Jane Kelly (c1830-1872)

Jane Kelly arrived in Sydney from Ireland at the age of 19 on the ship "Digby" with her younger sister Isabella on 4 Apr 1849. Their parents were recorded as deceased.

Jane's first child, Thomas Digby Jnr, was born in Yass in May 1850 when Jane was about 20 years old. (When Thomas Digby Jnr was christened Jane's first name was given as Ann.) Unfortunately the baby only lived for 6 weeks. Jane then married her baby's father, Thomas Digby (c1820-), on 4 November 1850 at the Presbyterian church in Yass. By December 1850, however, she was involved in a relationship with Thomas Lansdown (1817-1885), the father of her next child.

Jane's first child with Thomas Lansdown (1817-1885), Isabella Landstone(sic) (known as Isabella Lydia Lansdown), was born on 4 September 1851 in Sydney and christened on 6 October 1851 at St Mary's Catholic Cathedral, Sydney, as the daughter of Thomas Landstone(sic) and Jane Kelly (who had reverted to her maiden name). This is evidence that at the time of Isabella's christening Jane and Thomas were not married. It is also not known why Isabella was baptised at the Catholic Cathedral as immigration records record that Jane was protestant. Her prior marriage in 1850, and the subsequent baptism of her other children with Thomas Lansdown in 1857 were performed in Presbyterian churches.

Thomas and Jane's second daughter, Rebecca Jane Lansdown, was born on 25 December 1852 at "Springfield", Quialigo 20 kilometres south of Goulburn. Mary Anne Lansdown was born on 21 January 1854, followed by their son Thomas followed on 11 January 1855, and their daughter Ellen Henrietta on 26 January 1856. Birth records do not exist for these children, but their dates of birth are recorded at their baptism, together with their sister Isabella, at the Presbyterian church in Goulburn in November 1857. The Scottish based Presbyterian church, unlike other churches, recorded mother's maiden names. The record then shows the father as Thomas Lansdown and the mother as Jane Kelly for the eldest 2 children and Mary(sic) Kelly for the youngest 3 children.

Jane's relationship with Thomas Lansdown (1817-1885) broke down in September 1856 as revealed in a court case in December 1857 where Jane sued Thomas for maintenance. Other details of the court case include that in September 1856 Thomas had "brutally beaten her (Jane's) naked body with a whip" on a day when Thomas "had detected an improper intimacy between her and a man (Mr Burns) in his employ". (At the time Jane was probably unaware that she was newly pregnant, having conceived near the end of August 1856. Thomas never accepted paternity for this child, and Jane never claimed that this child was his.) Jane only sought (and was awarded) maintenance for herself. The assumption to be drawn from this is that the Lansdown children, ranging in age from 1 to 6 years, were living with their father. This assumption is strengthened by the fact that Jane did not take the Lansdown children with her and their younger half-siblings to Sydney in December 1862.

No record of a marriage between Thomas Lansdown and Jane Kelly has been found. The court case of December 1857, where Jane sued Thomas for maintenance, suggests that they did marry. A marriage to Jane would also explain why Thomas Lansdown (1817-1885) and Rebecca Best (1834-1921), in an era when divorce was the prerogative of the rich, did not marry until after Jane's death. If Thomas and Jane never married, Thomas maintained that they had, and Rebecca would not have married Thomas whilst Jane was still living.

When Martha was born in May 1857, Jane, who had previously been known as Jane Lansdown, assumed her previous married name of Jane Digby. Jane stated that Martha's father was Thomas Digby, a baker (which agrees with the occupation of her former husband) born in Southampton, England and of a similiar age to Thomas Lansdown. Jane stated that she had previous living issue of 5 girls and 1 boy. If 5 girls is correct she had another child, a girl, and a twin to either Rebecca Jane Lansdown, Mary Ann Lansdown, Thomas Lansdown or Ellen Henrietta Lansdown. If 5 girls is correct this other daughter died between the time of Martha's birth on 18 May 1857 and 27 November 1857 when the Lansdown children (but not Martha, who had been born in May 1857) were christened. It is known that at the time of the christening Jane was living with William Garner (1809-1868) and Thomas Lansdown (1817-1885) was living with Rebecca Best (1834-1921). It is not known whether Jane or Thomas or both took the Lansdown children to the Presbyterian church to have them baptised.

Jane took her younger children, from Martha downwards, with her to Sydney in December 1862.

More research is currently being done into the life of Jane Kelly, her relationships, and her children.

It is not known if Jane's son Frederick Thomas Lansdown (1849-1910) was adopted as a young child, or if instead Jane's son Thomas Lansdown (1855-) and Frederick Thomas Lansdown (1849-1910) are the same person.