Eliza Gardiner

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Sandie McKoy on 18th April 2025

BENEATH THE BRIM: THE LIFE OF ELIZA GARDINER Convict, mother, survivor, hat maker - her story stitched into the fabric of colonial Australia. A LIFE BEGINS IN FINSBURY Eliza was born on 22 October 1811 in Finsbury, London, and baptised a month later at St Luke's, Old Street. She was one of at least three children born to Alexander Gardiner Esq. and Isabella (unknown surname). Her father was from Scotland and had a long career in the military. In 1794, he was involved in the movement to set up the Montrose Company of Volunteers and after its formation, was appointed Captain. In 1796, he was appointed Major Commandant of the Royal Montrose Volunteers, and then in 1803, he was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the Montrose Volunteers (aka the 2nd Forfarshire), which was formed under his command. After the Montrose Volunteers were disbanded, he worked as a Hemp and Tallow merchant. Eliza's early years are unclear - her family moved to Southwark at some point and in 1826 her father died at Laurencekirk, Scotland. It's unknown if she lived at Scotland at any point or if her father travelled away from the family for lengths of time. In the absence of a Will that can located, it's also unclear if her widowed mother had financial security. Eliza doesn't enter the record until 1830 when she was charged with a crime. A CRIME AND A HARSH SENTENCE In 1830, amidst widespread poverty and limited options for women, Eliza was arrested for pawning a pillow - a desperate act that reflected the social inequalities of the era. On 1 March, she appeared before the Surrey Quarter Sessions at Newington - one of 80 cases heard that day. Found guilty, she was sentenced to 14 years' transportation to the penal colony of New South Wales. The harshness of the punishment - common for property crimes - was part of a broader British policy that used transportation to both punish the poor and populate its far-flung colonies. After several months in Horsemonger Lane Gaol, a notoriously grim and overcrowded prison, Eliza boarded the barque Kains, a 353-ton convict ship that departed London on 8 July 1830. The journey took eight months, during which the women endured the hardship of life at sea, with limited rations, confined quarters, and exposure to disease. The journals of Surgeon Thrasycles Clarke and crewman Charles Picknell, later published, shed light on the brutal reality of female convict voyages. Key excerpts of their journals produced by Jen Willetts on her 'Free Settlers or Felons' website give an illuminating insight into the experiences of not only the women but the crew. The Kains arrived at Port Jackson on 11 March 1831 and four days later, the Colonial Secretary mustered Eliza and the female convicts on the ship and their indents were completed. Eliza was described as being just under 5 feet tall, having a dark/ruddy complexion, brown hair, and dark brown eyes. She had two tattoos - 'JABH' on upper part of right arm and 'YC' and dots between the left and right thumb and forefinger, likely personal marks of identity or love. Little did she know that just three years later, her sister Jane would be held in the same prison for theft and despite the petition from her mother, would be transported to Van Diemen's Land. ASSIGNED AND UNSETTLED On 25 March, Eliza and her fellow prisoners were landed at the Sydney Dockyard and assigned to settlers. She was sent to Charles Throsby Smith Esq., a landowner at Bustle Farm, Illawarra, where she worked as a domestic servant - likely assisting with the care of his growing family. Domestic servants were in high demand in the colony, where settler families depended on female convict labour to run their households. The Throsby family, part of the colonial elite, were heavily involved in politics, farming, and expansion into Aboriginal lands - highlighting the complex intersections of gender, class, and colonisation in Eliza's world. However, Eliza struggled to conform to the expectations of obedience and subservience. By 1832, she was assigned to Joshua Thorp, from whom she absconded, resulting in three months' hard labour at the Parramatta Female Factory - a prison, workhouse, and maternity home for female convicts. Over the next few years, she continued to move between employers and incarceration in the Sydney and Parramatta Gaols and the Parramatta Female Factory. MOTHERHOOD UNDER SURVEILLANCE In the midst of her unstable assignments, Eliza became pregnant - a serious offence for a convict woman, particularly one in service. She was sent to the Parramatta Female Factory, where she gave birth to her daughter Mary on 12 February 1836. Mary was baptised at St John's, Parramatta, two months later. Eliza's second daughter, Eliza, born in 1837, died at the Factory in 1839 - a tragedy all too common among children of the incarcerated poor. She was buried in an unmarked grave at St John's Churchyard, Parramatta - a quiet end for a life barely begun. In the same year, Eliza received her Ticket of Leave, restricting her to Stonequarry (modern-day Picton). This "indulgence" allowed her to earn wages but bound her to a defined area under continued surveillance. A MARRIAGE AND A BRIEF HOPE On 26 August 1839, Eliza was given