett returned to England in March 1834 with a letter of recommendation from Mitchell to the British government. After his return to England Govett lived at Tiverton, where he wrote several articles on New South Wales which were published in '' The Saturday Magazine'' between 7 May 1836 and 2 September 1837 under the title ''Sketches of New South Wales''. They dealt with such topics as the nature of the country he had helped to survey, the habits of the Aboriginals, and life in Sydney; they were illustrated with twelve paintings by Govett, which were later advertised for sale by G. Michelmore & Co. William Romaine Govett England and Wales, Marriage Registration Index, 1837–1920 marriage: 1838 Tiverton, Devon, England other: Elizabeth Ann Tanner Govett seems to have undergone a personal crisis after his return and considered going abroad again to make a fresh start but died on 22 August 1848 in London. The State Library of New South Wales holds a portrait of Govett by an unknown artist (Reference GPO 1 – 18552).

Bibliography

Gentleman's Magazine, 1848; Sydney Gazette, 17 Sept, 28 Dec 1827; Australian, 7 Mar 1834; Truth (Sydney), 2 Feb 1919, 10 Apr 1927; W. R. Govett, Scrapiana (State Library of New South Wales); W. R. Govett, notes and sketches (State Library of New South Wales); manuscript catalogue under Govett (State Library of New South Wales).

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Govett, William Romaine 1807 births 1848 deaths People educated at Blundell's School 19th-century English painters English male painters 19th-century Australian artists English expatriates in Australia English surveyors Australian surveyors People from Tiverton, Devon Australian people of English descent 19th-century English male artists