21 Dando-Collins, Bligh’s Other Mutiny, 2007, p. 244.
22 As cited in Dando-Collins, Bligh’s Other Mutiny, 2007, p. 216.
23 Sydney Gazette, 14 April 1810.
24 Ibid.
25 Whittaker, Distracted Settlement: New South Wales After Bligh, 1998, p. 123.
26 Ellis, John Macarthur, 1978, p. 394.
27 Macarthur Family Papers, 1789–1930 [First Collection], State Library of NSW, Call # A 2909, pp. 9–11.
28 Lancaster, The First Fleet Piano: A Musician’s View, 2015, Ch. 13.
29 viewed online, 29 April 2016,
30 As cited in Ellis, John Macarthur, 1978, p. 406.
31 King, Elizabeth Macarthur and her World, 1980, p. 62.
32 Macquarie’s diary, viewed online, 27 May 2016,
33 Ibid.
34 Ibid.
35 Ibid.
36 Ibid.
37 Presumably from the Aboriginal word benkennie, meaning high, dry land.
38 Macquarie’s diary, viewed online, 27 May 2016,
39 Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, March 1816.
40 Elizabeth Macarthur to John Piper, 13 November 1811, Piper Papers, A 256, Mitchell Library.
16. Bad Debts and Sharp Words
1 Macarthur-Onslow, The Macarthurs of Camden, 1973, p. 186.
2 Ellis, John Macarthur, 1978, pp. 405-06, 411.
3 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 11 November 1810.
4 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 14 May 1812.
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.
7 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 11 December 1809.
8 As cited in Evatt, Rum Rebellion, 1975, p. 212.
9 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 3 May 1810.
10 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 3 August 1810.
11 As cited in Dando-Collins, Bligh’s Other Mutiny, 2007, p. 230.
12 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 18 November 1812.
13 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 4 March 1812.
14 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 26 July 1814.
15 As quoted in Hughes, John Macarthur and the Wool Industry, 1984, p. 8.
16 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 18 November 1812.
17 Ibid.
18 Ibid.
19 Ellis, John Macarthur, 1978, p. 411.
20 Ibid., p. 416.
21 Ibid., p. 411.
22 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 14 May 1812.
23 Mrs E., Advice to a Young Lady in the Colonies, 1979, p. 70.
24 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 14 May 1812.
25 Dunlop, ‘Oxley, John Joseph (1784–1828)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, viewed online, 10 June 2016,
26 Ibid.
27 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 31 May 1828.
28 Hannibal Macarthur to John Macarthur, 10 November 1812.
29 Karskens, The Colony, 2009, p. 137.
30 Kercher, Debt, Seduction and Other Disasters: The birth of civil law in convict New South Wales, 1996, p. 73–75.
31 Ellis, John Macarthur, 1978, pp. 426–427.
32 Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, March 1816.
33 Hannibal Macarthur to John Macarthur, 3 July 1813.
34 As cited in King, Elizabeth Macarthur and Her World, 1980, p. 90.
35 For details of Thomas Herbert and his family see
36 Atkinson, Camden: Farm and village life in early New South Wales, 1988, pp. 16–17
37 As quoted in Ellis, John Macarthur, 1978, p. 430.
38 Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, March 1816.
17. Frontier Bloodshed
1 William Macarthur, ‘Observations upon the various Objections Urged in England upon the State in which Australian Wool is usually Sent to Market, Together with Some Account of an improved Mode of Washing Sheep Practiced at Camden.’ As transcribed in Macarthur-Onslow, The Macarthurs of Camden, 1973, pp. 441–47.
2 Roberts, ed. Miss D & Miss N an Extraordinary Partnership: The Diary of Anne Drysdale, 2009, p. 101.
3 Ibid., p. 102.
4 Ibid., p 100.
5 Hannibal Macarthur to John Macarthur, 3 July 1813.
6 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 26 July 1814.
7 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 31 August 1813.
8 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 26 July 1814.
9 From Blake, ‘And did those feet in ancient time’, 1808.
10 Macquarie’s diary, viewed online, 19 August 2016,
11 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 26 July 1814.
12 Ibid.
13 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 8 December 1814.
14 Ibid.
15 Ibid.
16 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 30 June 1814.
17 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 8 December 1814.
18 Ibid.
19 Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, March 1816.
20 Hannibal Macarthur to John Macarthur, 16 August 1813.
21 Hannibal Macarthur to John Macarthur, 16 May 1814.
22 Ibid.
23 Sydney Gazette, 28 April 1805.
24 As cited in Karskens, The Colony, 2009, p. 493.
25 Ibid., p. 505.
26 Governor Macquarie, as cited in Connor, The Australian Frontier Wars 1788–1838, 2002, p. 51.
27 Connor, The Australian Frontier Wars 1788–1838, 2002, p. 51.
28 Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, March 1816.
