Early Life and Botanical Pursuits Robert was the first-born son of William Effingham Lawrence. Born and educated in England, he arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) in 1825 aboard the Elizabeth. He became acquainted with Sir William Jackson Hooker, Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Glasgow and later Director of Kew Gardens. Through this friendship, Robert developed a passion as an amateur botanist, sending numerous specimens to Kew and contributing to Hooker’s Flora Tasmaniae (1860).

The Black Line (1830) The Tasmanian government initiated the Black Line to remove Aboriginal inhabitants from settled districts. Thousands of men marched in a cordon spanning approximately 300 kilometers from north to south. For six weeks, Robert led a party of ten men as part of this operation, keeping a journal that records daily events. The campaign largely ignored its stated objective and was widely recognized as a failure.

Residences and Personal Life Robert lived in the house Vermont, built by his father near Launceston, before moving to his father’s estate Formosa as overseer. In 1832, he married Anne Emily Wedge, who died the following year giving birth to their daughter Anne Emily Lawrence.

Death Robert died on 18 October 1833 of an apoplectic fit, weeks after his wife’s death. His infant daughter was raised by her maternal grandparents in Van Diemen’s Land and later Port Phillip, marrying Monckton Synnot.