Marcus Andrew Hislop Clarke (1846 - 1881)

Born 24 Apr 1846 in Kensington, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Died 2 Aug 1881 at age 35 in St Kilda, Victorian Colony

Problems/Questions Profile manager: I. Speed [send private message]

Biography

Marcus Clarke is Notable.

Marcus Clarke came free to the Colony of Victoria (1851-1900)

Marcus Clarke was an Australian journalist, novelist, poet and playwright, best known for his epic tale of convict life in the Australian penal system, For the Term of his Natural Life. Mark Twain described him as Australia’s first ‘literary genius.’

He was born Marcus Andrew Hislop Clarke on 24 April 1846 at 11 Leonard Place, Kensington, London. He was the only child of William Hislop Clarke, barrister, and his wife Amelia Elizabeth Matthews.^[1][2] His mother died when he was age 4.^[3][4]

Marcus attended Cholmeley Grammar School, Highgate, until 1862 when his father's finances and health deteriorated. His father was institutionalised in Northumberland House and died the next year.^[1][5]

A cousin, Sir Andrew Clarke, arranged for 17-year-old Marcus to be sent to the colony of Victoria, where his uncle James Langton Clarke was a county court judge. He arrived at Melbourne in June 1863.^[1]

He began his new life in Australia with a job at a bank and, when this proved unsuitable, he spent time upcountry on a pastoral station in the Wimmera district. A visitor to the station recognised his talents as a writer and persuaded him to return to Melbourne and join the staff of the Argus newspaper.^[1]

He concentrated on writing from that time on, and soon established his reputation through his column, The Peripatetic Philosopher, a collection of witty observations about the inhabitants of Melbourne. He was too mercurial to remain a staff writer, and in 1868-9 edited and contributed to his own short-lived magazines Colonial Monthly and Humbug.^[1]

He married actress Marian Dunn, the daughter of actor John Dunn, on 22 July 1869. A marriage notice in the Argus recorded:

CLARKE—DUNN.—On the 22nd inst., at St. Peter's Church, Melbourne, by the Rev. H. H. P. Handfield, Marcus Clarke, only son of the late W. Hislop Clarke, Esq., of the Middle Temple, London, to Marion, second daughter of John Dunn, Esq., of Melbourne.^[6]

They had six children:^[1]

1. William John Andrew, born 1870^[7]
2. Arthur Langton, born 1871^[8]
3. Ernest Hislop, born 1873^[9]
4. Rose Amelia Louisa, born 1874^[10]
5. Ethel Marion, born 1876^[11]
6. Percy Filmore, born 1878^[12]

Marcus Clarke's most enduring work, his novel His Natural Life, was first published in monthly installments of The Australian Journal between 1870 and 1872. A shortened version, since renamed For the Term of His Natural Life, was published in book form in 1874. An epic take of convict life in the Australian penal colonies, the novel is widely recognised as one of the most important Australian novels of the 19th century,

Clarke's literary works include his series Old Stories Retold and other short stories, as well as Plot (1872), Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (1873) and other dramatic works for the theatre.^[1] Despite his fame as a writer, he struggled financially throughout his career. He obtained a position at the Public Library of Victoria, first as secretary to the trustees and then sub-librarian, but his financial difficulties continued leading to his insolvency in 1874 and again in 1881.^[1][13]

