Elizabeth Underwood

Who was Elizabeth Underwood?

Elizabeth Underwood was a pioneering Australian land owner who founded the village of Ashfield, New South Wales.

She was the daughter of John Harris, an English-born ex-convict who had been sentenced to death for stealing eight silver spoons but was ultimately transported to Australia on the First Fleet. Her mother's identity isn't known for sure but she was probably also a convict. One biographer speculates her name was Mary Green and Elizabeth was actually born Elizabeth Green on 24 December. Neither parent played a significant part in her upbringing. Her father set sail for England in 1801 and left Elizabeth and her sister Hannah in the care of James Larra, a prominent Sydney merchant and ex-convict, and his wife Susannah. Elizabeth was later described as the niece of Larra and it may be that her mother was sister to either Larra or his wife.

In 1812, she married Walter Lang and they had two sons before Walter died in 1816. The second son John George Lang was the first published novelist born in Australia. In 1819, she married Joseph Underwood, a merchant and sealer whose wife had died the year before leaving him with a number of children to look after.