Mary Reibey is most commonly known for her portrait on the 20 dollar note. She went to from rags to riches seeing an opportunity in Australia after being taken to Australia as a convict. She went from being a convict for 7 years to one of the most powerful business women in her time. Mary Reibey was born Molly Haydock on the 12th of May 1777 in Bury, Lancashire, England. When her parents died by 1779 she was sent to live with her grandmother. In August 1791 she ran away and was arrested for stealing a horse. She was found guilty and was sentenced to 7 years in New South Wales, Australia. While she was arrested she was dressed as a boy and went by the name of James Burrow. She was only 13 years old when she was arrested and shipped off to Australia. In source 1, we see a letter that Mary Reibey sent to …show more content…
He had asked her to marry him a few times before she finally agreed. Mary Reibey was only 17 at the time when she was married. Thomas Reibey was born in 1769 and was aged 25 when he married Mary who was only 17 at the time. He was a merchant and landholder living in Sydney at the time when they met. Mary and Thomas Reibey had 3 sons and 4 daughters, their names were Thomas Haydock Reibey (1796-1842) James Haydock Reibey (1798-1843) George Reibey (1801-1823) Celia Reibey (1802-1823) Eliza Reibey (1805-1870) (Jane Penelope Reibey (1807-1854) and Elizabeth Anne Reibey (1810-1870). Mary Reibey outlived all of her children except for 2, Eliza and Elizabeth. In the first year of their marriage, Thomas was Granted land on the Hawkesbury river where they both lived and farmed. Later he established himself and his family along near the waterside and turned his former association to advantage him by importing merchandise. He named his trading establishment Entally house after a suburb in Calcutta. He started a Cargo business along the Hawkesbury River which Mary Reibey will soon