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The Mayne Inheritance: A Gothic Tale of Murder, Madness and Scandal Across the Generations
Opening with a macabre mid-nineteenth century murder, 'The Mayne Inheritance' unfolds like a gothic thriller.
Was it the murder victim's money that founded patriarch Patrick Mayne's Queen Street business empire? And were the whispered accusations of murder and genetic madness true?
For 150 years, scandal and mystery have surrounded the Maynes, a wealthy family who donated the magnificent site on which the University of Queensland now stands.
'A gothic tale of murder, madness and scandal across the generations ... Mad nuns, suspicious doctors, drownings, murder as foul as fevered imaginations can devise.'
- Rosemary Sorensen, The Courier-Mail
'This real-life thriller has been selling and selling ... and has rarely left the bestseller lists.'
- Matt Condon, Sun Herald
Was it the murder victim's money that founded patriarch Patrick Mayne's Queen Street business empire? And were the whispered accusations of murder and genetic madness true?
For 150 years, scandal and mystery have surrounded the Maynes, a wealthy family who donated the magnificent site on which the University of Queensland now stands.
'A gothic tale of murder, madness and scandal across the generations ... Mad nuns, suspicious doctors, drownings, murder as foul as fevered imaginations can devise.'
- Rosemary Sorensen, The Courier-Mail
'This real-life thriller has been selling and selling ... and has rarely left the bestseller lists.'
- Matt Condon, Sun Herald
218 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 19, 1997
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December 2, 2019
This intriguing book poses the question: did he didn't he? Meaning Patrick Mayne, of Brisbane's rich Mayne family. Did they appease guilt over a murder when they bequeathed a large amount of money to build the University of Queensland? Did their lack of heirs relate to a fear of genetic insanity in the line?
Whatever, the bequest saved my own grandfather W. A. Back from bankruptcy in the Depression. He headed a syndicate of graziers called Coronation Park Estate that developed the suburbs of St Lucia and Taringa. Grandad and his partners fell on hard times when people defaulted on their rates and payments. The Mayne legacy and resulting land sales were a godsend.
My book "Midnight Sun to Southern Cross" tells the back story of St Lucia and University of Queensland development.
My uncle Eric wrote about the St Lucia development:
"The purchase price was to be about £24,000. They formed a private company known as Coronation Park Pty and we know it today as St Lucia. The land included the (now) Indooroopilly Golf Club, then along the river to include a lot of the University grounds, but away from the frontage it was
mostly undeveloped bush.
Its hills were subdivided into 870 building blocks on a contour town plan system by the best surveyors available to convert dairy land and scrub into a model suburb."
Granddad aimed high. The Governor himself, Sir Matthew Nathan, presided at the opening of the estate. An engineer himself, he praised the layout to reduce the steepness of the grades as one of the civic triumphs of Mr R. A. McInnes, who was to become town planner of Brisbane.
Up to 1926 some blocks were sold but only a few built on. For the next nine years Coronation Park Ltd watched as disaster and near–bankruptcy took over.
Many of the blocks passed back to the subdividers or were sold for unpaid rates.
The Telegraph, 25 January 1962 p 33 c 3. noted:
"To most observers this looked like the end of St Lucia… to most that is except Mr Back and his partners. ‘From the time I first saw the beautiful hills of St Lucia I knew that one day it would blossom,’ Mr Back muses. ‘There were times though, that courage, faith—and a bundle of unwanted land—was all that we had."
The times were against his Brisbane Coronation Park project. Eric Back wrote that:
"Blocks of land were advertised for £10 deposit and £1 monthly with water and electricity. All might have gone well for Coronation Park if the Depression had not arrived soon after it started. People may have paid a few pounds deposit on a block but then when they got their rates from the Council, they mostly forfeited the land as the best way out. Certainly no one could build in those days."
In The Telegraph of 25 January 1962, WA Back reminisced on those hard times:
“We wanted to make it a model suburb; and even in the early days each sale contract carried certain development clauses. Trees were to be left intact and only houses costing a minimum of £700 were allowed to be built”. St Lucia was just easing out of the economic doldrums when World War II—and
the consequent building restrictions—struck another blow to progress. In 1946-47 Coronation Park Ltd wound up voluntarily and the unsold land was divided among the partners.
Mr Back, left with a parcel of about 40 blocks agreed to take over the sale of some of the other land of his associates.
“In 1948 there were mobs of Kangaroos all over the place, dirt roads, and no worthwhile shopping facilities” he said.
The ‘Mayne gift’ was donated in 1928 but building was delayed as the founding fathers debated the ideal site for the university. A first preference was Victoria Park but that was too expensive. Meanwhile, the land was used for the State–funded St Lucia Farm School, where hundreds of city boys
were trained to plough, sow crops and milk cows. In August 1935 the government announced £300,000 for the erection of buildings and £200,000 for their furnishing and equipment and next year.
Premier Forgan Smith was presented with plans and said: "The suburb is now in the stage of transition from gum boots (the distinguishing mark of men in the dairy yard) to
horn-rimmed spectacles (the brand of the student). On the proposed University site the St. Lucia Farm School has been temporarily established." (Courier Mail of February 26, 1936.)
Whatever, the bequest saved my own grandfather W. A. Back from bankruptcy in the Depression. He headed a syndicate of graziers called Coronation Park Estate that developed the suburbs of St Lucia and Taringa. Grandad and his partners fell on hard times when people defaulted on their rates and payments. The Mayne legacy and resulting land sales were a godsend.
