Barbara Janet Baynton (née Lawrence; 4 June 1857 – 28 May 1929) was an Australian writer known primarily for her short stories about life in
the bush
"The bush" is a term mostly used in the English vernacular of Australia and New Zealand where it is largely synonymous with '' backwoods'' or ''hinterland'', referring to a natural undeveloped area. The fauna and flora contained within this a ...
. She published the collection '' Bush Studies'' (1902) and the novel ''Human Toll'' (1907), as well as writing for '' The Bulletin'' and ''
The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
''. She was a shrewd manager of her second husband's estate, owning properties in Melbourne and London. She acquired the title Lady Headley from her third marriage to
Rowland Allanson-Winn, 5th Baron Headley
Rowland George Allanson Allanson-Winn, 5th Baron Headley (19 January 1855 – 22 June 1935), also known as Shaikh Rahmatullah al-Farooq, was an Irish peer and a prominent convert to Islam, who was also one of the leading members of the Woki ...
, but never wrote under that name.
Early years
Baynton was born in 1857 at
Scone, New South Wales
Scone is a town in the Upper Hunter Shire in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Scone had a population of 5,624 people. It is on the New England Highway north of Muswellbrook about 270 kilometres north of Sydn ...
, the daughter of Irish bounty immigrants, John Lawrence and Elizabeth Ewart. However, she claimed to have been born in 1862 to Penelope Ewart and Captain Robert Kilpatrick, of the Bengal Light Cavalry.Carter (2003) p. 13
Career
The fictional narrative of her birth gave her "entrée to polite circles as a governess" and, in 1880, she married Alexander Frater, the son of her employers. They soon moved to the
Coonamble
Coonamble is a town on the central-western plains of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the Castlereagh Highway north-west of Gilgandra. At the 2016 census, Coonamble had a population of 2,750. It is the regional hub for wheat growing and ...
district, and had two sons and a daughter. However, Alexander Frater ran off with her niece, Sarah Glover, in 1887, and Barbara moved to Sydney and commenced divorce proceedings. A decree absolute was granted 4 March 1890.
On 5 March 1890, she married Dr Thomas Baynton, a retired surgeon aged 70 years who had literary friends. Beginning in December 1896, she began contributing short stories to the ''
Bulletin
Bulletin or The Bulletin may refer to:
Periodicals (newspapers, magazines, journals)
* Bulletin (online newspaper), a Swedish online newspaper
* ''The Bulletin'' (Australian periodical), an Australian magazine (1880–2008)
** Bulletin Debate, ...
''. Six of these were published in 1902 in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
by
Gerald Duckworth and Company Ltd
Duckworth Books, originally Gerald Duckworth and Company, founded in 1898 by Gerald Duckworth, is a British publisher.Bush Studies'' because Mrs Baynton had been unable to find a publisher for them in Sydney.
Alfred Stephens
Alfred George Stephens (28 August 1865 – 15 April 1933), commonly referred to as A. G. Stephens, was an Australian writer and literary critic, notably for '' The Bulletin''. He was appointed to that position by its owner, J. F. Archibald in ...
, a close friend, reviewed the book in the ''Bulletin'' and stated: So precise, so complete, with such insight into detail and such force of statement, it ranks with the masterpieces of realism in any language''.
Percival Serle
Percival Serle (18 July 1871 – 16 December 1951) was an Australian biographer and bibliographer.
Early life
Serle was born in Elsternwick, Victoria to English parents who had migrated as children and for many years worked in a life assurance ...
, however, found that ''The building up of detail, however, is at times overdone, and lacking humorous relief, the stories tend to give a distorted view of life in the back-blocks.''
Baynton's husband died on 10 June 1904 and left his entire estate to her. She invested in the stock market, bought and sold antiques, and collected black opals from
Lightning Ridge
Lightning Ridge is a small outback town in north-western New South Wales, Australia. Part of Walgett Shire, Lightning Ridge is situated near the southern border of Queensland, about east of the Castlereagh Highway. The Lightning Ridge area i ...
