Elizabeth Underwood
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Underwood (circa 1794 – 31 August 1858) was a pioneering Australian land owner who founded the village (now a suburb) of Ashfield, New South Wales
.
She was the daughter of John Harris, an English-born ex-convict who had been sentenced to death for stealing eight silver spoons but was ultimately transported to Australia
on the First Fleet
. Her mother's identity isn't known for sure but she was probably also a convict. One biographer speculates her name was Mary Green and Elizabeth was actually born Elizabeth Green on 24 December. Neither parent played a significant part in her upbringing. Her father set sail for England in 1801 and left Elizabeth and her sister Hannah in the care of James Larra, a prominent Sydney merchant and ex-convict, and his wife Susannah. Elizabeth was later described as the niece of Larra and it may be that her mother was sister to either Larra or his wife.
In 1812, she married Walter Lang and they had two sons before Walter died in 1816. The second son John George Lang
was the first published novelist born in Australia. In 1819, she married Joseph Underwood, a merchant and sealer whose wife had died the year before leaving him with a number of children to look after. Joseph and Elizabeth had a further six children of their own so it was fortunate that, just before his marriage to Elizabeth, he had bought a large house and property, Ashfield Park, from fellow merchant Robert Campbell.
After Joseph's death in 1833, the family began to encounter financial difficulties and considered subdividing their large estate. Cannily, Elizabeth advertised the sale as the formation of the village of Ashfield and paid for the construction of the Anglican Church herself. Many streets in northern Ashfield bear the names of her children including Frederick, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Julia and Joseph. Prior to the subdivision, the area was commonly known as Underwood's Bush and Underwood's Creek (later Iron Cove Creek and now a stormwater drain) was a popular picnic spot along Parramatta Road
. Elizabeth died in 1858 and was buried by the rector Thomas Wilkinson in the graveyard of the church she built, St John's
.
Ashfield, New South Wales
Ashfield is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Ashfield is about 9 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield.The official name for the...
.
She was the daughter of John Harris, an English-born ex-convict who had been sentenced to death for stealing eight silver spoons but was ultimately transported to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on the First Fleet
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
. Her mother's identity isn't known for sure but she was probably also a convict. One biographer speculates her name was Mary Green and Elizabeth was actually born Elizabeth Green on 24 December. Neither parent played a significant part in her upbringing. Her father set sail for England in 1801 and left Elizabeth and her sister Hannah in the care of James Larra, a prominent Sydney merchant and ex-convict, and his wife Susannah. Elizabeth was later described as the niece of Larra and it may be that her mother was sister to either Larra or his wife.
In 1812, she married Walter Lang and they had two sons before Walter died in 1816. The second son John George Lang
John Lang (writer)
John Lang was an Australian lawyer and was Australia's first native born novelist. Lang was born at Parramatta, Sydney, Australia, second and posthumous son of Walter Lang, merchant adventurer, and his wife Elizabeth, née Harris. Lang was educated at Sydney College under William Timothy Cape...
was the first published novelist born in Australia. In 1819, she married Joseph Underwood, a merchant and sealer whose wife had died the year before leaving him with a number of children to look after. Joseph and Elizabeth had a further six children of their own so it was fortunate that, just before his marriage to Elizabeth, he had bought a large house and property, Ashfield Park, from fellow merchant Robert Campbell.
After Joseph's death in 1833, the family began to encounter financial difficulties and considered subdividing their large estate. Cannily, Elizabeth advertised the sale as the formation of the village of Ashfield and paid for the construction of the Anglican Church herself. Many streets in northern Ashfield bear the names of her children including Frederick, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Julia and Joseph. Prior to the subdivision, the area was commonly known as Underwood's Bush and Underwood's Creek (later Iron Cove Creek and now a stormwater drain) was a popular picnic spot along Parramatta Road
Parramatta Road
.Parramatta Road is the major historical east-west artery of metropolitan Sydney, Australia, connecting the Sydney with Parramatta. It is the eastern-most part of the Great Western Highway. Much of its traffic has been diverted to modern expressways such as the M4 and the City West Link...
. Elizabeth died in 1858 and was buried by the rector Thomas Wilkinson in the graveyard of the church she built, St John's
St. John the Baptist's Anglican Church, Ashfield, Sydney
St John the Baptist Anglican Church is an active Anglican church located between Alt and Bland Streets, Ashfield, a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia...
.