My book "Midnight Sun to Southern Cross" tells the back story of St Lucia and University of Queensland development.
My uncle Eric wrote about the St Lucia development:
"The purchase price was to be about £24,000. They formed a private company known as Coronation Park Pty and we know it today as St Lucia. The land included the (now) Indooroopilly Golf Club, then along the river to include a lot of the University grounds, but away from the frontage it was
mostly undeveloped bush.
Its hills were subdivided into 870 building blocks on a contour town plan system by the best surveyors available to convert dairy land and scrub into a model suburb."
Granddad aimed high. The Governor himself, Sir Matthew Nathan, presided at the opening of the estate. An engineer himself, he praised the layout to reduce the steepness of the grades as one of the civic triumphs of Mr R. A. McInnes, who was to become town planner of Brisbane.
Up to 1926 some blocks were sold but only a few built on. For the next nine years Coronation Park Ltd watched as disaster and near–bankruptcy took over.
Many of the blocks passed back to the subdividers or were sold for unpaid rates.
The Telegraph, 25 January 1962 p 33 c 3. noted:
"To most observers this looked like the end of St Lucia… to most that is except Mr Back and his partners. ‘From the time I first saw the beautiful hills of St Lucia I knew that one day it would blossom,’ Mr Back muses. ‘There were times though, that courage, faith—and a bundle of unwanted land—was all that we had."
The times were against his Brisbane Coronation Park project. Eric Back wrote that:
"Blocks of land were advertised for £10 deposit and £1 monthly with water and electricity. All might have gone well for Coronation Park if the Depression had not arrived soon after it started. People may have paid a few pounds deposit on a block but then when they got their rates from the Council, they mostly forfeited the land as the best way out. Certainly no one could build in those days."
In The Telegraph of 25 January 1962, WA Back reminisced on those hard times:
“We wanted to make it a model suburb; and even in the early days each sale contract carried certain development clauses. Trees were to be left intact and only houses costing a minimum of £700 were allowed to be built”. St Lucia was just easing out of the economic doldrums when World War II—and
the consequent building restrictions—struck another blow to progress. In 1946-47 Coronation Park Ltd wound up voluntarily and the unsold land was divided among the partners.
Mr Back, left with a parcel of about 40 blocks agreed to take over the sale of some of the other land of his associates.
“In 1948 there were mobs of Kangaroos all over the place, dirt roads, and no worthwhile shopping facilities” he said.
The ‘Mayne gift’ was donated in 1928 but building was delayed as the founding fathers debated the ideal site for the university. A first preference was Victoria Park but that was too expensive. Meanwhile, the land was used for the State–funded St Lucia Farm School, where hundreds of city boys
were trained to plough, sow crops and milk cows. In August 1935 the government announced £300,000 for the erection of buildings and £200,000 for their furnishing and equipment and next year.
Premier Forgan Smith was presented with plans and said: "The suburb is now in the stage of transition from gum boots (the distinguishing mark of men in the dairy yard) to
horn-rimmed spectacles (the brand of the student). On the proposed University site the St. Lucia Farm School has been temporarily established." (Courier Mail of February 26, 1936.)
July 4, 2015
This family saga should be made into a TV series - one of those stories where fact is stanger than fiction and is truly about the sins of a father visiting upon the lives of his children. I work at The University of Queensland, so this book is of particular interest to me. Siemon has meticulously researched her material. It could have been a dry old read, being packed full of facts, but she turned this into an intiguing and compelling story.
It is about ill gotten gains and the innocent victims of a father's deeds in obtaining his wealth, which eventually became his children's inheritence. This wealth did not provide comfort for the lives of his family but instead caused his children to be social outcasts, destined to live a confined and lonely existence.
Their philanthropic deeds, which laid the foundation of the magnificant learning facility we have in UQ today, is credit to them. Their sacrifice in not having children of their own (perhaps to circumvent the revisiting of their father's blight), has provided a wonderful gift to the people of Brisbane. I will certainly be interested in reading any other books by Siemon.
It is about ill gotten gains and the innocent victims of a father's deeds in obtaining his wealth, which eventually became his children's inheritence. This wealth did not provide comfort for the lives of his family but instead caused his children to be social outcasts, destined to live a confined and lonely existence.
Their philanthropic deeds, which laid the foundation of the magnificant learning facility we have in UQ today, is credit to them. Their sacrifice in not having children of their own (perhaps to circumvent the revisiting of their father's blight), has provided a wonderful gift to the people of Brisbane. I will certainly be interested in reading any other books by Siemon.
December 2, 2019
I can't remember when I last read a book with a sub-title that seemed to be so misleading. The sub-title of 'the mayne inheritance' (and lower case initials are used on the book) is 'a gothic tale of murder, madness and scandal across the generations'. Yes, there is murder (briefly mentioned in the book's first chapter), there is madness (one of the main man's sons suffered) and there is more than a sniff of scandal across the generations simply because of the family name but 'a gothic tale', never. Certainly it is not my interpretation of a gothic tale.
After a promising start the book descends into page after page of often boring Mayne family detail; it is ideal text to be readily skipped or speed read unfortunately. But one doesn't do so because there is always the hope that something sensational will come out. But no, sadly it drones on and on until, thankfully, it comes to an end.