29 Ibid.
30 As cited in Karskens, The Colony, 2009, p. 510.
31 Governor Macquarie, as cited in Connor, The Australian Frontier Wars 1788–1838, 2002, p. 52.
18. Prosperity
1 Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, March 1816.
2 Ibid.
3 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 14 May 1812.
4 As cited in King, Elizabeth Macarthur and her World, 1980, p. 87.
5 John Macarthur to Walter Davidson, 3 September 1818.
6 Atkinson, The Political Life of James Macarthur, 1976, p 29.
7 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 29 April 1815.
8 Ibid.
9 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 23 April 1816.
10 Ellis, John Macarthur, 1978, p. 432.
11 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 28 July 1816.
12 Ibid.
13 Goulburn to John Macarthur, as quoted in Ellis, John Macarthur, 1978, p. 434.
14 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 18 February 1817.
15 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 24 March 1817.
16 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 18 November 1812.
17 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 18 February 1817.
18 John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 30 September 1817.
19 Postscript from James Macarthur; John Macarthur to Elizabeth Macarthur, 30 September 1817.
20 Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, 11 December 1817.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
23 John Macarthur to Walter Davidson, 3 September 1818.
24 Ibid.
25 Ibid.
26 Yarwood, ‘Johnston, George (1790–1820)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, viewed online, 3 May 2017,
27 Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, 17 May 1818.
28 King, Elizabeth Macarthur and Her World, 1980, p. 194.
29 Hill, Paper Houses, 2016, p. 216.
30 John Macarthur to Lord Bathur
st, 1 August 1816.
31 in 1825 James and William attempted, unsuccessfully, to have Aboriginal men Bundle and Johnny appointed as constables on the Camden Park side of the Nepean, on full pay and rations. viewed online, 20 May 2013,
32 As cited in Atkinson, Camden: Farm and village life in early New South Wales, 1988, p. 23.
33 Graham, A Treatise on the Australian Merino, 1870, p. 10.
34 viewed online, 17 April 2017,
35 Robert Scott to his mother, May 1822. As quoted in Broadbent, The Australian Colonial House: Architecture and Society in New South Wales 1788-1842, 1997, p. 269.
36 Elizabeth Macarthur to son John Macarthur, 7 June 1824.
37 Ibid.
38 Miss Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, 8 March 1818.
39 Miss Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, 15 July 1818.
40 Ibid.
41 Elizabeth Macarthur to Bridget Kingdon, 1 September 1798.
42 ‘Life at Government House in the Macquarie Era’, viewed online, 16 December 2017
43 Walsh, In Her Own Words, 2011, p. 224–25.
44 Macquarie’s diary, June 1816, viewed online, 26 August 2016, http://www.mq.edu.au/macquarie-archive/lema/1816/1816june.html.
45 Sydney Gazette, 13 November 1823.
46 Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, 7 June 1824.
47 Ibid.
48 Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, 6 February 1825.
49 Ibid.
50 Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, 7 June 1824.
51 isabella’s bible, inscribed with the names of her daughters and grandchildren, is to this day treasured by her Canadian descendants. viewed online, 27 January 2017,
52 Helenus Scott to his mother, August 1824, as cited in Broadbent and Hughes, Elizabeth Farm Parramatta, 1984, p. 40.
53 John Macarthur to Walter Davidson, 3 September 1818.
54 Sydney Gazette, 25 March 1826.
55 Ellis, John Macarthur, 1978, p. 477.
19. Headaches and Public Humiliations
1 Elizabeth Macarthur to son Edward Macarthur, 17 December 1826.
2 Ibid.
3 Elizabeth Macarthur to son John Macarthur, 29 June 1826.
4 John Macarthur to son John Macarthur, 10 April 1830.
5 Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, 4 February 1826.
6 Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, 4 September 1822.
7 Elizabeth Macarthur to Eliza Kingdon, 28 June 1825.
8 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 25 March 1827.
9 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 4 March 1827.
10 Ibid.
11 Governor Darling to Under-Secretary Sir Robert Hay, 2 September 1826; as cited in Hill, Paper Houses, 2016, p. 102.
12 Darling to Under-Secretary Hay, 1 May 1826, as cited in King, Elizabeth Macarthur and Her World, 1980, p. 129.
13 Darling to Under-Secretary Hay, 24 May 1826, as cited in King, Elizabeth Macarthur and Her World, 1980, p. 130.
14 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 5 June 1832.
15 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 17 December 1826.
16 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 4 March 1827.
17 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 17 December 1826.
18 Ibid.
19 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 27 December 1830.
20 Why the cottage was named Hambledon is not clear. There are two villages called Hambledon in England, another called Hambleden (with an e), and a fourth place called Hambledon Hill. Several British naval vessels also bore the name Hambledon. if Penelope Lucas had ties to any one of them, they have since been lost to history.