. She also became chairman of the Law Book Company of Australasia. In 1907, her only novel, '' Human Toll'', was published, and in 1917 '' Cobbers'', an edited reprint of ''Bush Studies'' with two additional stories, appeared. During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, she lived in England. Son Robert Frater had been on the staff of the Sydney ''
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
'', and Alec Hay Frater was an artist; both enlisted with the British Army.
In February 1921, Baynton married her third husband
Rowland Allanson-Winn, 5th Baron Headley
Rowland George Allanson Allanson-Winn, 5th Baron Headley (19 January 1855 – 22 June 1935), also known as Shaikh Rahmatullah al-Farooq, was an Irish peer and a prominent convert to Islam, who was also one of the leading members of the Woki ...
; she was subsequently styled "Lady Headley". He was a convert to Islam, but she did not adopt his religion. In 1925, the couple separated and she returned to Melbourne where she lived in the suburb of Toorak. The split was reputedly due to her husband's refusal of the throne of
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
. Baynton died in Melbourne on 28 May 1929. She was survived by her third husband and her two sons and daughter by the first marriage. Her daughter Penny Frater married politician and journalist
Henry Gullett
Sir Henry Somer Gullett KCMG CB (26 March 1878 – 13 August 1940), known as Harry Gullett, was an Australian journalist, military historian and politician. He was a war correspondent during World War I and co-authored the official history of ...
; a grandson
Jo Gullett
Henry Baynton Somer "Jo" Gullett, AM, MC (16 December 1914 – 24 August 1999) was an Australian soldier, politician, grazier, diplomat and journalist. He served with distinction in the Australian Army during World War II, was a controversial ...
also entered politics. The Australian actress
Penne Hackforth-Jones
Penne Hackforth-Jones (5 August 194917 May 2013) was an American-born Australian actress and biographer.
Early life
Penelope Beatrix Hackforth-Jones was born in August 1949 in Greenwich, Connecticut, to Paul and Susan Felicity (née Gullett) Ha ...
(1942-2013), her great-granddaughter, wrote a biography of Baynton, titled ''Barbara Baynton - Between Two Worlds'' (1989)"Bringing to life dark tales from literary lady of the bush", ''The Age,''
November 5, 2007, https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/bringing-to-life-dark-tales-from-literary-lady-of-the-bush-20071105-ge680r.html
Selected works
Novel
* ''Human Toll'' (1907)
Collections
* ''Bush Studies'' (1902)
* ''Cobbers'' (1917)
Major individual works
* ''
The Chosen Vessel
"The Chosen Vessel" is a dramatic short story by the Australian writer Barbara Baynton, first published in ''The Bulletin (Australian periodical), The Bulletin'' on 12 December 1896. It recounts the story of an outback woman left alone with her ...
'' (1896) - short story
* ''Fragments: 1 Day-Birth'' (1899) - poem
* ''A Dreamer'' (1902) - short story
* ''Billy Skywonkie'' (1902) - short story
Australian Dictionary of Biography
The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...
, Volume 7, MUP, 1979, pp 222–223.
*Carter, Jennifer M. T. (2003) "'Getting to know you': Illusive writers" in ''National Library of Australia News'', XIV(2): 11–14, November 2003
*Miller, E. Morris & Frederick T. Macartney, ''Australian Literature'', 1956, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, p. 55
*
*Wilde, William H, Joy Hooton & Barry Andrews, (1986) ''The Oxford companion to Australian Literature'', Melbourne, Oxford University Press, p. 79,
Project Gutenberg Australia
Project Gutenberg Australia, abbreviated as PGA, is an Internet site which was founded in 2001 by Colin Choat. It is a sister site of Project Gutenberg, though there is no formal relationship between the two organizations. The site hosts free eboo ...
Headley Headley may refer to:
Places
* Headley, Basingstoke and Deane in the civil parish of Ashford Hill with Headley
* Headley, East Hampshire
** Headley Grange, Hampshire
* Headley, Surrey
Other uses
* Headley (surname)
* Baron Headley, a title in t ...