Patrick Mayne, the eventual patriarch of the family, emigrated from County Tyrone, Ireland, on 21 May 1841. He had advanced his age to 18 so as to be able to leave behind the deprivations of his childhood. He found his way to Sydney where he remained for three years before he made the journey north to Kangaroo Point, a suburb of Brisbane, where he was contracted to work for £1 per week for John "Tinker" Campbell at the slaughterhouse and boiling-down works.
Then on 26 March 1848 a newcomer to Brisbane named John Cox was brutally murdered, his body carved up like a sheep and the body parts scattered around the area, and robbed of his life's savings. There were any number of suspects but Patrick Mayne was not one of them for he stayed out of town while investigations began. Eventually he surfaced to point the finger at a certain William Fyfe, who at one time had been a prisoner with Cox, and the outcome was that Fyfe was hanged for the crime.
Mayne thereafter kept a low profile and once having moved away from Kangaroo Point, he returned to Brisbane to suddenly purchase and furnish a Queen Street house, a shop and a butcher's business. In addition he had money enough to marry Mary McIntosh in 1849. There was always
an undercurrent of suspicion about his involvement in the murder but nothing could be proved so life went on. However, 16 years later on his deathbed, Mayne confessed to the murder of Cox. And there ends the most interesting part of the book.
The remainder of the book focuses on his five surviving children (one daughter died within a year of her birth) and his wife, who were often treated like pariah by their neighbours and other Brisbane townsfolk because of the father's crime. They all did their best to overcome this prejudice and were philanthropic during their lifetimes but the situation did cause one son, Issaac, to commit suicide in the Bayview Asylum, Sydney.
Eventually the youngest son, James, really put matters to rights when he donated large areas of land and sums of money for the development of the University of Queensland but by then it was rather too late; the damage to the family had been done even though his donations were gratefully received.
It is rather a sad tale because the wife and siblings had no part in the original crime but they suffered at the hands of other Brisbane citizens - and mention of Brisbane makes me think that the book could be more enjoyable for residents of that city who would readily recognise the locations. This could perhaps hold their interest more in the overall story. But for me, it was an agreeable disappointment.
After a promising start the book descends into page after page of often boring Mayne family detail; it is ideal text to be readily skipped or speed read unfortunately. But one doesn't do so because there is always the hope that something sensational will come out. But no, sadly it drones on and on until, thankfully, it comes to an end.
Patrick Mayne, the eventual patriarch of the family, emigrated from County Tyrone, Ireland, on 21 May 1841. He had advanced his age to 18 so as to be able to leave behind the deprivations of his childhood. He found his way to Sydney where he remained for three years before he made the journey north to Kangaroo Point, a suburb of Brisbane, where he was contracted to work for £1 per week for John "Tinker" Campbell at the slaughterhouse and boiling-down works.
Then on 26 March 1848 a newcomer to Brisbane named John Cox was brutally murdered, his body carved up like a sheep and the body parts scattered around the area, and robbed of his life's savings. There were any number of suspects but Patrick Mayne was not one of them for he stayed out of town while investigations began. Eventually he surfaced to point the finger at a certain William Fyfe, who at one time had been a prisoner with Cox, and the outcome was that Fyfe was hanged for the crime.
Mayne thereafter kept a low profile and once having moved away from Kangaroo Point, he returned to Brisbane to suddenly purchase and furnish a Queen Street house, a shop and a butcher's business. In addition he had money enough to marry Mary McIntosh in 1849. There was always
an undercurrent of suspicion about his involvement in the murder but nothing could be proved so life went on. However, 16 years later on his deathbed, Mayne confessed to the murder of Cox. And there ends the most interesting part of the book.
The remainder of the book focuses on his five surviving children (one daughter died within a year of her birth) and his wife, who were often treated like pariah by their neighbours and other Brisbane townsfolk because of the father's crime. They all did their best to overcome this prejudice and were philanthropic during their lifetimes but the situation did cause one son, Issaac, to commit suicide in the Bayview Asylum, Sydney.
Eventually the youngest son, James, really put matters to rights when he donated large areas of land and sums of money for the development of the University of Queensland but by then it was rather too late; the damage to the family had been done even though his donations were gratefully received.
It is rather a sad tale because the wife and siblings had no part in the original crime but they suffered at the hands of other Brisbane citizens - and mention of Brisbane makes me think that the book could be more enjoyable for residents of that city who would readily recognise the locations. This could perhaps hold their interest more in the overall story. But for me, it was an agreeable disappointment.
August 7, 2013
The Maynes were an affluent family of early Brisbane days. And I'm talking the city consisting of only Ann and Queen Streets early days. Follows a Second generation through to the end of the line, with James Mayne donating funds and land to UQ to set up campus at St Lucia. The second generation were unable to escape the stigma of the original patriarch. Interesting insight into early Brisbane days.
November 1, 2016
For a recent historical article by a barrister disputing the veracity of the murder allegations, see
Stephen Sheaffe, “The True Facts behind the Mayne Inheritance”, Queensland History Journal, May 2015, Vol. 22, No. 9, pp. 677-692.
Stephen Sheaffe, “The True Facts behind the Mayne Inheritance”, Queensland History Journal, May 2015, Vol. 22, No. 9, pp. 677-692.
December 29, 2021
Great for Queensland readers
January 26, 2022
Fascinating read about Patrick Mayne, his family and the effect they had on Brisbane. Would recommend to anyone living in Brisbane with the slightest interest in history.
July 27, 2025
I picked this up at my dad’s place after finishing another book thinking I’d just flick through a few pages. However, it was enthralling! It is a history of Brisbane that is so important and fascinating - I would definitely recommend reading it.
