Ralph Mansfield

Ralph Mansfield (12 March 1799 – 1 September 1880) was a Methodist missionary and newspaper editor in colonial Australia.

[1] Born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, son of Ralph Mansfield, an earthenware manufacturer, and his wife Ann, née Worthington.

[2] His first foray into publishing in Australia was as editor of The Australian Magazine from 1821 to 1822, the first literary journal in the colonies.

[2] In 1836 he presided at a public meeting held in Sydney to promote the lighting of the city with gas.

A gas-light company was formed, of which Mansfield was secretary from 29 June 1836,[2] till his death in Parramatta, New South Wales, on 1 September 1880.