In I836 former East India Company Judge & Master of the Mint James Donnithorne (1773-1852) retired to the Sydney hamlet of Newtown with his ten year old daughter Eliza Emily (1826-1886) where he purchased Camperdown Lodge, a georgian villa situated on King Street and named in honour of Lord Nelson's Napoleonic naval victory. The house had been purchased, staffed and prepared in advance of their arrival from distant Calcutta, and soon became a focal point of colonial high society.
James Donnithorne was an industrious man, an empire builder he invested extensively in real estate in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales and went into partnership with prominent pastoralists, including Robert Ebden, in ambitious farming ventures. Business in Australia was good for James and as his wealth increased so did his generosity; believing one should put back into life what one gets out of it he became a pillar of society by endowing numerous institutions and championing as many good causes.
Beyond his worldly success the great joy of his life was always his daughter Eliza Emily, who became the sole surviving female of the Donnithorne family after the Calcutta cholera outbreak of 1832 claimed the lives of her two teenage sisters and distraught mother, Sarah, whose epitaph in Kedgeree Cemetery noted her cause of death as "a broken heart". Preceding the epidemic James had taken Eliza and her brothers to Mysore to greet visiting relatives, which almost certainly saved their lives. However on becoming aware of his wife and daughters illness he left his children in the safety of Mysore and rushed to be with his wife and daughters, arriving too late for his daughters but in time to nurse Sarah who died in his arms. Devastated by his loss commerce lost its allure, his surviving children soon becoming the center of his universe.
James & Eliza Emily Donnithorne were descended from ancient Cornish stock, untitled nobility whose ancestry extended back into the mists of time. Cornwall and Devon are dotted with an almost endless array of ruined castles, grand country houses and ancient tombstones paying homage to past generations wealth and power. They were distantly related to William the Conqueror and served innumerable kings and queens of England in various capacities, James's father, Nicholas, represented the Prince Regent in Cornwall and proudly introduced his teenage son to the Court of George III. Thunderstruck by the glamour and excesses of georgian society James became a close friend of the Prince Regent, Prince George, later King George V, and the two young dandy's became notorious in London for their misbehavior. To finance his extravagant lifestyle James amassed debts of £30.000 in his fathers name, a kings ransom then and now, which almost ruined his family and forced them to sell part of their ancestral estate, forever estranging him from the land of his birth. Prompted by worsening scandals Parliament finally ordered the future king to clean-up his act and cease dissolute associations, it came as no surprise James Donnithorne was high on the excommunication list. Compelling his heartbroken father to send his beloved son into exile, to pursue a career in the East India Company.
Sent to distant India the adventurous side of his nature compelled him to join a Royal Naval detail which charted the Torres Strait Islands (one named for a period in his honour) and east coast of Australia, before returning to India and settling down. He married and worked his way up from entry level clerk to Judge and Master of the Mint. His natural acumen for business and politics enabled him to amass a considerable fortune and influence. If not for his scandal laden past and adulterous liaisons with Indian ladies, often resulting in pregnancies, he would certainly have been elevated to the peerage or married into that echelon of society. That much aspired avenue closed off to him he thrust his social climbing ambitions on his children, both sons joining the military and achieving officer status before marriage (mergers) with illustrious British families and as his only surviving daughter entered womanhood it was naturally assumed she too would do the family proud by marriage into a respectable family.
From 1845 to 1848 Mr Donnithorne attempted to arrange marriages between his daughter and the sons of former East India Company colleagues in India, however Eliza showed the same stubbornness he was renowned for by rejecting any suggestion of an arranged marriage. Proudly stating she would only marry someone she loved and no one else, which was remarkable defiance in an era when woman had precious few rights and their submission to men, especially fathers, was preached from pulpits on Sunday as Gods own law. Her refusal to submit to the demands of her father led to intense friction between them, often going for days without speaking. It was during this difficult period she sought refuge at St Stephen's Anglican Church in Newtown, where bible study classes and philanthropic diversions were arranged for daughters of the wealthy forbidden careers due to their status and had time to kill waiting for a suitable husband to come along.
