Hutchinson, Mary (1810 - 1880)

The daughter of missionaries Francis and Rebecca Oakes, Mary Hutchinson attempted to establish a Christian mission in Tonga with her husband John Hutchinson, but the pair were forced to retreat. In 1832, John Hutchinson was appointed superintendent of the Female House of Correction (the female factory), with his wife as matron. Of their twelve children, six died in infancy. John Hutchinson's recurring illness meant that Mary was often charged with running the institution. On her husband's retirement, she became matron-in-charge of the smaller 'factory' at Launceston. She retired in 1854.

• Oakes, Mary (maiden name)

Journal Articles

• Hutchinson, R.C., 'Mrs Hutchinson and the Female Factories of Early Australia', Tasmanian Historical Research Association Papers and Proceedings, December 1963, pp. 50-67. [ Details... ]

See also

• Australian Dictionary of Biography Online, 2006, http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au. [ Details... ]
• Radi, Heather (ed.), 200 Australian Women: A Redress Anthology, Women's Redress Press, Sydney, 1988, 258 pp. (Also available at http://www.200australianwomen.com/) [ Details... ]