Ann Rumsby
Australian female convict
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Biography
Ann Rumsby (1803–1850) was a female convict involved in a scandal in 1820s New South Wales.
Biography
She was transported to Australia on the convict ship Mary Ann. She was assigned to a Dr Douglass. Samuel Marsden used this to discredit Dr Douglass, who was accused of seducing Ann. Ann denied it, was convicted of perjury, and sent to Port Macquarie. The case was reviewed and overruled and Ann was pardoned. It was a major defeat for Marsden.
As Marsden was anti-emancipist, it is said this contributed to the emergeny of democracy in New South Wales.
Popular culture
Rumsby's story was dramatised in an episode of the television series Behind the Legend.