Gilbert Robertson

Gilbert Robertson (1794–1851) was a colonist and newspaper editor in Van Diemen's Land.

Life
He was the son of Gilbert Robertson (1774–1840), a planter with large possessions in Demerara, by his enslaved mistress; or else the son of Gilbert's uncle, George Robertson (1756–1799).

He was raised and educated by a wealthy male relative in Scotland, from whence he emigrated to Van Diemen's Land as a free settler in 1822. In 1828 he led the first 'roving party' of armed settlers tasked with capturing hostile aboriginals in the context of the so-called Black War.