Elizabeth and John: The Macarthurs of Elizabeth Farm

by Alan Atkinson

A landmark and revealing joint biography of Elizabeth and John Macarthur, from one of Australia’s most respected historians. Arriving in 1790, Elizabeth and John Macarthur, both aged 23, were the first married couple to travel voluntarily from Europe to Australia, within three years of the initial invasion. John Macarthur soon became famous in New South Wales and beyond as a wool pioneer, a politician, and a builder of farms at Parramatta and Camden. For a long time, Elizabeth’s life was regarded as contingent on John’s and, more recently, John’s on Elizabeth’s. In Elizabeth and John , Alan Atkinson, the prizewinning author of Europeans in Australia , draws on his work on the Macarthur family over the last 50 years to explore the dynamics of a strong and sinewy marriage, and family life over two generations. With the truth of John and Elizabeth Macarthur’s relationship much more complicated and more deeply human than other writers have suggested, Atkinson provides a finely drawn portrait of a powerful partnership.

544 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2022

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a simplistic biography of two key figures; it definitely doesn’t take a simplistic view of either John or Elizabeth Macarthur. The view of the family is not taken through the narrow lens of what was simply happening in the penal colony at the time. So many books on Australian history seem to ignore the world beyond London and a few points of settlement/invasion on the east coast of Australia. Is it because of the need for wider research?

Whatever, this book places the plans and philosophies of the Macarthurs in the world of educational reform, human rights and philosophy of the mind debates and agricultural reform taking place. John and some of his sons visited Europe to learn about schools and agricultural methods. They took on free migrants from areas where there was revolt due to poverty and social changes. The books on the Macarthurs’ shelves at home mirror key philosophies and debates in Europe as well as London and is evident in their practice of land and labour management.

Looking beyond the Rum Rebellion and Macarthur’s arrogance, Atkins gives a much bigger picture. I love how he links people together. Different people pop up throughout the years and across the hemispheres. This has given me a vastly different picture of what evenings would have been like at Elizabeth Farm. Less capitalist plotting and more deeper values. (Of course making a fortune comes into it.)

This smashes Kate Grenville’s portrayal of Elizabeth as trapped and holding values at odds with an arrogant, violent, grasping man. They were a couple linked in love and shared values of progress and civic duty and Christian belief.

[Susan C · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me Kate Grenville's "A Room Made Of Leaves" was kind of a gateway book into the life of Elizabeth Macarthur, since then I have read a number of books both fiction and non-fiction about the life of this interesting woman, this book "Elizabeth and John" being the latest.

A serious study of the Macarthurs compiled following decades of research, the author firmly places the pair into the time that they lived, carefully explaining the politics, philosophy, and attitudes of the day. At times it felt like heavy going and he seemed to go off on a tangent, particularly in the later parts of the book where he delves into the lives of other men who could be considered contemporaries. If this was a movie, it would fail the Bechdel test being 'light on' the focus on Elizabeth, until the timeline starts to focus on John's mental illness and eventual death, along with Elizabeth's own widowhood. I note that Alan Atkinson, acknowledged Michelle Scott Tuckers book "Elizabeth Macarthur: A Life at the Edge of the World" which focuses on Elizabeth. Perhaps he felt that she, had written all that needed to be said about the women. There were times that I felt the author did not fully acknowledge the work that Elizabeth had done 'at home' to extend the enterprise while John was overseas for extended periods.

There is much in this book that contradicts the commonly held 'myths' of John Macarthur. In a sense, the era in which Elizabeth and John lived, covers pretty much the time of convict transportation. The politics of the NSW colony and well as the politics of the colonial administration in England was enlightening to me, there was much in this book which I was not taught in school history lessons. Perhaps based on the work of this author, Michelle Scott Tucker, and even Kate Grenville that narrative is starting to change.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The Macarthurs, the family at the heart of this book, had a strong sense of their own historical importance.’

Elizabeth and John Macarthur, both aged 23, arrived in the colony of New South Wales in 1790. In this joint biography, drawing on decades of research, Mr Atkinson presents their lives within the boundaries (political, and philosophical) of the social milieu they occupied. This makes for interesting reading and contradicts at least some of what I thought I knew about John Macarthur in particular. I was particularly interested in reading about the early lives of both Macarthurs before they left England. Both grew up in a commercial society, centred on the wool trade along the River Tamar in Cornwall. Both were highly literate: products of the Enlightenment, the ‘Great Age of Reason’ which characterised European society from the late 17th century. Mr Atkinson writes of John Macarthur’s interest in political economy as a key influence on his dealings in the colony. Mr Atkinson presents a strong case in favour of viewing what has traditionally been viewed as John Macarthur’s self- serving behaviour as, instead, a desire to improve productivity and attract investment with a view to growing the colony. Mr Atkinson writes of John Macarthur’s role, as Inspector of Public Works, between 1793 and 1796 as transformational: his use of land grants to soldiers and officials, supported by extensive convict labour enabled the colony to become self-sufficient in grain.

