Molly Morgan, convict to "Queen"

By David Ellis
July 1 2015 - 6:30am
THE hell-ship Neptune on which Molly Morgan arrived in Port Jackson in 1790 - nearly half the 502 convicts crammed aboard, died on the journey. 	(Wikimedia)
THE hell-ship Neptune on which Molly Morgan arrived in Port Jackson in 1790 - nearly half the 502 convicts crammed aboard, died on the journey. (Wikimedia)
MAITLAND Town Hall, Molly Morgan's hut and grog shanty opposite here went on to become the nucleus of the now-City of Maitland. 	(WikiPedia)
MAITLAND Town Hall, Molly Morgan's hut and grog shanty opposite here went on to become the nucleus of the now-City of Maitland. (WikiPedia)
NEWCASTLE in 1828, by now Molly Morgan was one of the largest and wealthiest landowners on the Hunter River, her land at Wallis Plains to become the now-city of Maitland. 	(Painting by Joseph Cross; courtesy Newcastle Art Gallery)
NEWCASTLE in 1828, by now Molly Morgan was one of the largest and wealthiest landowners on the Hunter River, her land at Wallis Plains to become the now-city of Maitland. (Painting by Joseph Cross; courtesy Newcastle Art Gallery)
PARRAMATTA in 1805: Molly Morgan's de facto gave her a small farming block here in 1805 but she was caught stealing government cattle and sent to Newcastle Penal Colony. 	(Painting by George Evans. National Library of Australia)
PARRAMATTA in 1805: Molly Morgan's de facto gave her a small farming block here in 1805 but she was caught stealing government cattle and sent to Newcastle Penal Colony. (Painting by George Evans. National Library of Australia)
MAP of Sydney Cove's now-Rocks area in the early 1790s and which was briefly home to Molly Morgan. 	(British Natural History Museum)
MAP of Sydney Cove's now-Rocks area in the early 1790s and which was briefly home to Molly Morgan. (British Natural History Museum)

SHOULD Hollywood ever contemplate a blockbuster about the more-colourful women from our wild colonial past, it would need to look no further than the tale of twice-deported English beauty, Molly Morgan.

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