permission by Reverend R. Forrest at Campbell Town to marry 49 year old fellow convict Joseph Rich. This marriage didn't take place but less than a month later, Reverend F. Wilkinson gave permission for her to marry 45 year old convict and widow George Henry. The wedding took place on 7 October 1839 at the Chapel at Stonequarry near Camden. At the time of their marriage, Eliza was working for W. Sawyer and was living at Bull Beds and George was working as a shoemaker for himself at Stonequarry. In December of that year, her mother died in poverty at St George the Martyr Workhouse, Southwark, and was buried at the Parish's expense in the Lock Burial Ground. It's unknown if Eliza was given news of this. Eliza and George settled at Hoare Town (now Douglas Park) and welcomed a daughter, Eliza, around 1840. But the promise of family life was short-lived - George died in December 1845, and was buried in St John's Churchyard, Camden. Shortly after his death, Eliza gave birth to George's son Robert, who died in infancy and was laid to rest in the same cemetery as his father. A Second Marriage and a New Life in Yass A month after Robert died, Eliza married Patrick Hines at the Presbyterian Church at Clifton on 25 March 1847. Minister Hugh Robert Gilchrist had travelled from Campbell Town to perform baptism, marriage and burial rites at the Church. Local men D. R. Macdonald and Mark W. Hale served as witnesses. Patrick had been transported to New South Wales in 1838 on the Elphinstone for larceny. Eliza and her two surviving children Mary and Eliza junior moved in with Patrick and they settled at Yass. They welcomed five children - Robert (b 1848, d 1869), Isabella (1849), John (1853), James (1855), and Mary (1858). By 1861, the family had moved to Belvoir (now Wodonga) and were living at Fell Timber Creek. Patrick's business as a market gardener had failed and insolvency proceedings were brought against him. He argued hardship based on 'losses in trade, failure in crops, sickness in family, and pressure of creditors. His debts were £363 19s 9d and his assets were £78 53 1d. VIOLENCE, SCANDAL AND SEPARATION The family then moved across the Murray River to Albury and their marriage fell apart in a very public way. In 1862, Eliza took Patrick to court, accusing him of violence against her and their daughter Isabella, and revealed he had formed a relationship with her daughter Mary. Patrick was sentenced to over four months in jail, and the judge 'intimated that steps would be taken to provide a separate maintenance, and to protect (Eliza) in having the benefit of her own earnings'. This was a rare example of legal recourse for women experiencing family violence in colonial Australia. During her time in the colonies, Eliza had been making and selling cabbage tree hats - a thriving cottage industry for convict women. It's possible she made a small income to support herself and the children with food and clothing. Whether she and Patrick ever reunited is unknown, but poverty likely forced them into close quarters, despite the deep fracture in their relationship. A QUIET ENDING Eliza died on 26 April 1864 in Albury, aged 52, from general debility and old age - a vague diagnosis often linked to long-term illness and exhaustion. On her death certificate, she was listed as a "Cabbage Tree Hat Maker." She had last been seen by a doctor in November 1863. She was buried two days later in the Albury Cemetery, in an unmarked grave. The burial was organised by Patrick Tygh, a fellow former convict, and the witnesses were her daughters Mary Gardiner and Eliza Henry. Patrick registered her death with the Albury District Registrar three months later. Eliza is buried in an unknown location within the Cemetery. LEGACY Eliza left behind a complex legacy: a life marked by incarceration, motherhood, poverty, reinvention, and quiet resilience. Her grave, like so many convict women's, is unmarked, her life largely unrecorded outside of criminal ledgers and parish books. Yet through those fragments, we find a woman who endured loss, violence, and judgement, and still managed to care for her children, run a household, craft a living with her hands, and survive in a world that gave her so little. She was not forgotten. She was Eliza Gardiner - mother, wife, hat maker, survivor. Sources Baptism of Eliza Hellen Gardiner, baptised 25 November 1811, in St Luke's Church Parish Register, Old Street, Finsbury, Islington, Middlesex, England, in London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, Ancestry.com. 'STAFF', Kentish Gazette, 21 October 1794, p 2, The British Library Board, Find My Past. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/13970/page/32/data.pdf Eliza Gardner [Gardiner], 1 March 1830, Criminal Registers, England And Wales, 1805-1892, The National Archives (UK), HO 27/40, in England & Wales, Crime, Prisons & Punishment, 1770-1935, Find My Past. Jen Willets, 'Convict Ship Kains - 1831', Free Settler or Felon, https://freesettlerorfelon.com/convict_ship_kains_1831.htm Eliza Gardiner, Kains, 1831, annotated printed indents, New South Wales State Archives, NRS 12189, pp 141–142, in New South Wales, Australia, Convict Indents, 1788–1842, Ancestry.com. Jane Gardener, 1833, Home Office: Criminal Petitions: Series I, The National Archives (UK), HO 17/119, in England & Wales, Crime, Prisons & Punishment, 1770-1935, Find My Past. Jane Gardener, Edward, 1834, Conduct record, Conduct Registers of Female Convicts arriving in the Period of the Assignment System, Tasmanian Archives, CON40/1/3. Eliza Gardiner, Kains, 1831, List of convicts [arrived], The National Archives (UK), HO 10/29, in New South Wales, Australia, Settler and Convict Lists, 1787-1834, Ancestry.com. 