Guide to the Papers of Sir Henry Mangles Denham (as filmed by the AJCP), 1852-1869, 1958

 

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Collection context

Summary

Collection number:
M465
Creator:
Denham, Henry Mangles, Sir and Wilson, James Glen
Extent:
83 items
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.

Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.

Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)

Availability:
Available
Access conditions:
Available for reference.

Background

Content Summary:

1. Approximately 80 drawings and paintings, many of which are by J. Glen Wilson. They were commissioned by Capt. Denham to record the voyages of HMS Herald. Subjects include: Isle of Pines; Lord Howe Island; St Paul Island; the New Hebrides; Balls Pyramid; Shark Bay; and Fiji. There are also sketches of Fijians, and fish, flora and birds.

2. Photographs of J. Glen Wilson and the captain and crew of the Herald 1860.

3. Letter 1958 with photographs and report on the site of the grave of Fleetwood Denham, son of the commander of the Herald.

Biographical / Historical:

Sir Henry Mangles Denham (1800-1887) was born at Sherborne in Dorset and entered the Royal Navy in 1809 as a volunteer. From 1815 to 1827 he served on HMS Shamrock surveying the English Channel and the coasts of Ireland. In 1830 he was given command of HMS Linnet in which he surveyed the Bristol Channel, the coast of Wales and the entrance to the River Mersey. From 1842 to 1845 he carried out surveys of the north-west coast of England on the paddle steamer Lucifer and from 1845 to 1848 he commanded HMS Avon which surveyed the coast of Guinea and the Bight of Benin in West Africa. He was promoted to the rank of captain in 1846.

In 1851 Denham was given command of HMS Herald and instructed to carry out a lengthy survey of the south-west Pacific. The ship was accompanied by a tender, HMS Torch, commanded by Lieutenant William Chimmo. The survey encompassed Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, New Hebrides, New Caledonia, Fiji and the Solomon Islands. From 1857 to 1860 the Herald remained in Australian waters, carrying out surveys of the east and southern coasts and also Shark Bay in Western Australia. The ship returned to England via the Torres Strait and the Dutch East Indies.

On his return to England, Denham was employed supervising the drawing of fair copies of his surveys. He was promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1864 and placed on the retired list in 1866. He was knighted in 1867. Denham died in London in 1887. His wife Isabella, whom he married in 1826, had died in 1865.

James Glen Wilson (1827-1863) was born in Ireland. Nothing is known of his early life, but a number of his paintings of Belfast in 1850-52 have survived. In March 1852 he was appointed as 'artist borne as clerk' on HMS Herald. His chief responsibility was drawing coastal profiles, 120 of which are held in the Hydrographic Department, but he also produced landscapes, portraits and images of plants, insects and fishes. Some of his works were painted from sketches by John MacDonald, the assistant surgeon on the Herald. In January 1859 Wilson was discharged at his request. He married Margaret Moore at Parramatta and was appointed a surveyor in the New South Wales Department of Lands. In his first year he worked on surveys on the south coast. He was then transferred to Molong, where he died three years later.

Reference: Andrew David. The voyage of HMS Herald to Australia and the South-West Pacific 1852-1861 under the command of Captain Henry Mangles Denham, Melbourne, Melbourne University Press, 1995.

Access and use

Conditions Governing Access:
Available for Access.
Conditions Governing Use:
Many of the records digitised as part of the AJCP are still in copyright. Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, in the first instance, from the owner of the original material.
Preferred citation:

Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.

Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.

Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)

Location of this collection:
Parkes Place
Canberra ACT 2600, Australia
Contact: