Patrick Mayne was born in Cookstown, County Tyrone, in about 1824. Patrick left his native Ireland and arrived in Australia in 1841. By 1846 he was in Moreton Bay, Queensland, working as a butcher at the boiling down works, Kangaroo Point. Moreton Bay is about 45 km north of Brisbane, and in 1841 was still a penal colony and a pretty rough place.
In 1848 a group of men, including Mayne and a sawyer called Robert Cox, were drinking in a hotel called the Bush Inn. Cox had just been paid £350 for a load of cedar and everyone knew that he had that money. Patrick and a few of his friends returned to the inn after mid-night to find Cox and were told that he was drunk and had left.
The next morning, a man rowing up the river at 7 a.m. saw the legs and loins of a man floating in the water. It took another hour to find the upper part of the body in long grass. Eventually the head was found, propped up so it would look at whoever found it – and then, horror upon horrors, the entrails were found draped over the well behind the hotel. It probably was Brisbane’s most bizarre murder. The cook from the hotel was arrested for the theft of the money and the murder, tried, convicted and hung.
On 9 April 1849 in Brisbane Patrick married, with Catholic rites, Mary McIntosh, a Protestant born in about 1826 in Clare, Ireland. Patrick and Mary had six children.
In September of that year, Patrick produced exactly £350 and bought the goodwill of a butcher shop in Queen Street in the middle of Brisbane. It still is the prime shopping street of the city. Every time Patrick made any money, he bought an acre or two of property around town. He went surety for numerous publicans and engaged in money lending. To finance his expansion he borrowed heavily and in September 1860 consolidated his loans through a mortgage to the Bank of New South Wales for £3300. A leading Catholic businessman, he contributed to the building of St Stephen’s Cathedral. Eventually, he owned about a thousand acres in central Brisbane and became one of the richest men in the colony.
Although he reportedly had little formal schooling, Patrick appreciated the value of education, as did Mary. Three of their children went to Catholic schools, but Patrick also supported the state system and in 1859 contributed £100 to the building of the National School.
Patrick was elected to the first municipal council in Brisbane. He was an alderman and a member of the finance committee for each year, except 1862, until his death, and of the incorporation committee in 1863. In February 1861 he declined to accept nomination as mayor, perhaps influenced by the anti-Irish and class prejudices that had followed his appointment in February 1860 to the Board of National Education. A moderate, Mayne was concerned with practical matters such as water, sewerage, the levelling of streets and setting rates. He opposed jobbery and endeavoured to ensure that council rates were paid and appropriately spent. He could be provoked to violence and at times clashed with the law. A contemporary acknowledged that Mayne’s manners could be rough, but described him as a kindly man who privately assisted those in need.
Patrick Mayne died in 1865 in Queen Street, Brisbane. His funeral was the largest to that date in the city. His wife, three sons and two daughters survived him. It seemed evident that he had been mentally disturbed and Mary decided that it would be better if the children never married. None of them did.
It is alleged that Patrick confessed to murdering a man for whom the wrong person had been hanged. His official biography makes a passing reference to the allegations, but a fairly recent book makes a good case for the fact that he did. Rumours circulated and society in Brisbane would have nothing to do with any of the family thereafter – they were ostracised and nothing they did ever changed that.
The last two surviving siblings, Dr James O’Neil and Mary Emelia, were among Brisbane’s greatest benefactors: whatever the cause, they gave money. In 1926-29 they financed the purchase of the site for the University of Queensland, at St Lucia, donated rural land at Mogill for the university. Initially, the University didn’t want land from ‘those people’, but eventually they accepted it. Upon their deaths James and Mary set up a Trust for the University’s medical school.
I read a book about Patrick and his family about five years ago. The author regretted the fact that the Mayne family had never really been honoured for being amongst the biggest benefactors in Queensland. It was with some interest, therefore, that tonight I watched a short programme on the local news that showed that the University of Queensland is finally honouring the contribution that the Mayne family made to its foundation.
Boadicea's Chariot 
An interesting read Boa. I have never been a supporter of the death penalty and the thought of an innocent man being put to death is a sobering thought.
Yes, interesting and grisly.
Interesting story. As the saying goes, behind every great fortune there is a great crime.
I enjoyed reading that Boa, thanks. It was interesting to read of his wife’s decision to bring the family line to a stop, pity a few more don’t do it now ;-). Good read boa.
Interesting read as always, Boa. Tell us what you think, did he dunnit or not?
The surprising thing is that Nick Cave hasn’t written a song about it (as far as I know).
Thank you Boadicea
I find Australian history fascinating, especially considering the heritage of some people that made it into high places in this country.
Strange to think that at the time of Mayne’s life there was anti Irish and class prejudge, something that really doesn’t exists in Australia today.
Brendano, I think Nick may have composed a whole album about it.
Its called Murder ballads. 🙂
Interesting, Boadicea but yuck!
How long does it take for a family to rid itself of this sort of stigma? I’m pleased that it has happened though, at last. I’m not sure if this is a question of “throw enough money” at the problem, or how far the blame for the original “sin” can be attributed to future generations. Perhaps it’s just a time thing.
Thanks again, Boadicea. Interesting to see the Victorian values got transported to Australia too. Pity the police never checked to see what became of the £350. What made them decide it was the cook? The dismemberment, presumably.
Thank you all for the comments. I suppose it was a bit of a grisly account, apologies to the squeamish!
I’ve only read one book (The Mayne Inheritance, Rosamond Siemon) about the affair so I can’t really say whether I think the story is true – but it is interesting to note that the University believes it to be accurate. Siemon shows that the investigation into the murder was slap-happy, even by the standards of the time.
I find it interesting that the children adhered to their mother’s decree that none of them should marry. It would seem that Patrick’s ‘instability’ was inherited by at least two of the children, so perhaps that was sufficient to deter all the others.
I don’t know why one would be surprised that there was class prejudice or anti-Irish feeling in 19th C Australia. Here we have a semi-literate Irishman, of uncertain temper, who arrived with nothing except the ability to see how to prosper. His wife was the same, after Patrick’s death she managed the business and managed it well. A fair bit of jealousy was also involved, I reckon – the family owned some of the prime sites in Brisbane and the Trust set up by James and Mary still do.
“working as a butcher at the boiling down works”
that sounds a great job….