WE owe much to the Rev. Robert Knopwood for the legacy of his historic diaries, extending from the founding of Tasmania till 1838, the year of his death.

Knopwood was born in Norfolk, England, on June 2, 1761, and had gone through considerable inherited wealth, estimated by some at £90,000, before he decided to take holy orders.

He was appointed chaplain to Lieut.-Colonel Collins' company which left England for Australia in April, 1803.

Recently the original copies of his diaries from 1805-1808 were given by a Rokeby woman to the Royal Society of Tasmania. The remainder of the diaries, except for some missing years, are in the possession of the Mitchell Library, Sydney.

In private life Knopwood was a typical country squire. As a clergyman his motto was, "Do as I say, not as I do."

The tombstone over his grave at the Rokeby church graveyard contains the following inscription: "Sacred to the memory of the Reverend Robert Knopwood, M.A., who died September 18, 1838, aged 77 years. He was the first Colonial Chaplain in Van Diemen's Land, having arrived in February, 1804, with Lieut.-Governor Collins. He was a steady and affectionate friend, a man of strict integrity and active benevolence, ever-ready to relieve the distress and ameliorate the condition of the afflicted. This monument was erected by an obliged and grateful friend as a mark of her respect."