Guide to the Papers of the Donnithorne Family (as filmed by the AJCP), 1825-1881

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Summary

Collection number:

M1713 - M1717

Creator:

Donnithorne, James and Donnithorne, Eliza

Language:

English and English

Preferred citation:

Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.

Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.

Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for reference.

Background

Content Summary:

Papers and estate records of the Capell Family, Earls of Essex [DE/Cp]. It is not known why the Donnithorne papers are among the archives of the Capell Family.

Papers 1836-50 of James Donnithorne relating to his business activities in India and Australia, including accounts, stock returns, bills, receipts and letters. Correspondents include Alexander F. Mollison, James Graham, Stuart A. Donaldson and Charles Ebden. Letters 1814-81 received by Eliza Donnithorne.

Biographical / Historical:

James Donnithorne (1773-1852), the son of Nicholas Donnithorne, was born and baptised in London. He grew up in London, where his father was a merchant and alderman. He joined the East India Company as a writer in 1792. He spent nearly forty years in the service of the Company. For many years he was collector, mint master and officiating assay master at Farruckhabad and later he was the salt agent and collector at Hidgelee. For a time he was a judge and senior merchant in Mysore. In 1807 Donnithorne married Sarah Bampton, the daughter of a merchant seaman, Captain William Bampton (1759-1813), who had discovered the Bampton Reefs near New Caledonia in 1793. Sarah Donnithorne and two daughters died in a cholera epidemic in 1832.

Donnithorne came to New South Wales in 1836 on account of his health. He had amassed a fortune in India and he immediately took up the position of a pastoralist, initially in partnership with Charles Ebden. In the colony he assumed, with little justification, the title of 'Judge'. He acquired or leased extensive properties in New South Wales and South Australia. From 1840 to 1850 he was the owner of St Agnes Station, named after his birthplace, a vast estate lying between the Campaspe and Coliban rivers in the Port Phillip district. In Sydney Donnithorne purchased Camperdown Lodge in Newtown. He was prominent in Sydney society and was well known for his hospitality.

Edward Harris Donnithorne (1810-1885) was the eldest son of James and Sarah Donnithorne. He grew up in India and joined the 16th Lancers, which were stationed in India. He married Elizabeth Moore in England in 1834. In 1840 he acquired Colne Lodge in Twickenham, near London, where he lived for the rest of his life. He was active in local affairs, being a magistrate and chairman of the Local Board. His son Edward George Moore Donnithorne (1842-1906) joined the Army and served in the Maori Wars.

Eliza Emily Donnithorne (1826?-1886), the youngest child of James and Sarah Donnithorne, was born at the Cape of Good Hope. She spent her early years in India and Sydney. She then moved to England where she lived for a time in her brother's home at Twickenham. In 1846 she received a large bequest from her uncle William Bampton. In the same year she returned to Sydney and lived with her father until his death in 1852. She inherited the larger part of his estate. In 1855 Eliza became engaged to but on the day of the wedding the bridegroom failed to appear. From that time, she became eccentric, never leaving Camperdown Lodge and only receiving visits from her doctor, solicitor and a clergyman. It was reported that she always wore her wedding dress and that the wedding breakfast was never cleared from the dining table. Whether Charles Dickens based the character of Miss Havisham in Great Expectations on Eliza Donnithorne is not certain.

Access and use

Conditions Governing Access:: Available for Access.
Conditions Governing Use:: Many of the records digitised as part of the AJCP are still in copyright. Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, in the first instance, from the owner of the original material.