Emily Mary Barton

Emily Mary Barton (1817–1909) was an English-born Australian poet. She wrote poetry for most of her life, and was still publishing when she was 90.^[1] She was the grandmother of Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson.

Early life

Emily Mary Barton was born Emily Mary Darvall on 3 December 1817. Her parents were Major Edward Darvall and Emily Darvall née Johnson.^[2] She was the eldest daughter of the Darvall's seven children, and the fourth child. In 1839, Major Darvall and five of his children set off for the colony of New South Wales, his second son John Bayley Darvall having travelled to New South Wales five months earlier.

Marriage and children

Emily married Robert Johnstone Barton, a retired naval officer turned grazier, in 1840. They met on the voyage to Australia, aboard the Alfred. They had eight children. He died on 4 October 1863 at the Australian Club in Sydney, aged 54.^[3]

Emily and Robert's elder daughters, Emily and Rose, married the brothers John and Andrew Paterson.

Poetry

Emily Mary had a classical education, having spent some of her early life in Belgium and France. Her letters to her family and friends often contained verses, and she contributed to the entertainment on board during the trip to Australia with poems and verses.

Published works

• A Few of Granmamma's Prizes for the Little Ones. Sydney Gibbs, Shallard and Co., 1885
•  Straws on the Stream. Sydney [The Author] 1907
•  Straws on the Stream. Sydney W. E. Smith 1910. This collection, with the same name as the earlier, self-published edition, was published post-humously.

References

Further reading

• Long, Jeremy (1994). Strugglers and settlers: Darvall family letters 1839–1949. Springwood, NSW. Butterfly Books. ISBN 0947333789