Mothers Part 2 - the murderous mother of Macdonaldtown, Redfern, Glebe and Chippendale

 Part two of my blog regarding mothers relates to one whose crime during late Victorian times still sends shock waves through society. The crime itself was more widespread than ever reported due to its very nature.

Welcome to the seedy world of "baby farming".

The Baby Farmer - "The Crime Wire" - with thanks

What was a woman, who was not supported by her family, to do with an unwanted child in that time when illegitimacy was a sin of considerable shame? There was infanticide, the workhouse or to pay a stranger, a 'baby farmer', to look after the baby for her in an unregulated "industry".

The latter solution seemed the best one for many women and some disreputable people strapped for cash, particularly during the downturn in the 1890's saw an opportunity to gain some easy money.

Before I introduce you to the mother, the subject of this blog, let it be known that most of us have skeletons in our family trees, people who led questionable lives that we don't wish to dwell upon. My tree has a number of convicts and petty criminals scattered throughout both sides of the family so with that in mind I introduce.

SARAH MAKIN AND HER HUSBAND, JOHN

Sarah was born in December 1845 in Sydney, the only daughter and elder child of former convict Emanuel Sutcliffe, miller, and his Irish-born wife, Ellen. John was born in February 1845 at Dapto, south of Sydney, the fourth of eleven children to William Samuel Makin, farmer, and his wife, also known as Ellen. Sarah Sutcliffe married Charles Edwards, a mariner, in Sydney with Presbyterian rites in April 1865. Records show that Sarah Jane Edwards, a "spinster"(actually a recent widower) married John Makin, a brewery drayman in August 1871. Together they had five sons and five daughters. Sarah was known to undertake midwife duties for added income for the large family.

After John suffered an accident in the late 1880's, the Makins made the choice to earn a living by taking care of illegitimate babies. Usually John would answer an advertisement, negotiate a payment and sign "papers" exonerating the putative father from further responsibility. The Makins posed as loving "foster" parents and young mothers anxious to hide the existence of their babies were happy to pay for such apparently caring people to look after them. After a time, excuses were given to the mother as to why she could no longer visit, whilst John continued calling to collect the money, before the Makin family moved without providing a forwarding address.

The Makins came to Police attention in October 1892 when workmen clearing a clogged drain at the rear of a cottage in Macdonaldtown found it blocked with the remains of two infants. A coronial jury returned open verdicts. Four more bodies were found in the area and Police dug in eleven backyards where the Makins had lived since 1890, recovering almost a dozen more, small bodies.

Illustration of 25 Burren Street Macdonaldtown - Wikipedia

Illustration from Australian Town and Country from first inquest

Many mothers came forward to the Police and admitted placing their children in the care of Mrs Makin and in each case the child was reported to have died within a month of it being handed over. Further evidence was given by neighbours of the Makins stating that strange smells emitted from their various properties and one time when John was questioned about the smell, he stated that he had had to bury a dog and that “the chooks had dug it out a bit”. It was rumoured that five long pins wrapped in blood-stained cloth were found after the Makins had departed from one of their many residences. These pins, "hatpins", were believed to have been used to pierce the child's heart making for a rapid death.

The following month inquests were held into the deaths of four more of the infants, one of who was Horace Murray, born in May 1892, the illegitimate son of Amber Murray, who had advertised for someone to adopt the baby. After payment was made, the child was collected on 27th June and the Makin's departed their address soon after. Horace's mother identified the clothing the body was found in and on 21st December 1892 a coronial jury returned a verdict of murder in the case of Amber Murray's child.

During the inquests of bodies found in Macdonaldtown, Clarence Makin, provided evidence about clothing found wrapped around the children to which her mother accused her of "telling lies". In further dramatic scenes at court, the youngest daughter, Daisy, who was about to give evidence witnessed her mother attempting to rush towards her and then seemingly falling to the ground in a faint.

Both Sarah and John Makin were sentenced to death by hanging by the Supreme Court of NSW for the murder of Horace Murray with a recommendation by the jury that Sarah Makin be spared the death penalty. She was seen to be the lesser party in the conduct of these crimes as it was believed she was acting under the instructions of her husband.

John and Sarah Makin from prison photographs - Wikipedia

John Makin was hanged at Darlinghurst Gaol on 15 August 1893 and buried in an area of Rookwood that has now been allowed to revert to nature. Sarah's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment with hard labour which she served at the female prisons in Bathurst and Long Bay. After her daughters campaigned for her release, Sarah was paroled in 1911, having served 19 years in prison. On the 13 September 1918, "Mother Makin", as she had been known during her notoriety, died in Marrickville NSW and was buried in the Anglican section in Rookwood Cemetery in an unmarked grave.

Sarah Makin's unmarked burial plot - authors own.

The case of the Makin's raised awareness of the institution of baby farming and led the NSW Legislative Assembly to initiate the Children's Protection Act of 1892 to bring under State control the care of orphaned and destitute children.

The story of Amber Murray and the Makin family inspired the 2008 Australian theatre production "The Hatpin", the instrument reportedly used in the murders of the children.

There are numerous references to the Makin's, and I have utilised the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Ancestry.com, Wikipedia and other articles from Trove.

I am sure that no one would like to admit to having people such as the Makins in their family tree but in the words of Ned Kelly "Such is life". We should be prepared to accept all the imperfections of our forebears.

If you have any comments regarding this blog, please do so below or add a comment to the Group Facebook page by searching for

rookwoodcemeterydiscoveries

or simply send me an email at

lorainepunch@gmail.com

 Until next week...