Rape and killing of Mary Ann Rainbird, and the killing of children Emma and Robert Rainbird, and Mary Ann’s unborn child, 11 March 1861

Date: 11 Mar 1861
Place: Hamilton district
Mary Ann Rainbird was 8 months pregnant when she and her two children, aged 5 and 2, were killed. Their bodies were found on 12 March in a wombat hole. Due to the excessively hot weather, the bodies were in a state of decomposition when they were found. On examination, all were found to have received blows to the head. Six Aboriginal men were arrested and four were found guilty.
(See 'The South Australian Frontier and its Legacies' for more details.)
Notes:
LocationAccuracy: Close

People involved

  • George (boy)
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Jemmy
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Maria (wife of Jemmy Alick)
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Miss Ellen
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Monaitya (Monnitya/Moneka alias Jacky Pyke/Pike)
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Nupower Bobby
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Tanka Worta (Tankawortya alias Jemmy Alick/Alec)
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Warretya (Warreecha alias old Man Jack)
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Warretya (Warreka alias Kapunda Robert)
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.

Sources

Event mentions

  • Rape and killing of Mary Ann Rainbird, and the killing of children Emma and Robert Rainbird, and Mary Ann’s unborn child, 11 March 1861
    11 Mar 1861 — Hamilton district
    Mary Ann Rainbird was 8 months pregnant when she and her two children, aged 5 and 2, were killed. Their bodies were found on 12 March in a wombat hole. Due to the excessively hot weather, the bodies were in a state of decomposition when they were found. On examination, all were found to have received blows to the head. Six Aboriginal men were arrested and four were found guilty.
    (See 'The South Australian Frontier and its Legacies' for more details.)
    Source: Robert Foster, Skye Krichauff and Amanda Nettelbeck, The South Australian Frontier and its Legacies, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 2024, http://ua.edu.au/south-australian-frontier