Frances Leonora Hooke

Leonora's marriage 1860

Leonora married Duncan Forbes Mackay, the son of her father's old friend and partner John Kenneth Mackay 1st..

They moved to Queensland, pooling their resources and relinquishing their interest in the NSW properties. They established themselves in a suitable dwelling built on the same pattern as these houses always seem to be - built separate living quarters, kitchen quarters, dairy etc.

Despite the remoteness, the blacks and the lonliness Leonora survived and most of her children were born there.The enterprise succeeded and after some years they were able to return to NSW. They took up a property near Singleton about 1880, called Ravensworth and they built the extravagantly beautiful house with its lovely staircase which they called Dulcama - now known as Minimbah.The house was sold by Leonora in 1901 and was "one of the finest examples of High Victorian architecture in Australia". The house (and 20 acres) was restored and sold for over $2 million in the 1970's.

They did a lot of lavish entertaining and the children led happy lives.

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Frances' husband, Duncan Forbes MacKay, died in his early 50s.

According to a Canadian source (the MacKays came from Prince Edward Island) 

Frances remarried a Richard Denne of Walcha, NSW.

The Hooke family did own property in the Walcha area but I can't find any evidence that Frances remarried.   - Jonathan Rush