Ellen Francis Young (c. 1810 – 27 January 1872) was an English-born Australian early
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feminist poet living in the time of the
Australian Gold Rush
During the Australian gold rushes, starting in 1851, significant numbers of workers moved from elsewhere in Australia and overseas to where gold had been discovered. Gold had been found several times before, but the colonial government of Ne ...
.
Early life
She was born Ellen Warboy, around 1810 in Hampshire, England.
and married a chemist, Frederick Young in 1837, in St James Church,
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England.
Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington.
The well after which it was named was redisco ...
,
London
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.
By 1841, they were living in
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area.
In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...
, with Fredericks family, until he sailed to Australia in 1851. Ellen followed him two years later, arriving at
Geelong
Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...
in July 1853. They then left to dig for gold at Ballarat, arriving in February 1854.
Frederick was a
miner
A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face; cutting, blasting, ...
and the life that the Youngs led was a hard one as the income was minimal and they were poor.
Ellen Young was one of the women who acted as a "leader" in the movement of women's rights. She organised petitions.
Literary life
Young wrote her first poem, published in the ''
Geelong Advertiser
The ''Geelong Advertiser'' is a daily newspaper circulating in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, the Bellarine Peninsula, and surrounding areas. First published on 21 November 1840, the ''Geelong Advertiser'' is the oldest newspaper title in Victor ...
'' on 1 June 1854. It was based on the conditions of life at the diggings and was first titled "Ballarat", although later it became known as "The Digger's Lament". She was among the first to introduce the idea that many miners "laboured hard, all to no avail", and suggested the arrival of the new governor,
Charles Hotham, would improve matters.
Young was a poet who typically wrote either political or questioning poems.
Young published many of her poems in the ''
Ballarat Times'' and signed them all "Ellen F Young, the Ballarat Poetess", challenging the anonymity thought suitable for female literary figures at that time.
Death
Frederick died on 4 September 1868 at the age of 56. Ellen Young died four years later on 27 January 1872 at the age of 62. They are buried together in the
Ballarat Old Cemetery.
[
The last statement she made was a letter to the editor of '']The Ballarat Star
''The Ballarat Star'' was a newspaper in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, first published on 22 September 1855. Its publication ended on 13 September 1924 when it was merged with its competitor, the ''Ballarat Courier''.''Ballarat Star'' Newspap ...
'', in defence of a perceived slight against her recently deceased husband.
References
Further reading
* Dorothy Wickham, ''Women of the Diggings: Ballarat 1854'', BHS Publishing, 2009.
* Corfield, Wickham, Gervasoni, ''The Eureka Encyclopaedia'', BHS Publishing, 2005, p. 557.
External links
'Ballarat' by Ellen Young 1 June 1854 ''Geelong Advertiser and Intelligencer''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Ellen
1810s births
1872 deaths
Australian poets
English emigrants to colonial Australia
People from the Colony of Victoria
People from Ballarat