Maria Lock

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Maria Lock (c.1808 – 1878) was an Aboriginal Australian landowner in the Darug area of Western Sydney. Maria is significant in Australian history due to her educational achievements, having the first legally recognised marriage between a settler and an Aboriginal person, and later for being a landowner in early colonial times. Maria is also known as Maria Locke.

Early life[]

Maria was born at Richmond Bottoms by the Hawkesbury River to Yarramundi, 'Chief of the Richmond Tribes'. The family belonged to the Boorooberongal clan of the Darug people.[citation needed]

Education[]

In 1814, Maria was placed at the Native Institution at Parramatta for tuition by William and Elizabeth Shelley. Here she was given the name Maria Cook. The achievement of a black girl, aged 14, believed to be Maria Lock, winning first prize in a NSW examination ahead of approximately 120 other students was reported in the Sydney Gazette on 17 April 1819. Her teachers reported her to be well ahead of the other students, with an early grasp on the English language and above-average educational performances.[citation needed]

Work and family life[]

By the end of 1822 it is thought that Maria was living at the household of Rev. Thomas Hassall and his wife Anne in Parramatta where she worked as a domestic. That same year the Maria living with the Hassall family married Dicky, a son of Bennelong, who had also been in the Native Institution. Within weeks of their marriage Dicky became ill and died. However the facts of her employment within the Hassall household and marriage to Dicky are in contention, as information in her later petition for land, states that she continued in the Native Institution school until she was married to Robert Lock.

In 26 January 1824 Maria married Robert Lock (also spelt Locke) (1800-1854). Robert was an illiterate convict carpenter. This was the first legalised and recognised marriage between a European settler and an Aboriginal person in the colony, and Robert was assigned to her. This took place at St John's Church, Parramatta.

Together Maria and Robert had 10 children, nine of which made it to adulthood.

Land grant[]

Maria and Robert initially settled on a small farm belonging to Native Institution, but later moved to the employ of Rev. Robert Cartwright at Liverpool. In March of 1831, Maria petitioned Ralph Darling for her deceased brother Colebee's grant at Blacktown, opposite the Native Institution. 40 acres were granted to Robert on Maria's behalf, but Cartwright frustrated this claim as he felt it was injurious to the established buildings on his adjoining allotment. However, Maria persisted and in 1833 was granted forty more acres at Liverpool, again in Robert's name. She then received her brother's 30 acre grant in 1843. In 1844, Maria and her husband returned to Blacktown where they were granted another 30 acres.

Final years[]

Maria died on 6 June 1878 and was buried beside her husband Robert at St Bartholomew's Church of England, Prospect. Her burial registration reads "Last of the Aboriginals from Blacktown", and wrongly gives her birth date as 1794. Her land was divided equally among her children and was occupied by her descendants until 1920, when the freehold land was considered to be an Aboriginal reserve (Plumpton) and was revoked by the Aboriginal Protection Board. Now, many of her descendants continue to live on Darug land.

References[]

Maria Lock wiki

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