Caroline Chisholm

Lore & Background

Caroline Chisholm was born in Northampton, England, the youngest of at least twelve children. Her father was a pig dealer who fattened young pigs for sale; he died when she was six. She married Archibald Chisholm, a Roman Catholic officer in the East India Company’s Madras Army, and converted to his faith.

In Madras, she founded the Female School of Industry for the Daughters of European Soldiers, providing practical education in reading, writing, religion, cooking, housekeeping, and nursing. After moving to Sydney in 1838, she became aware of the severe difficulties facing immigrants, particularly young women arriving without money, family, or employment, many of whom turned to prostitution. She established shelters in her own home and elsewhere, eventually placing over 11,000 people in homes and jobs across New South Wales. She refused money from individuals or religious bodies to maintain independence.

In East Maitland, she converted two terraced dwellings into a hostel for homeless immigrants; this cottage survives as a rare example of early working-class housing. Returning to England in 1846, she collected over 600 statements from settled immigrants and published them in a pamphlet. She gave evidence before House of Lords select committees and founded the Family Colonisation Loan Society, which lent half the fare for emigration to Australia.

Reader's Guide

Caroline Chisholm’s significance stems from her practical, independent humanitarian work during an era of mass emigration to Australia. While living in Madras, she founded a school for the daughters of European soldiers, teaching reading, writing, religion, cooking, housekeeping, and nursing, later extending this to soldiers’ wives. After moving to Sydney in 1838, she witnessed the plight of young female immigrants arriving destitute, many turning to prostitution. She refused funding from individuals, religious bodies, or political groups to maintain independence, raising money through private subscriptions.

In 1842, she converted two terraced dwellings in East Maitland into a hostel for homeless immigrants, now known as Caroline Chisholm Cottage, a rare surviving example of early working-class housing in the colony. Returning to England, she collected over 600 immigrant statements, publishing them to encourage emigration, and founded the Family Colonisation Loan Society in 1849, which lent half the fare for passage to Australia. Her insistence on assisting people of all backgrounds, without sectarian or political ties, distinguished her work. Educational facilities, a Canberra suburb, and a federal electoral division bear her name.