Mary Beckwith

The stepmother became the senior housekeeper and mistress of Richard Atkins the newly appointed Judge-Advocate. Mary junior probably joined her stepmother at Atkins' house where she would have been useful in looking after his young daughters.

Captain Baudin on Le Geographe arrived in Sydney in June 1802 and stayed for five months.

Baudin lived ashore throughout those five months and established friendships with Governor King who spoke French fluently, and Richard Atkins who also read and spoke French.

Baudin saw the Governor almost daily besides regularly visiting Atkins' house to socialise and use his sizeable library.

That is how Baudin would have met the two Mary Beckwiths.

The stepdaughter asked Baudin to obtain Governor King's permission for her to return to England. The Governor, however, lacked the authority to pardon her. And to leave the colony without a pardon would make Mary an escaped convict, subject to the death penalty.

Unofficial negotiation involving Atkins, Governor King, Captain Baudin and the Beckwith women probably followed. Exactly who gained what out of it is unclear, except for Sydney's Female Orphanage and Mary junior. The Orphanage got a £50 donation from Baudin, and Mary, disguised in men's clothing, went on board Le Geographe the night before it sailed.

Mary of course could not re-enter England without authentic documentation, so Baudin's plan was to put her ashore on a Dutch or French colonial island.

For the next nine months, until le Géographe arrived at the French colony of Mauritius in August 1803, Mary shared the captain’s cabin and had affairs with various crew members.

In January 1803, while the ship lay at anchor in Nepean Bay, Mary became the first European female to set foot on Kangaroo Island. She went ashore at what is now called Baudin Beach in Eastern Cove of Nepean Bay. She may also have viewed Western Cove from onboard the ship during the circumnavigation and again afterwards when Le Geographe departed Nepean Bay.

During the subsequent voyage Baudin became progressively more ill from tuberculosis and died on Mauritius in September 1803.

Captain Flinders was at the time imprisoned on Mauritius. He received two visits from Baudin's younger brother who commanded a Danish ship and wanted advice on whether to accept Mary as his passenger to India.

Flinders did not record what advice he gave his visitor, and at this stage Mary disappears from history. Having expressed interest in taking Mary as passenger Baudin's brother probably did, and she reached India, perhaps also Denmark.

Kangaroo Islanders erected a memorial to Mary Beckwith in 2002 at Baudin Beach.

As regards the older Mary Beckwith, she accompanied Richard Atkins back to England in 1810 and the two married in 1817.