He is thought to have suffered from alcoholism, and complained of dyspepsia and a disordered liver.^[1] He died on 2 August 1881, aged 35, at his residence in Inkerman Street, St Kilda.^[14][15]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8} Brian Elliott, 'Clarke, Marcus Andrew (1846–1881)', Australian Dictionary of National Biography (accessed 4 May 2020)
2. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Birth (accessed 4 May 2020), database entry for CLARKE, MARCUS HISLOP. Mother's maiden name: MATTHEWS. GRO Reference: 1846 J Quarter in KENSINGTON, PADDINGTON AND FULHAM Volume 03 Page 326.
3. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Death (accessed 4 May 2020), database entry for CLARKE, AMELIA ELIZABETH. Age: 26. GRO Reference: 1850 J Quarter in KENSINGTON PADDINGTON AND FULHAM Volume 03 Page 209.
4. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1851," database with images, FamilySearch (accessed 4 May 2020), Marcus A H Clarke in household of William H Clarke, Kensington, Middlesex, England; citing Kensington, Middlesex, England, p. 22, from "1851 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast; citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
5. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Death (accessed 4 May 2020), database entry for CLARKE, WILLIAM HISLOP, Age: 56. GRO Reference: 1863 D Quarter in HACKNEY Volume 01B Page 245.
6. ↑ 'Marriages', The Argus (Melbourne), 23 Jul 1869, page 4. Trove (accessed 4 May 2020)
7. ↑ Birth Deaths and Marriages Victoria. Online index - entry for CLARKE William John And. Event: birth. Registration number: 8056 / 1870. Place of event: Collingwood. Mother's name: Marian DUNN. Father's Name: Marcus Andrew.
8. ↑ Birth Deaths and Marriages Victoria. Online index - entry for CLARKE Arthur Langton. Event; birth. Registration number: 17934 / 1871. Place of event: Melb. Mother's name: Marion D ODONOHUE. Father's Name: Marcus Andrew.
9. ↑ Birth Deaths and Marriages Victoria. Online index - entry for CLARKE Ernest Hislop. Event: birth. Registration number: 2272 / 1873. Place of event: Edward H. Mother's name: Marion DUNN. Father's Name: Marcus.
10. ↑ Birth Deaths and Marriages Victoria. Online index - entry for CLARKE Rose Amelia Louisa. Event: birth. Registration number: 11277 / 1874. Place of event: Prahran. Mother's name: Marian DUNN. Father's Name: Marcus Andrew H.
11. ↑ Birth Deaths and Marriages Victoria. Online index - entry for CLARKE Ethel Marian. Event: birth. Registration number: 4571 / 1876. Place of event: Prah, Mother's name: Marian DUNN. Father's Name: Marcus Andrew.
12. ↑ Birth Deaths and Marriages Victoria. Online index - entry for CLARKE Percy Filmore. Event: birth. Registration number: 7044 / 1878. Place of event: Brig. Mother's name: Marian ODONOGHUE. Father's Name: Marcus.
13. ↑ Victoria Government Gazette, 17 Jul 1874, page 1351. Austlii (accessed 4 May 2020)
14. ↑ 'Deaths', The Argus (Melbourne), 3 Aug 1881, page 1. Trove (accessed 4 May 2020). "CLARKE.-On the 2nd inst., at his residence, Inkerman-street, St. Kilda, Marcus Clarke, aged 34 years."
15. ↑ Birth Deaths and Marriages Victoria. Online index - entry for CLARKE Marcus Hislop. Event: death. Registration number: 8992 / 1881. Place of event: St Kilda, Mother's name: Amelia. Father's Name: Wm Hislop, Spouse at death: ODONOGHUE, Marion. Age at death: 34.

See also:

• Wikipedia: Marcus Clarke

• DEATH OF MR. MARCUS CLARKE. from The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) of Wednesday 3 August 1881, Page 3. first accessed online on the 16th of June, 2021 at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/201992458?

• Family Notices from The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) of Thursday 4 August 1881, Page 4. first accessed online on the 16th of June, 2021 at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/201985227?searchTerm=%22Marcus%20Clarke%22

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47350968/marcus-hislop-clarke : accessed 16 June 2021), memorial page for Marcus Hislop Clarke (24 Apr 1846–2 Aug 1881), Find a Grave Memorial ID 47350968, citing Melbourne General Cemetery, Carlton North, Melbourne City, Victoria, Australia ; Maintained by NWO (contributor 46583762) .

• Grave record for Marcus Clarke (24 Apr 1846 - 2 Aug 1881), Billion Graves Record 15818158 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. first accessed online on the 16th of June, 2021 at: https://billiongraves.com/grave/Marcus-Clarke/15818158

• Hetherington, Mollie, 1983. Famous Australians. Marcus Clarke, pages: 223-230, Hutchinson of Australia, Richmond, Vic.