21 James Macarthur to his brother John Macarthur, 17 May 1827.
22 Sydney Gazette, 14 and 16 May 1828.
23 As cited in Ellis, John Macarthur, 1978, p. 513.
24 Sydney Gazette, 14 and 16 May 1828.
25 For details regarding the Australian Agricultural Company see Atkinson, The Political Life of James Macarthur, 1976, pp. 63–65.
26 James Macarthur to his father John Macarthur, 24 June 1829.
27 Sydney Gazette, 18 February 1828.
28 Gray, ‘Bowman, James (1784–1846)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, viewed online, 22 October 2016,
29 Hart v Bowman 1828, NSW SupC 104, viewed online, 4 November 2016,
30 Hirst, Convict Society and its Enemies, 1983, p. 105. See also
31 Sydney Monitor, 22 December 1832.
32 Ellis, John Macarthur, 1978, p. 492.
33 Marsh & Ebsworth to John Macarthur, 17 August 1821, cited in Atkinson, The Political Life of James Macarthur, 1976, p 42.
34 Harriet King to her husband, Phillip Parker King, 3 November 1828, as transcribed in Walsh, The Admiral’s Wife, 1967, p. 103.
35 American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th Edition), p. 124. See also Hill, Paper Houses, 2016, Ch. 4.
36 Sydney Gazette, 25 April 1828
37 As transcribed in Walsh, The Admiral’s Wife, 1967, p. 86.
38 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 31 May 1828.
39 Joseph Faringdon, as cited by Dr Marion Diamond, viewed online, 24 December 2016,
40 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 21 December 1830.
41 Ibid.
42 Massy, The Australian Merino, 1990, p. 77.
43 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 21 December 1830.
44 Ibid.
45 Ibid.
46 Elizabeth Macarthur to husband John Macarthur, 1830.
47 Ibid.
48 Ibid.
49 Elizabeth Macarthur to son John Macarthur, 23 April 1831.
20. The End of a Marriage
1 William Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, September 1831.
2 John Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, March 1833.
3 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, March 1832.
4 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, May 1832.
5 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 31 May 1828.
6 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 4 March 1827.
7 Edward Macarthur to John and Elizabeth Macarthur, 25 April 1831.
8 Ibid.
9 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, May 1832.
10 Ibid.
11 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 30 June 1832.
12 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 3 July 1832.
13 Ibid.
14 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 9 June 1832.
15 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 3 July 1832.
16 Ibid.
17 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 25 May 1833.
18 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 2 November 1832.
19 Letter in the Australian from ‘An Observer’, letter dated 14 May 1833, published 17 May 1833.
20 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 25 May 1833.
21 Ibid.
22 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 25 May 1833. Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 23 January 1834.
23 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 23 January 1834.
24 Ibid.
25 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 31 May 1828.
26 Elizabeth Macarthur to her daughter Elizabeth, November 1830.
27 Papers of Sir Thomas
Mitchell, Journal, November 1831, as cited in King, Elizabeth Macarthur and Her World, 1980, p. 119.
28 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 29 September 1833.
29 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 23 March 1832.
30 Ibid.
31 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 12 May 1831.
32 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 23 March 1832.
33 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 23 March 1834.
34 Ibid.
35 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 23 March 1832.
36 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 25 May 1833.
37 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 17 May 1834.
38 Hill, Paper Houses, 2016, p. 252.
39 Lord Aberdeen’s secretary to Edward Macarthur, 5 January 1835.
40 Postscript by daughter Elizabeth Macarthur, added to a letter from her mother Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 11 September 1835.
41 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, October 1834.
42 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 20 February 1835.
43 Captain Phillip Parker King’s son (named Phillip Gidley King after his grandfather) was also aboard the Beagle, as a junior officer. Governor King’s grandson and Darwin had entered into a friendship that would continue their whole lives, even after Phillip Gidley King married one of Hannibal’s daughters and retired from the navy to live and work in New South Wales. Years later, in 1842, another of Hannibal’s daughters, Anna, would also marry one of the officers from Charles Darwin’s Beagle voyage, a man called John Clements Wickham. They moved to Brisbane, and lived in a property as fine as the vineyard, called Newstead.
44 viewed online, 6 Jan 2016, footnote 197
45 Ibid.
46 Flannery, Birth of Sydney, 1999, p. 256.
47 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 11 September 1835.
48 Anne Deas Thompson to her brother Dick Bourke, 11 November 1835, as cited in King, Elizabeth Macarthur and Her World, 1980, p. 165.
49 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 1 March 1836.
50 Ibid.
51 James Macarthur to his father, John Macarthur, 7 April 1829.
52 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 30 December 1836.
21. Family Feuds
1 Sibella Norman to G.W. Norman, 15 June 1838, as cited in Atkinson, The Political Life of James Macarthur, 1976, p. 213.
2 Rev T.H. Scott to Elizabeth Macarthur, 14 June 1838, as cited in King, Elizabeth Macarthur and Her World, 1980, p. 171.
3 Elizabeth Macarthur to Edward Macarthur, 27 April 1838.
Elizabeth Macarthur Page 33