Maria Lock

Maria Lock (1808 - 1878) was an Australian aboriginal landowner. She was a known figure in the Australian colonial legends.

Maria Lock was born at Richmond Bottoms by Hawkesbury River to Yarramundi, chief of the Richmond tribe, and placed at the Native Institution of William and Elizabeth Shelley in 1814. She worked as a domestic and married first Dicky in 1822 and in 1824 with former convict Robert Lock (1800-1854). This was the first legalized and recognized marriage between a European settler and an aboriginal person in the colony. They settled on a farm belonging to Native Institution. Between 1831 and 1844, she successfully negotiated with the government about access to lands previously belonging to her brother.

References

• Australian Dictionary of Biography