Diana Mudgee (1826 - 1902)

Born 29 Dec 1826 in Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia

Wife of James Knight — married 1838 (to 1840) in Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 4 May 1902 at age 75 in Piambong, New South Wales, Australia

Biography

Diana Mudgee is an Indigenous Australian.

Diana Mudgee was born in the Colony of New South Wales (1788-1900)

Diana Mudgee is Notable.

​​​​​​Diana Mudgee was a Notable Indigenous Australian.​​​​​​

Please note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this Profile may contain images or names of deceased persons in photographs or printed material.

Diana was of the Wiradjuri people and her traditional name was Emanjili. She was born during the summer at a place near Mudgee. She lived with her parents until they were murdered, along with many others, in a massacre of the local Wiradjuri people. She survived that terrible time.
'Mudgee' is a Wiradjuri Aboriginal word, 'Moothi' meaning 'nest in the hills'. This is a suitable title as Mudgee is located in the broad, picturesque and fertile Cudgegong River Valley. Emanjili (Diana) took this word as her surname, because she was saved by one of the aunties running into hiding in "a nest in the hills".

Diana and James Wright

Although not documented, subsequent events suggest that it was at this time that Diana first lived with the family of the local white landowner George Cox, - a fact that changed her life forever. ^[1] Since she was about 13 or 14 when she met James Knight, it was estimated that she was born in 1826.
Indigenous people kept no records of dates for births, so the birthdate of 29th December, 1826 was one chosen by her first English husband, James Knight (1814-1847) ^[2]. It was a de facto marriage because Aborigines who were not baptised were forbidden to marry white men.

Diana and James Knight had only one daughter Sarah Ann Knight born on the 23rd December 1839 and baptised on the 21st February, 1840 at the Church of England, New South Wales, Colony of Australia. ^{[3] [4]} . She would have been baptised by a travelling clergyman, Reverend Stiles, to conduct the baptism, as the church in Mudgee was not built until 1841. ^[5] Sarah Ann died in 1919.

Soon after Sarah was born, James left Diana to work on George Cox's property at Mulgoa. Unfortunately, around 1840 he was fixing a fence on the property named "Winbourne", when his gun went off and he was fatally shot.

Notes on Piambong and Diana Mudgee plus her families. ^[6]

Diana and William Phillips

Although Diana was still not baptised, she married William PHILLIPS who also worked on George Cox's property after the death of James Knight. Archbishop William Grant Broughton gave permission for Diana and William to be married in Mudgee on the 8th September 1840. The process of permission would have been a lengthy one – Diana as an Aboriginal person and William as a convict.

In 1845 Diana's second husband William Phillips, mysteriously "disappeared" leaving her to care for 3 children under the age of 6 -- James Knight's daughter, Sarah Ann Knight and his own two daughters.

1. Mary Ann Phillips
2. Emma Phillips

Research Note
William Phillips received a Conditional Pardon in 1846 but apart from this there is no mention of him in documentary form until his death. There is a burial certificate dated 1852 that lists his usual abode as Mudgee and a death certificate dated 1862 which gives his place of burial as Mudgee. Both of these certificates could refer to Diana’s William Phillips but research has yet to clarify which of these actually does.

Diana and Robert Raynor

Diana (Mudgee) Phillips married Robert Raynor after 1845 in Mulgoa, New South Wales, Australia.

CHILDREN:

1. Elizabeth Raynor Blackhall (1848 - 1917)
2. Jane Raynor Vitnell (1855 - 1919)
3. Shadrack Robert Raynor (1855 - 1924)
4. Harriet Raynor (1861- )

Death

Diana (Mudgee) Knight-Phillips-Raynor passed away in 1902.

Sources

1. ↑ Diana Mudgee Life (https://aiatsis.gov.au/collections/collections-online/digitised-collections/diana-mudgee/dianas-story) Accessed 1 May 2020
2. ↑ "Baptism Entry" James Knight (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2Q7-18FJ) Citing this Record: "England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2Q7-18FJ : 11 February 2019), James, 1814. Accessed 1 May 2020
3. ↑ birth cert
4. ↑ "Birth and Baptism Entry" Sarah Ann Knight born 23 Dec 1839, baptised 21 Feb 1840 New South Wales (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTD1-JMG) Citing this Record: "Australia Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTD1-JMG : 28 January 2020), Sarah Knight, 1840. Accessed 2 May 2020)
5. ↑ 1841 Church of England Mudgee built (https://www.mudgeeguardian.com.au/story/2245764/streets-of-mudgee-churches-of-church-street/)
6. ↑ Notes on Piambong and Diana Mudgee plus her families. (https://aiatsis.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-01/broadleydiana.pdf)

• Five Indigenous Women of Renown (https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2018/07/12/5-indigenous-women-who-didnt-get-credit?cx_navSource=related-side-cx#cxrecs_s)

See also:

• Bio Book called "The Curly Headed Gin" The Diana Mudgee Story. (Gin was a nickname for an Indigenous woman) by Brian Joseph Kennedy
• (https://books.google.com.au/books/about/The_Curly_Headed_Gin.html?id=DJ9PtAEACAAJ&redir_esc=y)

SPACE PAGE Indigenous Australian Naming Conventions: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Indigenous_Australian_Naming_Conventions

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Mudgee