'Classified Advertising', Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, 12 January 1832, p 4, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2204414. 'LIST OF FEMALE CONVICTS ASSIGNED BETWEEN THE 1st AND 30th APRIL, 1832', New South Wales Government Gazette, 17 October 1832, p 344, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230389188. Eliza Gardner [Gardiner], Entrance books [Sydney Gaol], New South Wales State Archives, NRS 2514, 26 April 1834, pp 141–142, in New South Wales, Australia, Gaol Description and Entrance Books, 1818-1930, Ancestry.com. 'Government Gazette Notices', New South Wales Government Gazette, 23 July 1834, p 547, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230687076. 'Government Gazette Notices', New South Wales Government Gazette, 21 October 1835, p 744, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230656554. Eliza Gardener [Gardiner], Entrance Books [Parramatta Gaol], New South Wales State Archives, NRS 4/6531, in New South Wales, Australia, Gaol Description and Entrance Books, 1818-1930, Ancestry.com. Female Factory Online, (femalefactoryonline.org), "Baptism of MARY GARDENER [sic]," https://femalefactoryonline.org/baptisms/year-1836/bap18360412/ Baptism of Mary Gardener [Gardiner], baptised 12 April 1836, in New South Wales, Australia, St. John's Parramatta, Baptisms, 1790-1916, Ancestry.com. Death registration of Eliza Gardiner, died 1839, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 719/23A/1839. St. John's Online, (stjohnsonline.org), "Burial of ELIZA GARDINER", https://stjohnsonline.org/burials/year-1839/bur18390213/ Eliza Gardiner, Kains, [1831], 1 July 1839, Ticket of leave butts, New South Wales State Archives, NRS 12202, in New South Wales, Australia, Tickets of Leave, 1810-1869, Ancestry.com. Eliza Gardiner, Kains, [1831], 26 August 1839, Registers of convicts' applications to marry, New South Wales State Archives, NRS 12212, pp 112–113, in New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Convicts' Applications to Marry, 1826-1851, Ancestry.com. Eliza Gardiner, Kains, [1831], 22 September 1839, Registers of convicts' applications to marry, New South Wales State Archives, NRS 12212, pp 118–119, in New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Convicts' Applications to Marry, 1826-1851, Ancestry.com. Marriage registration of George Henry and Eliza Gardner, married 7 October 1839, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 353/23B/1839. Burial of Isabella Gardiner, buried 17 December 1839, St George the Martyr Workhouse, Southwark, Greater London Burial Index, Find My Past. Death registration of George Henry, died 14 December 1845, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 722/30B/1845. Birth registration of Robert Henry, born 1846, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 391/48/1846. Death registration of Robert Henry, died 21 February 1847, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 1257/32b/1847. Marriage registration of Patrick Hines and Eliza Henry, married 25 March 1847, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 95/78/1847. Patrick Herries [Hines], Elphinstone, 1838, annotated printed indents, New South Wales State Archives, NRS 12189, pp 206–207, in New South Wales, Australia, Convict Indents, 1788–1842, Ancestry.com. 'NEW INSOLVENTS', Age (Melbourne), 30 October 1861, p 5, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article154900017. 'ALBURY POLICE COURT', Albury Banner and Wodonga Express, 13 September 1862, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article264151551. Death registration of Eliza Hines, died 26 April 1864, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 2587/1864.

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Robert Ian Burrows on 3rd February 2025

Birth of Daughter - Mary Gardiner (father unknown) 12 Feb 1836 - female factory online Marriage to George Henry (convict) Oct 19 1839. 2nd marriage - Patrick Hines (convict) 25th Mar 1847 Died 26 Apr 1864 Albury NSW

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Robert Ian Burrows on 24th November 2024

1st Marriage to George Henry 19 Oct 1839 - 'chapel, parish of Oaks and Stonequarry' - now known as Picton NSW. 2nd marriage to Patrick Hines 25 Mar 1847 Picton NSW source of information -NSW BD&M 353Vol.238 & 95Vol.78

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Robert Ian Burrows on 24th November 2024

Christened 25 Nov 1811 St.Luke Old street Finsbury London England Death Registration - NSW BD&M 2587/1864

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Corinne Lutton on 22nd October 2014

Died 26 Apr 1864, Albury, NSW. Burial Albury cemetery 28 Apr 1864.

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Corinne Lutton on 16th October 2014

Married to George Henry (Isabella)7 Oct 1839. He died 14 Dec 1845, Camden. Married to Patrick Hines (Elphinstone (3)) 20 Mar 1847, Campbelltown.