March 29, 2018
This was a fascinating story especially from my point of view as I worked at the University of Queensland for a year in the 1980's, in the School of External Studies, while I was living and working in Australia, and I loved walking round the campus in my lunch hours. I particularly remember the rainforest area on the campus. Since returning to England to live, I have holidayed in Australia and have visited the campus again. It is indeed a most beautiful campus in a wonderful location in a loop of the Brisbane River at St Lucia. The story of how the purchase of the land was financed is totally engaging. What a poignant story it tells of an honourable man struggling to overcome "the sins of the fathers" against the groundswell of judgementalism that ignorance engenders. During his lifetime, James Mayne was never fully accorded the appeciation and honour he personally deserved, because of the negative cloud surounding every member of his family as a consequence both of his father's brutal crime back in 1848, and of course, of the inherited gene for mental illness. He deserved to be fully acknowledged for his own choices and character, in his own lifetime. I see that the Mayne Hall at the University of Queensland is now named The James and Mary Emilia Mayne Centre, and I'm sure the author of this book would have been delighted when that happened. The author does indeed have a slightly biassed view of the events due to her own close association with the university, but that is understandable. I was fascinated too to read of the growth of Brisbane during the 1800's and 1900's and to reflect upon how even a man such as Patrick Mayne, with such a vicious and brutal nature, was nevertheless a skilled businessman who had an astonishing gift for building upon that money he stole. The story also works as a curious parable of good ultimately arising out of evil; and teaches us to be wary of making superficial judgements of people based on prejudice.
February 12, 2009
I read this as part of the One Book One Brisbane program in 02, I think. I had just returned to my home town after a long absence and there was this book being described as a look into some the murkier sides of its history.
The book starts with an 1848 grisly murder, we're talking multiple body parts spread all round Kangaroo point here, which shocked the locals at the time. A great deal of money is also thought to be stolen as well.
It then goes on to detail the hanging of an innocent man for the crime and the subsequent confession of the real murderer on his death bed. Who is none other than prominent businessman Patrick Mayne, a man who rose from humble origins to become an important figure in the growing colony's capital. Now everybody realizes where he suddenly got all that money to buy his first business.
The rest of the book delves into the lives of the widow and the five children he left behind. All of whom remained unmarried, as dictated by their father. Of how they survive in a hostile colonial environment which ostracized them for being the progeny of a confessed murderer.
A prominent theme that recurs throughout the book is the idea of inheriting the faults of one's ancestors. The book rails against the injustice of such thinking, saying that the children of Patrick Mayne did not deserve the disapproval and disdain they received due to the actions of their father in 1848. The children go onto play important roles in the development of the city of Brisbane. In particular the son James O'Neil Mayne who used his inherited wealth to be a philanthropist. His most noted deed was the donation of funds to buy the St Lucia site for the University of Queensland.
The book starts with an 1848 grisly murder, we're talking multiple body parts spread all round Kangaroo point here, which shocked the locals at the time. A great deal of money is also thought to be stolen as well.
It then goes on to detail the hanging of an innocent man for the crime and the subsequent confession of the real murderer on his death bed. Who is none other than prominent businessman Patrick Mayne, a man who rose from humble origins to become an important figure in the growing colony's capital. Now everybody realizes where he suddenly got all that money to buy his first business.
The rest of the book delves into the lives of the widow and the five children he left behind. All of whom remained unmarried, as dictated by their father. Of how they survive in a hostile colonial environment which ostracized them for being the progeny of a confessed murderer.
A prominent theme that recurs throughout the book is the idea of inheriting the faults of one's ancestors. The book rails against the injustice of such thinking, saying that the children of Patrick Mayne did not deserve the disapproval and disdain they received due to the actions of their father in 1848. The children go onto play important roles in the development of the city of Brisbane. In particular the son James O'Neil Mayne who used his inherited wealth to be a philanthropist. His most noted deed was the donation of funds to buy the St Lucia site for the University of Queensland.
May 7, 2012
While the quality of this work as a piece of prose cannot go unnoticed, I am truly in awe of Siemon's seemingly boundless dedication to resurrecting the family history of the Mayne family. By piecing together fragments of information from the 1800s, she has managed to separate the filaments of rumour and truth, and offers a very credible acceptance of past crimes and torment, while making a strong case for compassionate redemption.
The book is littered with interesting historical information about Brisbane. Knowing the area well, I found that it presented a great depth of character for a capital city which some consider to be still in its infancy. Siemon obviously respects Brisbane, and understands its rapid development in that time.
The final stages of the book are a little brusque, and Siemon's writing takes on an almost pleading style as she accounts for James Mayne's efforts to ameliorate his father's legacy. You are left cold, with an empty pity for Patrick Mayne's children.
The information that Siemon started with was undoubtedly just patchy rumour. But her research to find "the truth" encompasses not just the Mayne family, but the whole of new Brisbane town. It is incredibly well researched and must have consumed her life while she was creating it. She has reconstructed history through scraps of information, ordered them, and retold it together in one coherent (and indeed well written) form. She must be an incredible woman.
I have a great respect for the construction of this work, and believe that Siemon has offered fair justice for the Mayne family.
The book is littered with interesting historical information about Brisbane. Knowing the area well, I found that it presented a great depth of character for a capital city which some consider to be still in its infancy. Siemon obviously respects Brisbane, and understands its rapid development in that time.