It was here Eliza met a young Englishman by the name of George Cuthbertson, employed as a clerk by a shipping company. He soon began pursuing her and quickly captured her affections, undoubtedly a breath of fresh air and liberty for a young woman trapped in a suffocating guilded cage. The class divide was presumably seen as an unbridgeable chasm so their relationship had to be carried out in secret, clandestine meetings and stolen moments in the wild pastures of Camperdown Cemetery where they were often spotted by the sexton. As Eliza continued spending more time away from home her father became concerned and on becoming aware of the relationship between the young couple irrupted, infuriated he forbade his daughter to ever see her unworthy suitor again. But his ultimatum fell upon deaf ears and whenever he departed on business Eliza would send one of the trusted servants with a message to Mr Cuthbertson, announcing their opportunity for a romantic rendezvous. George would then ride out on horseback to Camperdown Lodge, was seen riding into Newtown like an American cowboy, where the couple would spend as much time as possible together.
Eliza Emily Donnithorne and Camperdown Lodge by John Sullivan
Mr Donnithorne was known in business circles for his quick temper, the fuse of which drew shorter with each passing year and declining health. One day when he was making his way from the stables to Camperdown Lodge he spotted George peering through a window looking for his daughter, and soon fled hotly pursued by the father in a violent rage. A direct result of this encounter was that Eliza was kept on a shorter chain and had to take to climbing out her bedroom window to exchange a kiss or two with George, whenever possible her father would intrude and the insubordinate courtship became a nerve wracking business.
In spite of his opposition the relationship between the couple developed to the point it was futile opposing it further, Mr Donnithorne gave his consent for them to freely court, probably in hope the elimination of romantic intrigue would make Eliza see how unsuited George was for her. However it had the opposite effect, it inevitably led to a proposal of marriage, an outcome he had obviously dreaded. When informed he tartly told his daughter that even though she was marrying beneath her he would no longer oppose the union, a note was sent to George advising him to present himself at Camperdown Lodge if he wished to hear something to his advantage. Upon arrival James led him into the study where they had a frank discussion, it was made clear that he didn't really want to hand over his lovely daughter and if George made a false move after the wedding he'd be hit with a series of legal mallets. The fact he was just a clerk and not a wealthy blue blood like the family into which he aspired entry was a cause of embarrassment for the venerable Judge Donnithorne, who demanded he resign after the marriage and live off an allowance with Eliza at Camperdown Lodge.
Following weeks of preparations the wedding day arrived along with fashionably dressed members of colonial society, a steady stream of onlookers crowded King Street eager to catch a glimpse of the wedding party as it departed for the nearby church. In her room Eliza was, with the assistance of bridesmaids, laced into the heavy corset of the fashionable wasp-waisted era, tightening the laces until she fitted into the narrow top of her wedding dress.
The front of Camperdown Lodge was lined with carriages drawn by well groomed horses, their coachmen and equerries standing by the wheels or sitting stiffly on their seats ready for the cavalcade to St Stephen's for the ceremony. The appointed hour of George's arrival came and went; time passed, but still no sign of the groom. Hungry wedding guests were impatient to devour the exquisite feast marveled at in the long dining room as Mr Donnithorne tried to reassure them the delay would soon be overcome, however it was obvious the wedding would not take place and sensing an impending scandal guests started leaving as tactfully as possible.
