Mary Molly Haydock but was often known as Mary Reibey and the lady on the twenty-dollar note. She was an Englishwoman who went from a convict to one of the most successful businesswomen in the colony of New South Wales. Reibey was born on the 12th May 1777 in Bury, Lancashire, England; Mary Reibey and was orphaned at only age of two so she was raised by her grandmother after her parents had died. Reibey was well educated and had a comfortable life.
It was in 1791 that her comfortable life changed when she ran away from home after her grandmother had passed away and disguised herself as a boy, taking the name James Burrow. Mary Reibey was then caught and arrested for stealing a horse in August 1791 and stealing a horse back then was considered as a capital offence. It was then at the age of 13 she was sentenced to seven years of transportation and became a convict and forcing Mary to leave England and being transported to Sydney, Australia. Her identity was also
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It is believed that he had contracted an illness while on his trade in India. When Thomas died he left a great amount of responsibility on his children and business on his wife Mary Reibey, she took out the responsibility confidently and successfully. While Mary was carrying out the trading and shipping business, she was soon recognized as a leader in business matters and a leading land holder in Sydney Town and was highly respected by the people in the society. Mary Reibey was once at the bottom but now she is all the way up in the top of the society, she was able to hide her convict background with her business dealings. She was now a woman of significant wealth, and continued to expand her business that her husband had started. In 1812-1817, it was one of Mar Reibey’s most extraordinary step since she opened new warehouses, including one in George Street, and in 1817 she extended her shipping operations by purchasing more