The daughter of Thomas Crabbe, Maude James was part of a large family. She was born at sea en route to Australia. Her family lived at Williamstown, then at Portland, and in 1875 moved to Bendigo where Crabbe founded the legal firm of Crabbe, Cohen and Kirby.
Maude Crabbe married engineer Charles Wordsworth James, whose work took them to Hobart, then to Kalgoorlie, where they lived under canvas. They later lived in Jeffcott Street, North Adelaide, almost opposite Christ Church. The couple had three children; a girl who died at a young age and two boys, Cyril and Tristram.
Although she was the great-great-grand-daughter of the poet Thomas Crabbe, she preferred to emphasise her husband's connection with Wordsworth. She dressed theatrically, with long dresses, a feather boa and big hats, and carried a long cane on which she tied a bow to match her dress. When she was hurrying to catch a tram one day the conductor called out, 'Wait for Bo-peep!'. She would also ride in the sidecar of her son Tristram's motorcycle.
