Nobody’s Stooge: Matron Hicks and the Hyde Park Barracks Destitute Asylum

Summary

The Hyde Park Barracks Asylum for Infirm and Destitute Women was established in Sydney in 1862, and operated under the management of Matron Lucy Hicks until 1886. Over the years the inmates swept, discarded and stashed large amounts of debris into sub-floor cavities. This material was recovered during renovations to the building in the early 1980s, and includes large quantities of textiles, printed papers, sewing equipment, religious items and many other objects. Recent archaeological analysis of this material has revealed important aspects of the inmates’ institutional lives and the relationships between the women, the matron and the wider world.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Colonial Institutions and Their Enduring Material Aftermaths   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-12,06