William Manning 1763-1835

The majestic Manning River flows over 250 kms from Barrington Tops to the Tasman Sea, nourishing the land, shaping communities, and carrying the stories of those who’ve lived along its banks.¹ But how much do we really know about the man whose name it bears?

William Manning was born in Kent, England in 1763 to parents of slave-owning families in the Carribean.² Following in his father’s footsteps, he established the London firm “Manning and Anderdon”, which financed slave owners – by then, he was one himself.³

Well connected to Britain’s centres of power, Manning spent much of his life as a Member of Parliament, repeatedly using his influence to oppose the abolition of slavery in the colonies. He also served as a long-time Director, and later Governor, of the Bank of England.⁴

In 1826, Manning was appointed Deputy Governor of the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo), which established its first estates that same year at Tahlee and Carrington on the NSW MidCoast. The AACo’s original land grant extended to the river at Taree, which the company’s Chief Agent, Robert Dawson, named the “Manning River” in William’s honour.⁵

William Manning was declared bankrupt in 1831, blaming his downfall on “the total neglect of the West India colonies by every succeeding administration, and their allowing the foreign slave trade to be carried on”. He died in London in 1835.⁶

William Manning never set foot in Australia. Yet his name endures – on the river, the valley and the coast…

Author: Janine Roberts