'A dramatic and fast-paced biography of a currency lass born to parents who were emancipated convicts. When 15-year-old Mary Ann Gill attempted to elope with gentleman settler John Kinchela in 1848, they became the focus of a national scandal which was nearly their undoing.
'One wet autumn evening in 1848, 15-year-old Mary Ann Gill stole out of a bedroom window in her father's Sydney hotel and took a coach to a local racecourse. There she was to elope with James Butler Kinchela, wayward son of the former Attorney-General. Her enraged father pursued them on horseback and fired two pistols at his daughter's suitor, narrowly avoiding killing him.
'What followed was Australia's most scandalous abduction trial of the era, as well as an extraordinary story of adventure and misadventure, both in Australia and abroad. Through humiliation, heartache, bankruptcy and betrayal, Mary Ann hung on to James' promise to marry her.
'This is a compelling biography of a currency lass born when convicts were still working the streets of Sydney. Starting with just a newspaper clipping, historian Kiera Lindsey has uncovered the world of her feisty great, great, great aunt, who lived and loved during a period of dramatic social and political change.' (Publication summary)
(Publication abstract)
'The Convict’s Daughter is a historical biography of Mary Ann Gill, a first-generation Australian woman born to convict parents in Sydney, New South Wales. Written over a period of nine years, and driven, in part, by her ancestral connection to the main character, Kiera Lindsey offers an innovative addition to the historical writings on the period. The opening chapters of the book introduce us to Mary Ann as a fifteen-year-old girl who is determined to marry gentlemen settler, James Butler Kinchela. The ensuing scandal and events that follow are set against the tumultuous political and social conditions of the 1840s as the colony attempted to progress beyond its penal origins. Written from the perspective of this remarkable young woman, Lindsey avoids traditional historical conventions that often rely on the views of official documentation and their authors, to ensure the day-to-day experiences of colonial life remain the focus of the book – experiences which notably demonstrate the importance and lasting influence of women in the growth and success of Australia’s fledgling colonies.' (Introduction)
'The Convict’s Daughter is a historical biography of Mary Ann Gill, a first-generation Australian woman born to convict parents in Sydney, New South Wales. Written over a period of nine years, and driven, in part, by her ancestral connection to the main character, Kiera Lindsey offers an innovative addition to the historical writings on the period. The opening chapters of the book introduce us to Mary Ann as a fifteen-year-old girl who is determined to marry gentlemen settler, James Butler Kinchela. The ensuing scandal and events that follow are set against the tumultuous political and social conditions of the 1840s as the colony attempted to progress beyond its penal origins. Written from the perspective of this remarkable young woman, Lindsey avoids traditional historical conventions that often rely on the views of official documentation and their authors, to ensure the day-to-day experiences of colonial life remain the focus of the book – experiences which notably demonstrate the importance and lasting influence of women in the growth and success of Australia’s fledgling colonies.' (Introduction)
(Publication abstract)
