Mary Ann Piper
Mary Ann Piper | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Augustus Earle, c. 1826 | |
| Born | Mary Ann Sheers 4 August 1789 |
| Died | 1872 (aged 82–83) Bathurst, New South Wales |
| Spouse | John Piper |
| Children | 15 (including John, Hugh, and Elizabeth) |
| Parent(s) | James Sheers and Mary Smith |
Mary Ann Piper (née Sheers; 4 August 1789 – 1872) was a figure in colonial New South Wales.[1] The daughter of First Fleet convicts, she eventually married the military officer John Piper and entered the colony's elite.[2]
Early life and family
Mary Ann Sheers was born on 4 August 1789.[1] Her parents were both convicts who arrived with the First Fleet in 1788: James Sheers, transported on the Scarborough, and Mary Smith.[3]
In 1790, the family moved to Norfolk Island.[3] She eventually met John Piper, then acting Commandant of the island. They began a relationship on the island, where their first children were born.[4]
Marriage and social life
In 1811, she accompanied Piper to England, returning to Sydney in 1814. On 10 February 1816, they were married by special license.[4]
The family moved into Henrietta Villa at Point Piper in 1822. As the "Mistress of Point Piper," Mary Ann became a central figure in Sydney society, hosting extravagant gatherings for the colony's elite.[2][1]
Later life in Bathurst
Following Piper's financial collapse in 1827, the family relocated to the Bathurst plains.[4] Mary Ann lived in Bathurst after her husband's death in 1851.[1] She died at Westbourne in 1872 at the age of 83.[2] Mary Ann was the subject of the 1826 oil painting Ann Piper and her children by Augustus Earle.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 4 North, Jessica (2022). Mary Ann and Captain Piper: The Remarkable True Story of the Convicts' Daughter Who Became the Toast of Colonial Sydney. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9781760879433.
- 1 2 3 Eldershaw, M. Barnard (1973) [1939]. The Life and Times of Captain John Piper. Sydney. ISBN 072540132X.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - 1 2 "James Sheers". People Australia. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 Barnard, Marjorie (1967). "John Piper (1774–1851)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 2. Melbourne University Press.
- ↑ "Ann Piper and her children". State Library of New South Wales. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2026.