Vandemonian History

Vandemonian History is the name used by Malcolm Ward, a Tasmanian historian and writer whose work explores the island’s colonial past, particularly the era of Van Diemen’s Land. His research focuses on colonial buildings, especially those on Tasmania’s east coast, and on Thomas George Gregson, Tasmania’s second premier. Drawing on his background in family history and his PhD research, Ward shares historical writing through books and papers.

His publications include Houses & Estates of Old Glamorgan, a history of 30 early properties, their settlers, and their buildings, co-authored with Maureen Martin Ferris and Tully Brookes. Ward also edited Love, Passion and Cruelty in Van Diemen’s Land: George Meredith’s Love Letters to His Wife, 1823–1836, offering insight into the personal life of a prominent colonial family. The book is available in softcover through bookshops and the Glamorgan Spring Bay Historical Society, with a limited collector’s hardcover edition sold by the Society.