Governor Lachlan Macquarie is one of Australia’s most well-remembered administrators, but what do we know of his family history? Join historian Pauline Conolly as she shares the turbulent life of Charles Macquarie Jnr, nephew of the Governor. After his father’s death left their Scottish estates mired in debt, an impoverished Charles arrived in Sydney in 1838 with his wife and younger sister. Charles farmed at Paterson during the 1840s, but was left bankrupted after years of drought. In 1845, he was lured back to Scotland by the impending death of his cousin, Lachlan Macquarie Jnr. Expecting to inherit his cousin’s estate, Charles instead became embroiled in a now famed court case over Lachlan Jnr’s will, which also coincided with the Great Irish Potato Famine. Charles eventually lost the case and died in poverty in 1869, leaving a widow and ten children.
Pauline Conolly is a historian and writer who lives and works in Blackheath, a beautiful Blue Mountains village named by Lachlan Macquarie. Pauline has been researching and writing about Macquarie’s extended family for many years, including his niece and nephews, and their time spent in New South Wales. This research Indirectly led to Pauline’s first book. Her website is has also been archived by the National Library for its social history content.
When: Thursday 6 September 2018, 5:30pm
Where: Singleton Public Library, 8-10 Queen Street, Singleton
Cost: Free – book online
Contact: ktatt@singleton.nsw.gov.au, 02 6578 7500
Hosted by Singleton Public Library
Proudly presented as part of the History Council of NSW’s Speaker Connect program for History Week 2018, supported by Create NSW.
Image: Macquarie’s mausoleum, courtesy Pauline Conolly
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