William Friend Bentley b. 8 October 1836

  • Artist (Photographer),
  • Artist (Painter)
William Bentley was said to have been too small to even carry his own painting materials he was that young when his parents sent him to London to study at the Royal Academy of Art. Back in Burra Burra, South Australia by 17, where he remained for the rest of his life, Bentley worked as a photographer while painting and drawing local landscapes, townscapes, historical pictures and portraits.

Recent discussion return to bio

  • fishel Jan. 9, 2015 Query regarding Bentley's birthdate, email correspondence from Sandra Tamburini, sent September 25, 2014. William came out with his parents James and Elizabeth on the Cheapside in 1849. He is not on the ships list because he was cabin boy. A mariner's register ticket was issued to william Bentley 14/6/1849 national library of Australia ref NLA MS 1472. The Cheapside left Depford 21/6/1849 then London 23/6/1849 and Plymouth 6/7/1849 arriving in Port Adelaide SA 10/10/1849. The 1841 census indicates that William was with his parents in London on the census night aged 8, so born 1833. Ages were tampered with in this census - all those aged 15 and above had their ages rounded down and lots of errors in ages occurred due to this! William was baptised st clement danes 16.3.1849 along with his other two brothers Henry Robert and Thomas Friend just prior to his departure with his parents on the Cheapside in 1949.
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