Sprent village

Charles Percy Sprent was the son of Scotsman, James Sprent, one of a team of surveyors who took part in the first trigonometric survey of Tasmania in the 1830s for the production of the first map of the whole island. Upon his arrival in Hobart in May 1830, Sprent Snr. had established a "public School for young gentlemen", and later lectured on astronomy at the Mechanics Institute. Sprent Snr. became the Surveyor-General in 1857. He died five years later, age 55. The village of Sprent in North-West tasmania, is named in his honour.

Sprent was born at Hobart in 1849. He was educated at the High School, Hobart, and chose the profession of surveyor, following in his father's footsteps. In 1871 he was appointed District Surveyor of the North-western District of Tasmania. In this year, Mr. James Smith's splendid discovery of tin at Mount Bischoff first revealed the mineral treasures hidden in the dense forests of the North-West, and during the next ten years Mr. Sprent did valuable pioneering work in opening the way for prospectors by his explorations of the country lying between Mount Bischoff and Macquarie Harbour.

Sprent's survey of Waratah, 1876