The final stages of the book are a little brusque, and Siemon's writing takes on an almost pleading style as she accounts for James Mayne's efforts to ameliorate his father's legacy. You are left cold, with an empty pity for Patrick Mayne's children.
The information that Siemon started with was undoubtedly just patchy rumour. But her research to find "the truth" encompasses not just the Mayne family, but the whole of new Brisbane town. It is incredibly well researched and must have consumed her life while she was creating it. She has reconstructed history through scraps of information, ordered them, and retold it together in one coherent (and indeed well written) form. She must be an incredible woman.
I have a great respect for the construction of this work, and believe that Siemon has offered fair justice for the Mayne family.
May 8, 2019
This book covers the life of Patrick Mayne from a young age with a little mention of his birth country (Ireland) and arrival in Australia but largely his early life in Brisbane through to his death. The story then continues through his children's lives until their death.
The "story" goes that Patrick Mayne made a deathbed confession to killing and butchering Robert Cox some ~12 years prior, stealing his money which later bought a butcher shop in Queen St (and would be the basis of a land / investment "empire") and allowing another man to be hanged for the murder.
The author has gone with this as absolute fact.
There are others though (not in the book), that assert that there was no deathbed confession. or that even if there was one, they are notoriously unreliable, that Patrick Mayne did not kill Robert Cox nor steal his money.
Having not read the source information, it is impossible to say whether the evidence is there or not to support the claims that Patrick Mayne was definitively the murderer. Even that he made a deathbed confession is questionable. Having said that, I probably would have liked this book a lot more if there had been a more "investigative journalist" view taken. The story could have still been told, but more in a here's the story and here's the evidence. Even if it was unsolved / unsolvable, I would have accepted the author to give their opinion, but I just felt that the author had their mind set on him being the murder / cover up rather than saying "Maybe he did, maybe he didn't"
The "story" goes that Patrick Mayne made a deathbed confession to killing and butchering Robert Cox some ~12 years prior, stealing his money which later bought a butcher shop in Queen St (and would be the basis of a land / investment "empire") and allowing another man to be hanged for the murder.
The author has gone with this as absolute fact.
There are others though (not in the book), that assert that there was no deathbed confession. or that even if there was one, they are notoriously unreliable, that Patrick Mayne did not kill Robert Cox nor steal his money.
Having not read the source information, it is impossible to say whether the evidence is there or not to support the claims that Patrick Mayne was definitively the murderer. Even that he made a deathbed confession is questionable. Having said that, I probably would have liked this book a lot more if there had been a more "investigative journalist" view taken. The story could have still been told, but more in a here's the story and here's the evidence. Even if it was unsolved / unsolvable, I would have accepted the author to give their opinion, but I just felt that the author had their mind set on him being the murder / cover up rather than saying "Maybe he did, maybe he didn't"
March 16, 2021
This 1997 non-fiction account of the history of the Mayne family and their legacy to University of Queensland was the very first One Book One Brisbane back in 2003. It's an interesting account of how the patriarch of the family, Patrick Mayne, came into his money and built his wealth, and the legacy it left for his family. Mayne came over from Ireland as a poor, young immigrant and worked as a butcher in Brisbane in the early-mid 18th century. Although another man hung for the crime, and Mayne was never charged or convicted, the book lays out the evidence to support the long-term story that Mayne murdered another man, stole his money, and thus began his fortune.
Mayne writes well and the saga of the Mayne family, and how the Mayne murder haunted their lives, is well told. The story is well-paced, and offers insights into how a history of violence and madness took its toll on the family. But the whole way through one thing niggled at me: in this story of early years of white 'settlement' in Brisbane, in a story about how one man murdered to get money and started buying up property to make his fortune, there is no mention of how that property was stolen from the Aboriginal peoples. And in a book that is telling the history of Brisbane, of a family's fortune gained by ill-gotten means, I think it deserved at least a few paragraphs.
Overall, this is a good read, and an interesting look at a part of Brisbane's recent history.
Mayne writes well and the saga of the Mayne family, and how the Mayne murder haunted their lives, is well told. The story is well-paced, and offers insights into how a history of violence and madness took its toll on the family. But the whole way through one thing niggled at me: in this story of early years of white 'settlement' in Brisbane, in a story about how one man murdered to get money and started buying up property to make his fortune, there is no mention of how that property was stolen from the Aboriginal peoples. And in a book that is telling the history of Brisbane, of a family's fortune gained by ill-gotten means, I think it deserved at least a few paragraphs.
Overall, this is a good read, and an interesting look at a part of Brisbane's recent history.
July 21, 2012
As a graduate of the University Of Queensland, this was a book that immediately captivated my interest, given that the family at the centre of this grisly tale made huge financial and land donations to help establish UQ in the leafy Brisbane suburb of St Lucia. It's interesting to think that without the philanthropy of the Mayne family, the UQ campus may have remained in it's inner city location and not have developed into the massive facility it is today.
Rosamond Siemon has done a marvellous job at painstakingly piecing together the threads of what was, a shameful family secret for the Mayne family. It was as gripping as many fictional murder mystery books I've read and gave me a whole new insight into the history of Brisbane. It also highlighted the stigma of mental illness and how, due to societal expectation, it shaped the way the Mayne family lived and mainly chose not to marry or have children, lest they pass on the rogue genes.
Well written and with a good pace, The Mayne Inheritance was an easy book to read and one that kept me engaged and interested from beginning to end.
