Rowdy Ladies of Old Brisbane – Moreton Bay and More

This Abominable Woman.

In the late 1840s, readers of the Moreton Bay Courier, were appalled and fascinated by reports of the antics of the town’s less proper womenfolk. Some were former convicts, others were wives of labourers, all were heavy drinkers. For nearly a decade, the rowdiest woman in town was Mary Ann Williams. The Brisbane Bench cautionedContinue reading “This Abominable Woman.”

Brisbane’s Tiny Hell-Raiser.

Agnes Conner Chilton Ferguson (and, unofficially and occasionally, Walmsley) stood only 5 feet 1 ¼ inches, but she was more than capable of intimidating husbands, neighbours and two generations of the Brisbane constabulary. Her criminal activities, fuelled by a liquor intake that would have felled a lesser being, ranged from assault to trickery to publicContinue reading “Brisbane’s Tiny Hell-Raiser.”