Mary Reibey: From Horse Thief to $20 Note Businesswoman
Few figures in Australian history have a life story as improbable as Mary Reibey’s — a teenage horse thief who ended up on the country’s currency. Her journey from a convict ship to becoming one of colonial Sydney’s wealthiest business owners is a tale of resilience, sharp commercial instincts, and sheer determination.
Born: 12 May 1777, Bury, Lancashire, England ·
Conviction: Horse stealing, sentenced to 7 years transportation at age 13 ·
Business interests: Shipping, property, and trading enterprises ·
Banknote appearance: Featured on the $20 banknote
Quick snapshot
1Confirmed facts
- Born Mary Haydock on 12 May 1777 in Bury, Lancashire, England (Wikipedia)
- Convicted of horse stealing and transported to Australia (Reserve Bank of Australia)
- Built a shipping and property empire in colonial Sydney (Reserve Bank of Australia)
- Featured on the Australian $20 banknote (Reserve Bank of Australia)
2What’s unclear
- The exact total value of her estate upon death is not recorded as a single figure in public sources
- Her precise motivations for specific business decisions are inferred from her actions rather than documented directly
3Timeline signal
- Took over her husband’s enterprises after his death in 1811 and expanded them significantly (Reserve Bank of Australia)
4What’s next
- Her story continues to be studied as a case of female entrepreneurship in early colonial economies
Ten key facts, one pattern: a life that moved from crime to commerce in a single generation, with each phase building on the last.
