Sir Joseph Banks- The National Founder of Australia?
Article from The Sydney Morning Herald in 1926
One of our readers from New South Wales, Australia, kindly emailed in with the below article on Revesby Estate and Sir Joseph published in the Sydney Morning Herald in 1926.
With thanks to John Beswick, REPTON, NSW
This 1926 Australian newspaper article describes Revesby as the historic home of Sir Joseph Banks and argues that Banks was one of the most important figures in Australia’s founding.
Key points:
- Sir Joseph Banks, who sailed with Captain James Cook on the Endeavour, used his influence and wealth to support exploration and the later settlement of Australia.
- The author suggests Banks was so influential that Australians should regard him almost as a national founder.
- Revesby is presented as the place most closely associated with Banks and his legacy.
- The article traces the history of the estate from the medieval abbey through the Banks and Stanhope families.
- It notes improvements made to the estate, including the construction of the present Gothic mansion and restoration of the parish church.
- Banks is remembered for opposing some early fen-drainage schemes, earning the nickname “The Bull of Revesby.”
- The article also highlights Lincolnshire’s wider links with Australia’s history through explorers such as Matthew Flinders, George Bass, and John Franklin
If you have any articles, photographs, or memories relating to the history of Revesby that you think would interest fellow readers, we would love to hear from you. Please email them to jf@revesbyestate.co.uk, and we may feature them in future editions of The Revetonian. We look forward to hearing your stories and discoveries.