Rosamond Siemon has done a marvellous job at painstakingly piecing together the threads of what was, a shameful family secret for the Mayne family. It was as gripping as many fictional murder mystery books I've read and gave me a whole new insight into the history of Brisbane. It also highlighted the stigma of mental illness and how, due to societal expectation, it shaped the way the Mayne family lived and mainly chose not to marry or have children, lest they pass on the rogue genes.
Well written and with a good pace, The Mayne Inheritance was an easy book to read and one that kept me engaged and interested from beginning to end.
February 28, 2017
Despite living in Brisbane my whole life and attending UQ, I'd never heard of the Maynes before reading this book. The Mayne Inheritance was a fascinating read that helped me to understand more of Brisbane's history. The author drew some conclusions that didn't seem entirely supported by fact, and the time jumping could be a little confusing. Overall, however, I enjoyed the book and it has inspired me to learn more about our city's history.
I find it interesting that many people have give the book a lower rating as they believed it should have been written in a more 'story-like' way. It is important to realise that it is a non-fiction historical account of events rather than a scandalous murder mystery thriller (although to be fair the cover and blurb are a little misleading in this regard).
I find it interesting that many people have give the book a lower rating as they believed it should have been written in a more 'story-like' way. It is important to realise that it is a non-fiction historical account of events rather than a scandalous murder mystery thriller (although to be fair the cover and blurb are a little misleading in this regard).
April 6, 2016
If you've lived in Brisbane and had any connection to the University of Queensland, this book is particularly fascinating. An intriguing, moving true story.
December 31, 2020
Everyone in Brisbane has heard of the Mayne family. The story goes that in 1848, Patrick Mayne, an Irish butcher, murdered the timber cutter Robert Cox for his money and went on to amass a vast property empire. Two of his children, James and Amelia, later used this tainted fortune to fund the building of Brisbane Arcade in Queen Street and to purchase the site of the St Lucia campus and donate it to the University of Queensland. This story has become such an accepted part of Brisbane’s lore that Brisbane Arcade proudly references the Cox murder on the history page of its website.
Having grown up with this story (my grandfather was an academic at the university), I was excited to finally read Rosamond Siemon’s famous book. Unfortunately I was surprised and disappointed to find that this book is not a work of history at all, but a compilation of gossip and urban legends that has misled the Brisbane public for over twenty years.
At the beginning of the book, Siemon dramatises a scene in which Patrick Mayne makes a deathbed confession to the murder of Robert Cox. I spent the rest of the book waiting for Siemon to reveal the source of this dramatic confession. But it never comes. Siemon never provides any historical evidence to support her claim that this confession happened. The other historical facts of Patrick’s life are sourced and appear to be well researched, but the bibliography is silent on the subject of the murder and the alleged confession. According to Stephen Sheaffe, Siemon told him in an interview that her source for the confession was Father Dunne’s papers, but then later admitted that she couldn’t read his handwriting and saw no mention of the Cox murder. In a debate with Sheaffe on ABC radio, she publicly conceded that there is no historical evidence of any deathbed confession.
After reading the book and examining the bibliography, it’s clear that Siemon’s only source for her allegations of murder and madness in the Mayne family are the rumours and gossip that she heard during her own childhood. The way she discusses her personal fascination with the story makes it sound as though she wanted these rumours to be true, and it seems highly likely that her research on the subject was coloured by this personal bias. Not only are her allegations against the Mayne family unsubstantiated, but they read like something out of a Victorian novel, complete with an extremely outdated depiction of mental illness.
The fact that the University of Queensland Press published this book about the university’s own history is eyebrow-raising to me considering the poor scholarship contained within. Coming from an academic background, it’s incredible to me that people can publish poorly researched and wildly inaccurate popular history that is never fact checked or subject to any kind of peer review.
One thing about this book is true: it is a Gothic tale of murder and madness. But it’s a tale of fiction, not fact.
Having grown up with this story (my grandfather was an academic at the university), I was excited to finally read Rosamond Siemon’s famous book. Unfortunately I was surprised and disappointed to find that this book is not a work of history at all, but a compilation of gossip and urban legends that has misled the Brisbane public for over twenty years.
At the beginning of the book, Siemon dramatises a scene in which Patrick Mayne makes a deathbed confession to the murder of Robert Cox. I spent the rest of the book waiting for Siemon to reveal the source of this dramatic confession. But it never comes. Siemon never provides any historical evidence to support her claim that this confession happened. The other historical facts of Patrick’s life are sourced and appear to be well researched, but the bibliography is silent on the subject of the murder and the alleged confession. According to Stephen Sheaffe, Siemon told him in an interview that her source for the confession was Father Dunne’s papers, but then later admitted that she couldn’t read his handwriting and saw no mention of the Cox murder. In a debate with Sheaffe on ABC radio, she publicly conceded that there is no historical evidence of any deathbed confession.
After reading the book and examining the bibliography, it’s clear that Siemon’s only source for her allegations of murder and madness in the Mayne family are the rumours and gossip that she heard during her own childhood. The way she discusses her personal fascination with the story makes it sound as though she wanted these rumours to be true, and it seems highly likely that her research on the subject was coloured by this personal bias. Not only are her allegations against the Mayne family unsubstantiated, but they read like something out of a Victorian novel, complete with an extremely outdated depiction of mental illness.