James made excuses but had to announce to sympathetic guests that the wedding was to be postponed. At that moment Eliza descended the stairs in her wedding dress to ascertain what was happening, entering the long dining room to witness several of the remaining guests picking at the food while servants began removing other portions. She was horrified and screamed at them to leave the wedding feast alone so it would remain perfect when her groom arrived. By this time the anxiety of her long wait had taken its toll on her gentle nature, she fainted away and was carried to her room rambling and crying. She remained in an emotional state for several weeks demanding that the wedding finery be left untouched, her father honouring these wishes in the interests of her mental health. The doors leading into the long dining room were closed and locked, the wedding feast remaining untouched, but soon tumbling to decay at the mercy of swarms of cockroaches and mice.
Unknown to all at that time Eliza was carrying George Cuthbertson's child and several months later gave birth to a daughter, Anna, who was taken from her and placed with the family of a servant (Mrs Anna Kelly) to avoid the inevitable scandal illegitimacy would cause at Eliza's level of society. She was later told the child had died at birth, which would only have exacerbated her emotional distress. She suffered a difficult pregnancy and resulting health problems kept her bedridden for sometime, after she regained her health she never again left the confines of Camperdown Lodge, she refused to see all callers and friends who made attempts to comfort her. She insisted that the front door be left ajar and fastened with a heavy chain so her groom could easily announce himself, a candle burned by the door at night, and to deter burglars a mastiff was tethered behind.
James Donnithorne died and was laid to rest in Camperdown Cemetery on 25 May 1852, survived by two sons, who lived in England and India, and his only daughter Eliza Emily who inherited the bulk of his estate. Which consisted of property in Britain, Australia and the considerable fortune he had amassed. Eliza was now 26 and alone, without her fathers masterly hand dominating her life and actions she became the eccentric recluse history will forever remember her as.
She ordered all the windows of Camperdown Lodge be closed with drapes drawn and shutters nailed shut, dismissed all but two servants (Sarah & Elizabeth Bailey) and having placed the house in a state of suspended animation abandoned the greater extent of the interior to fall to decay in total darkness whilst she waited patiently for George to return. Discharged servants recalled how she wandered the house clad in her wedding dress and allowed the wedding feast to rot on the table, late night passersby reported seeing her drift through the now uncultivated gardens and overgrown grounds like a ghost dressed in black, her face concealed.
All her external needs and communications were conducted by her two loyal servants who, as the years rolled by, suffered a constant barrage of questions about their mistress from curious locals and shopkeepers but refused to answer any questions or comment in anyway about Eliza during her lifetime. Both women lived in the servants quarters of Camperdown Lodge and were almost as reclusive as their mistress, never marrying and only leaving the property to conduct official business or visit relatives from time to time. They were also charged by Edward Donnithorne (Eliza's brother) with the responsibility of keeping tabs on their mistress and reporting any problems which may arise to him, he was concerned for her welfare being so far away without a relative to come to her assistance in an emergency. Various members of the family, especially Eliza's nieces who were touched by her romantic devotion to George, tried to persuade her to return to Britain. Edward, in a multitude of letters, begged her to sell-up and take-up residence with his family at Colne Lodge, their Twickenham estate, near London, but she refused all invitations and insisted on remaining at her station at Camperdown Lodge.
Her only refuge from the torments of a broken heart was found in literature, her legendary book collection. A library which continually increased with books imported from England and America, she also bought any book (especially bibles) peddlers knocked on her door trying to sell. Deeply religious throughout her life ministers of St Stephens Church were one of the few people who ever gained entry to the house, often dropping in on Sundays to perform communion and often leaving with a donation for some cause or other. She helped finance the construction of the new St Stephens Church on Church Street, notably its bells, and also made contributions to the founding of the University of Sydney a few blocks away.
