AustLit

William Sorell was appointed to the position of Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land on 3 April 1816 and assumed the position on 9 April 1817. He was an able administrator and restored law and order to the fledgling colony, particularly overcoming difficulties with convicts and bushrangers. While generally improving conditions in the colony, Sorell was dogged by the exposure of his private life. (His companion in Van Diemen's Land was the wife of a former colleague in the West Indies, and Sorell's own wife, from whom he was officially separated, lived in England with their seven children.) Sorell was recalled from duty in 1823. His term concluded on 14 May 1924.