The fact that the University of Queensland Press published this book about the university’s own history is eyebrow-raising to me considering the poor scholarship contained within. Coming from an academic background, it’s incredible to me that people can publish poorly researched and wildly inaccurate popular history that is never fact checked or subject to any kind of peer review.
One thing about this book is true: it is a Gothic tale of murder and madness. But it’s a tale of fiction, not fact.
October 4, 2022
In the 1840s, Bounty ships did a lucrative trade bringing bonded labourers to Australia. It was cash on delivery (a bounty of £19 per head), so the shipmasters not only selected immigrants who seemed healthy and hard-working, they took reasonable care of them en route to ensure they survived the trip. Patrick Mayne was one of these bonded farm workers.
After fulfilling his time with his sponsor, he moved north to the colony of Brisbane and learned the trade of a butcher at a slaughterhouse. Marrying a Irish Protestant girl, Mary McIntosh, a few years later - in the days when Catholic-Protestant liaisons were less frowned on because of the high imbalance of males-to-females in the colonies - Patrick became wealthy and successful, owning shops, property, grazing land, animals. He becomes politically active. He fathers four children.
Some fires in Brisbane damage his property severely and, in addition, create economic stress in the community, making recovery very difficult. During this time he becomes very ill and eventually dies. And on his deathbed, he makes a confession that is to shape the future of his family from that point forward. He admits to a particularly grisly and brutal murder seventeen years previously - a murder that, it then transpires, resulted in the conviction and hanging of an innocent man.
Although the book raises the unanswerable question of whether or not Patrick really was responsible for this violent death and for the theft of the victim's considerable on-hand wealth, it slants so much towards the belief he was a murderer that it would be almost impossible to be unbiassed by the end of the book.
Mary works incredibly hard to clear the debt and rebuild the fortunes of the family. Patrick Mayne's name is commemorated in Mayne Junction, amongst other places. It was the children who suffered for his sins and were punished, life-long, for their father's misdeeds. None of them married and it is believed there was a pact not to do so, in order to end the madness of the family line .(which was said, without explanation, to extend back another generation).
After fulfilling his time with his sponsor, he moved north to the colony of Brisbane and learned the trade of a butcher at a slaughterhouse. Marrying a Irish Protestant girl, Mary McIntosh, a few years later - in the days when Catholic-Protestant liaisons were less frowned on because of the high imbalance of males-to-females in the colonies - Patrick became wealthy and successful, owning shops, property, grazing land, animals. He becomes politically active. He fathers four children.
Some fires in Brisbane damage his property severely and, in addition, create economic stress in the community, making recovery very difficult. During this time he becomes very ill and eventually dies. And on his deathbed, he makes a confession that is to shape the future of his family from that point forward. He admits to a particularly grisly and brutal murder seventeen years previously - a murder that, it then transpires, resulted in the conviction and hanging of an innocent man.
Although the book raises the unanswerable question of whether or not Patrick really was responsible for this violent death and for the theft of the victim's considerable on-hand wealth, it slants so much towards the belief he was a murderer that it would be almost impossible to be unbiassed by the end of the book.
Mary works incredibly hard to clear the debt and rebuild the fortunes of the family. Patrick Mayne's name is commemorated in Mayne Junction, amongst other places. It was the children who suffered for his sins and were punished, life-long, for their father's misdeeds. None of them married and it is believed there was a pact not to do so, in order to end the madness of the family line .(which was said, without explanation, to extend back another generation).
April 10, 2023
Siemon has a wonderful way with words. A few quotes:
On the early settlements in mid 1800’s Brisbane -
“It was a frontier settlement with little resemblance to a town. Each dun-coloured hamlet, carved out of the harsh surrounding scrub, was a scattered rough-and-ready mish-mash of slab or wattle-and-daub box-like cottages and shops, some mere shacks, all widely separated by rutted, dusty tracks. They were rooted like a mouldy excrescence on the bare brown earth, a future threat to the vigour of the forest-clad hills surrounding them.”
On the great fire that swept through Brisbane in December 1864 -
“The Brisbane Courier reported that 6,000 people gathered to watch the great fire. This time looters were held at bay by redcoats from the Twelfth Regiment with fixed bayonets, parading in front of the smouldering ruins as the conflagration ate its way through the rest of the unprotected block. At its height the flames and sparks roared so high that for some time the survival of the opposite side of Queen Street was in doubt, even though the buildings had been smothered in wet blankets.”
On the way Patrick Mayne’s deathbed murder confession (and lingering community gossip) continued to haunt his children for decades, particularly his two youngest who proved to be gentle and generous souls -
“The tide of gossip ebbed and flowed and strange stories continued to swirl in malevolent currents around them. In honouring the sensible 1865 suggestion that none of them should marry, the Maynes gave substance to the idea that they were all tainted, and this provided a base for the apocryphal murder stories that continued to circulate and protract their stigmatisation.”
“…the townsfolk let their imaginations embroider the confession, and handed down to their children and grandchildren their own exciting versions of what happened.”
“…jaundiced by parental prejudice”
On the early settlements in mid 1800’s Brisbane -
“It was a frontier settlement with little resemblance to a town. Each dun-coloured hamlet, carved out of the harsh surrounding scrub, was a scattered rough-and-ready mish-mash of slab or wattle-and-daub box-like cottages and shops, some mere shacks, all widely separated by rutted, dusty tracks. They were rooted like a mouldy excrescence on the bare brown earth, a future threat to the vigour of the forest-clad hills surrounding them.”
