Mrs M

In 2014 Luke Slattery wrote the book, The First Dismissal, a study of the final years of  the governorship of Lachlan Macquarie in New South Wales focusing on the criticism of his term as reported in The Bigge Report.

Slattery has now written a work of historical fiction with Elizabeth Macquarie, Lachlan Macquarie's wife, as the main character. The story in the novel fluctuates between Elizabeth's life on the Scottish island of Mull and her life in Sydney as the wife of the governor. In November 1807, Elizabeth was 29 when she married Lachlan who was 46 and widowed. Jane, his first wife, had died in India in 1796.

In the novel there is a three way partnership between Elizabeth, Lachlan and the convict Francis Greenway (referred to as The Architect) who was employed by the governor to design public buildings for the new colony. Elizabeth was known to be interested in gardening and in architecture, and supported her husband in his aim of improving the look of the new settlement. In the book she and The Architect work closely together, not always with her husband's approval.

Sydney was established as a prison settlement but as many of the convicts gained their freedom there was a new dimension to the needs of the colony. As governor, Macquarie used the talents of the emancipists, including Greenway, to carry out his vision antagonising many of the former military officers and other free settlers living in the colony. Factions developed in the colony culminating with the British government sending Commissioner Bigge to write a report on Macquarie's management style and spending. Tensions also developed regarding attitudes to the treatment of aboriginal people.

This is a work of fiction set in an historical setting which I enjoyed reading. As such it is a good story that also provides an understanding of some of the underlying tensions prevalent, as well as achievements, in the early days of colonial Australia. However in the postscript the author points out some of the historical events in the lives of the characters which were changed for the writing of the novel. Hopefully some readers of this book will decide to investigate the real stories of the the three main characters who contributed so much to the formation of Sydney.

[As a side note, one of my ancestors, Simeon Lord, also receives a couple of brief mentions in the book.]

Australian Dictionary of Biography - Elizabeth Macquarie
Australian Dictionary of Biography - Lachlan Macquarie
Australian Dictionary of Biography - Francis Greenway