As the years passed Camperdown Lodge all but fell to ruin, ministers such as Canon Taylor who visited described furnishings falling to pieces at the touch and oceans of dust and decay. Lawyers and business associates who called on official matters would leave in dismay, shocked by the state of the house and its mistress. Local children avoided passing the house convinced it was haunted, a fear shared by many an adult. The publication of Charles Dickens masterpiece "Great Expectations" coincided with the timeline of Eliza's sad life and made her an unwitting celebrity, people traveled from across Sydney to see Camperdown Lodge. The only existing photograph of the house, posted above, was taken by a professional photographer hired by a Mrs Foster who sits in the sulky as her children pose on the footpath outside the forlorn house. Locals, then and now, were convinced she was Dickens inspiration for Miss Havisham. Although there are many similarities between Miss Havisham & Eliza - Satis House & Camperdown Lodge and a few circumstantial links with Dickens: one son visited Sydney at the right time, another worked in James Donnithorne's old East India Company office where his daughters fate was local gossip - Dickens retained literary researchers in Sydney and there are a few inconclusive links between Edward Donnithorne and Charles Dickens, it's unlikely there will ever be a concrete link to prove Dickens used or needed Eliza's story to create Miss Havisham as there are many other plausible candidates.
No one knows why George Cuthbertson left the heartless way he did: did the prospect of spending the rest of his life being lorded over by James Donnithorne frighten him off - was he removed against his will or was he paid off?, we will never know. He next surfaces in India where he may have worked for the East India Company for a time, before dying in Delhi in 1858 from wounds inflicted during the sepoy rebellion. It is believed Eliza's suspicions her happiness was ruined by the possessive or vindictive manipulations of her father further increased her agony, perhaps lay at the heart of her disengagement from the world. Although to me it's unlikely that a social peacock like James Donnithorne, incensed by his daughters disobedience or not, would humiliate himself and family in such a public way. Unless, of course, he had lost his wits for some incestuous reason.
Eliza Emily Donnithorne died on 20 May l886 aged 60 of heart disease, a fitting end to the life of a woman ruled by her emotions. She was laid to rest beside her father in Camperdown Cemetery, not far from where George probably stole his first kiss from her so many years earlier. Camperdown Lodge was placed on the market as the Bailey sisters cleared away what remained of the wedding feast in the long dining room, 40 years after it had been prepared and presented. Eliza's estate was valued at £12.000 and consisted of property in Britain and Australia, cash and assets, the main beneficiary being her family in England and long serving housekeepers. She also remembered her pets, charities and religious institutions.
At the time of her death Eliza wouldn't have been able to imagine how profoundly the world outside had changed, had she listened carefully she would have heard electric omnibuses humming up and down the street outside heralding the dawn of a new age. Newtown was no longer a sleepy rural hamlet but a built-up inner city suburb, connected to city rail. The neighboring fields, orchards and estates swallowed up by streets and houses; some of the first in the world to be connected to both electricity and telephone lines. Sydney was no longer a small trading port but a major city, Australia no longer a ruff and ready patchwork of colonies but a nation moving towards independence.
Camperdown Lodge has long since vanished from the bustling inner city suburb of Newtown, shops and trendy restaurants now occupying the site, but the passage of over a century has done little to diminish its memory. Eliza Emily Donnithorne possessed a truly kind heart, the great troubles which darkened her life and wrecked her hopes for happiness could not sour the natural sweetness of her disposition. She was long remembered by the people of Newtown for her many acts of kindness, Sydney's needy knew her kindness well, sometimes lining up outside Camperdown Lodge to seek her assistance. Eliza would listen to their story hidden invisibly behind the partly open door, if moved by their plight her long, lace clad arm would appear and her long pale fingers deposit a gold sovereign into their hand. Although in general one of the Bailey sisters dispensed the funds, no one was ever turned away empty handed. Indeed, for many years after she had been laid to rest those whose lives had been improved by her benevolence filed past her grave and placed garlands of flowers to pay their final respects. A path still followed today by those intrigued by the romance and mystery that has come to symbolize the life of Eliza Emily Donnithorne, the bride that was to have been.
John Godl
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The Bridal Banquet - A 1946 article in Cavalcade Magazine retelling the Donnithorne story
Remembering Camperdown Lodge - James Tyrrell's Reminiscences (93k pdf file)