Consequently, I revisited John Macarthur’s conflicts with Governors King and Bligh from a slightly different perspective. And, what of Elizabeth Macarthur? She was essential to the Macarthurs economic success. If John Macarthur built and sustained the networks crucial to their success, Elizabeth Macarthur was an effective manager of their agricultural and wool growing endeavours. Elizabeth managed their affairs during John’s extensive absences from the colony and during his final illness. A strong marriage partnership, with complementary skillsets.

I found this a fascinating and thought-provoking read.

I’ll leave the last word to Mr Atkinson:

‘I have been working on this material, on and off, for the last 50 years or so and still, in going more deeply into it during the writing of this book, I have been struck by the way so much of the old understanding is based on pure guesswork. The guesses can be traced back to the 1790s, when ex-convict settlers began telling each other that John Macarthur was an extortionate rum-trader.’

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Lee McKerracher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 2022, this historical account of Elizabeth and John Macarthur addresses the impact of the invasion and colonialisation, which is refreshing.

The Macarthur family had quite an influence on the development of the land around Parramatta and Camden, especially in relation to the wool trade. What I was not aware of was how often John Macarthur was away in England, sometimes for years, lobbying for support, taking his sons back home for their education and trying to establish connections that would help his enterprises back in Australia.

What this meant was that Elizabeth was left behind to run to show - multiple properties, business decisions, staffing decisions, family decisions - all hers as communication between the two countries was nigh on impossible if you wanted a quick answer.

This was emphasised with the death of one of her sons in England - the news taking five months to get to Elizabeth. Ship delivery of mail is certainly not of the speed of a What's App chat today, so it is hard to imagine the long delays in receiving any news at all from family overseas.

John had a lot to thank Elizabeth for and it seems he understood the contribution she made.

Part of the book deals with the relationship between Elizabeth, John and some of the local First Nations peoples. There seems to be an understanding that their land was taken, cultural practices ignored but this is tempered by the overriding superiority of the British Empire, but Atkinson's research reveals some interesting insights into various beliefs and 'orders' from the hierarchy (no spoilers here).

Overall, a fascinating insight into life in the early stages of NSW.

[Lynne Benton · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much research and detail .. yet very readable; I began to think we would get no more clarity around Elizabeth but in the closing chapters there is a sense of her .. certainly it is well explained how Elizabeth managed her own feelings ‘not healthy in the mind to indulge gloomy thoughts’ and the deliberate caution she, and in turn other members of the family, exercised to not record their feelings or opinions on paper .. there is a lot here also to balance the historical perspective of John: he was obviously restless, volatile at times but achieved a lot for himself and his family and white Australia .. but his anchor was his relationship with Elizabeth and there is a lot here to help understand that. The relationships with First Nations are interesting and the references to ‘their land’ as some settlers’ recognition of invasion .. so disappointing that sentiment was buried by convenient constructs to excuse cruelty manipulation and health impacts. The first few chapters I took a while to get into; the philosophical context to the likely way of thinking for the Macarthurs I should read again but then their story, told so well here, took over. I think the book works well on a number of levels.. from academic research through to an appreciation of this time in social history ..

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Macarthur has not been treated kindly in recent historical fiction which has focussed much more on his wife, Elizabeth. He certainly appears to have been a volatile man who became severely mentally ill later in his life. This book gives a more nuanced picture of the man - he was a planner, a visionary of sorts. Some of his plans came to fruition, others were blocked by Government and others were not practical. He seems to have had a more respectful view on the treatment of the indigenous people than some of his contemporaries.

There is less of Elizabeth's personality than I expected in this book. She remains a bit of a shadow within the greater picture. I found the extended disserations on the Age of Enlightenment rather tedious, not really understanding how it informed the Macarthurs who, at the end of the day, took whatever opportunities were available to them. This is a useful examination of a particular time in the history of New South Wales.

[Tim Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was something of a disappointment.

It’s not poorly written, in fact far from it. As the culmination of decades of historical research and investigation, it’s brilliantly researched, written and edited. However, it’s clearly written with other academics in mind. As a research student of history, we are taught that academics write in order to be read. However, in order to keep people coming back, you need to ensure the reader is engaged.

Atkinson failed at this, unfortunately. Academically, it’s brilliant. However, the every day reader doesn’t want to know the ins and outs of the historiography, or the work that’s gone into charting the ancestors of Elizabeth MacArthur, they just want the story.

I’d love a non-academic version of this book, it’s be wonderful.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Undoubtedly a learned historical account to two people fundamentally important to the establishment of New South Wales as an English colony. Not an easy read due to the depth of the background characters especially those in England. However the commitment and fortitude shown by the Macarthurs was well drawn. I was impressed but the detail I found overwhelming.