Eleanor (Ellen) Skuthorpe (c. 1792–1857)
Eleanor Irwin (c.1792-1857) accompanied her husband, Ormsby Irwin, a convict, aboard the Boyd which arrived at Sydney in August 1809. The couple's first first child William was born on 6 August 1809 on board the Boyd, six days before the ship arrived in Port Jackson.
Eleanor and her husband were convicted of the manslaughter of Sgt Robert Morrow in June 1814 after a drunken fight in a tavern. The couple each received a two-year sentence. Eleanor served her time at Parramatta gaol; Ormsby was sentenced to hard labour at Newcastle. The couple's two children were sent to Newcastle with their father and were later enrolled in a school that was opened there in May 1816 for "the poor children of that Settlement".
While at Parramatta gaol, Eleanor gave birth to a daughter fathered by William Brandy (Fortune 2), a member of the gaol gang (Mary Broady, baptised 29 October 1815).
After she was released from prison in June 1816 she lived with Richard Skuthorpe. Their first child was born at Richmond on 20 October 1817, and was baptised as 'the son of Richard and Honor Skuthorp'. She married (as Honor Connor) Skuthorpe on 13 October 1818; both signed the register with a mark. The couple had seven children.
Eleanor died (as Ellen Skuthorpe) on 14 January 1857 at the stated age of 65 at Richmond of an unknown cause. She had been ill for two years. She was buried two days later.
Additional Resources
- is found guilty of the manslaughter of Robert Morrow, Sydney Gazette, 25 June 1814, p 2, column 1
- the tavern's licence is cancelled, Sydney Gazette, 9 July 1814, p 1, column 1
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Irwin, Ormsby (husband)
- Skuthorpe, Richard (husband)
- Bellett, Catherine (daughter)
- Skuthorpe, Thomas (son)
- Skuthorpe, Mary Ann (daughter-in-law)
- Ridge, Mary Ann (granddaughter)
- Skuthorpe, James Richard (grandson)
- Morrow, Robert (crime victim)
Citation details
'Skuthorpe, Eleanor (Ellen) (c. 1792–1857)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/skuthorpe-eleanor-ellen-31877/text39338, accessed 16 April 2024.
Life Summary [details]
Alternative Names
- Connor, Eleanor
- Irwin, Eleanor
- Brandy, Eleanor
- Broady, Eleanor
- Skuthorp, Eleanor
Birth
Death
14 January,
1857
(aged ~ 65)
Richmond,
New South Wales,
Australia
Cause of Death
Cultural Heritage
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Religious Influence
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