Martha Darby

     NOTE: The information on this page is my research to date and is subject to change as I become better informed. I very much welcome any corrections or additional info you might have - my email address is at the bottom of this page. Whilst historical facts are not copyright, my writing about these facts are. If you wish to use any text from this site on Ancestry or on any other website, please ask me first - Tim Hill.


(For a brief history and context on the Darby family see this page)

Martha was born on Tuesday, 18 September 1810 at Hertford.^1,2 The city of Hertford dates back to at least 673, and was an important market town surrounded by agricultural land. From the late 16th century, it had access to the London corn markets via the Lea river.

She was the daughter of George Darby and Elizabeth Aylott. Martha Darby was baptised at Lady Huntingdon's Connexion on Tuesday, 21 May 1811 at Hertford. She was baptised on the same day as her brother William.^3,4 Lady Huntingdon's Chapel was one a series of chapels founded in the 18th century by the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion as part of a Calvinistic movement within the Methodist church. She insisted that they should all subscribe to the doctrines of the Church of England and use only the Book of Common Prayer. It was apparently founded in 1800, and started keeping registers from 1806.



Her mother died circa January 1821. She was about 11 when this happened.⁵

She may have attended the wedding of her sister in the marriage of Jerimiah Playl and Eliza Darby in a Church of England ceremony at St. Leonard's on Monday, 7 April 1828 at Shoreditch, London. Eliza was married on the same day as her older sister Lucretia, and they, along with their father, were witnesses for each other. Jerimiah and Eliza went on to have six children together.⁶

She may have attended the wedding of her sister in the marriage of John Warner and Lucretia Darby in a Church of England ceremony at St. Leonard's on Monday, 7 April 1828 at Shoreditch, London. Lucretia was married on the same day as her younger sister Eliza, and they, along with their father, were witnesses for each other.⁶ Martha lived in 1837 at St. Pancras, London.⁷

She married John Speller Wright, a tailor, son of William Wright and Elizabeth (?), in a Church of England ceremony at St. Pancras Parish Chapel on Wednesday, 11 January 1837 at St. Pancras, London. The wedding certificate was also signed by Samuel Darby and Ann Darby. Others who may have attended the wedding include Elizabeth (?) as mother of the bride, George Darby as father of the bride and William Wright as father of the groom. Brothers and sisters who may have attended include Lucretia Darby, Eliza Darby, Mary Ann Darby, William Darby, Amelia Darby, Thomas Darby and John D. Darby. John and Martha went on to have two children together.^7,8,1 Martha and John lived on 4 March 1839 at 11 Swan Street Great Dover Row, London.⁹ Martha Darby and John Speller Wright made an application for free passage to South Australia on 4 March 1839.⁹

She may have attended the wedding of her sister in the marriage of Joseph William Peck and Ann Darby in a Church of England ceremony at St. Leonard's on Monday, 1 April 1839 at Shoreditch, London. They married seventeen days before they set sail for South Australia.^10,5

At the age of 28 Martha and her husband John emigrated with Martha's brothers Thomas and John, John's wife Mary, her sister Ann and Ann's husband Joseph Peck. from London on 20 April 1839 on the 'Somersetshire.¹¹' Martha and her husband John arrived at Port Adelaide, South Australia, on 25 August 1839.¹¹


On her arrival, there were a little over 10,000 people in the colony.¹²

The family was mentioned in a letter from another South Australian immigrant. Describing something of their circumstances on 21 March 1840:


No doubt this letter was very eagerly received back home.^13,14 She presumably lived with her spouse John at Hindley Street, in Adelaide, in 1846.¹⁵

Her husband John died 8 February 1846 at the approximate age of 34, leaving her a widow at age 35.

She may have attended the wedding of her brother in the marriage of Thomas Darby and Jessie Nicholson in a Congregationalist ceremony conducted by Reverend Edward Knight Baker on Thursday, 23 November 1848 at Morphett Vale, South Australia. A week earlier at the same place, Thomas' brother John had married Mary Leonard. No parents of the bride and groom attended the ceremony.^16,17

Her brother John died Wednesday, 26 January 1853 after a brief illness, aged approximately 34.¹⁸

Her father died 4 March 1853 at the approximate age of 74. Martha was aged 42 when this happened.

Her brother Samuel died Saturday, 11 October 1856 in a horrific accident on a paddlesteamer when one of the boilers he was tending exploded. Martha lived in 1876 at Minlacowie, South Australia.¹⁹

Martha died in her brother Thomas' house on 6 August 1876 at Minlacowie at age 65.^1,19