On the great fire that swept through Brisbane in December 1864 -
“The Brisbane Courier reported that 6,000 people gathered to watch the great fire. This time looters were held at bay by redcoats from the Twelfth Regiment with fixed bayonets, parading in front of the smouldering ruins as the conflagration ate its way through the rest of the unprotected block. At its height the flames and sparks roared so high that for some time the survival of the opposite side of Queen Street was in doubt, even though the buildings had been smothered in wet blankets.”
On the way Patrick Mayne’s deathbed murder confession (and lingering community gossip) continued to haunt his children for decades, particularly his two youngest who proved to be gentle and generous souls -
“The tide of gossip ebbed and flowed and strange stories continued to swirl in malevolent currents around them. In honouring the sensible 1865 suggestion that none of them should marry, the Maynes gave substance to the idea that they were all tainted, and this provided a base for the apocryphal murder stories that continued to circulate and protract their stigmatisation.”
“…the townsfolk let their imaginations embroider the confession, and handed down to their children and grandchildren their own exciting versions of what happened.”
“…jaundiced by parental prejudice”
June 11, 2020
I would never have picked this book up if not for the river tour I took to the Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Australia. The guide mentioned the Mayne family, their murderous history, and this book: The Mayne Inheritance which reveals all. So, I bought it. It turned out to be a really interesting read, not just from the family perspective but also in how it incorporates Brisbane history. I felt like I learnt a lot reading this book. The focus was different to what I was expecting: rather than fully focusing on the deathbed confession and murder, it talks more about the children and the impact this confession had on their lives. The writing itself wasn’t that great although did improve as the book went on, it was much more focused on the research than the writing. But all in all an intriguing book even if it is a tragic story, both for the initial crime and its ramifications.
November 1, 2020
Beginning with a brutal and unusual murder, the Mayne Inheritance, by Rosamond Siemon, tells the story of Patrick Mayne, a settler in Australia in the 1840’s, and his contribution to Brisbane as it is today.
This is a fascinating history about the Mayne family, and the inherited madness that plagued them and gave rise to many rumours. Attempting to stop the rumours, a couple of Patrick’s children, James and Mary Emelia Mayne contributed vastly towards the making of Brisbane, including the University of Queensland, the Brisbane Arcade, and the Wesley Hospital.
I loved the writing style, which was factual and to the point, while still maintaining a good flow. But most of all, I loved learning about the history of my hometown.
This is a fascinating history about the Mayne family, and the inherited madness that plagued them and gave rise to many rumours. Attempting to stop the rumours, a couple of Patrick’s children, James and Mary Emelia Mayne contributed vastly towards the making of Brisbane, including the University of Queensland, the Brisbane Arcade, and the Wesley Hospital.
I loved the writing style, which was factual and to the point, while still maintaining a good flow. But most of all, I loved learning about the history of my hometown.
December 31, 2020
This book has been sitting on my shelves for 20 years and I've finally got around to reading it. Maybe because I'm not a Brisbane native, I wasn't aware of the Maynes or any scandal attached to them, but then my Brisbane-born and bred wife also has never heard of them, so perhaps we're just not in the right social circles!
It was interesting to learn about the bequests to UQ that enabled it to move to its current St Lucia location, but the story of the Maynes themselves left me feeling rather ho-hum
It was interesting to learn about the bequests to UQ that enabled it to move to its current St Lucia location, but the story of the Maynes themselves left me feeling rather ho-hum
March 14, 2024
Great story about the Mayne family. The title referring to both the streak of madness running through the family and the money it bequeathed to The University of Queensland which allowed it to acquire the St Lucia campus (and other land as well as to receive continued revenue). Descendants Mary Emelia, and particularly James, deserve recognition for their community contributions and their attempts to atone for the sins of (some of) their relatives. The story also covers some history of Brisbane, which I found interesting too.
June 5, 2022
3.5 stars. I am a University of Queensland graduate, and have lived in Brisbane fir much of my life, so I found the book interesting. Much of it is conjecture, and the story to me is not particularly well written. However it’s an interesting story to read and fills in a few gaps. I was also very interested to read of early Brisbane and how rough it was.
February 17, 2023
Brisbane's own true history of murder and greed, Queen St shops and Moorlands mansion overlooking the river, madness, closeted homosexuality and the Catholic church, and a deathbed confession that really f**ked s**t up for the Mayne family. This book was rewritten as a play, and produced to great acclaim.
July 21, 2024
as a lover of history (as somebody that’s lived in brisbane my whole life) this was way too enjoyable. this story is told through historical records but still paints a vivid picture of the type of man patrick mayne was, and how his family suffered the consequences of his actions. can’t wait to re-read next time i get a non-fiction itch!
December 28, 2020
Such an important piece of (largely unknown) Brisbane History. I’m annoyed it’s taken me this long to progress from Wikipedia article to book. Its an old fashioned read - could do well with a popularised retelling?
January 31, 2022
A bne based book. I highly recommend it not only for the story of the murders but for general bne history which flows well with the story. I have never learnt more about brisbane than in this easy and quick to read.
June 10, 2024
A fascinating history of early Brisbane, a murder, an innocent man hanged for it, a deathbed confession, insanity, and a bequest of land for the University of Queensland. It has it all. Recommended reading.
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October 10, 2024This book tracks the Mayne family from the horrendous murder committed by its patriarch, to the philanthropy of his children that built the Brisbane we know today. Recommended for lovers of true crime and those interested in local history.
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