Mary Ann Libeau

Mary came to New Zealand with her parents upon the Lady Nugent in 1851. She was the eldest of nine children.

Joseph Libeau and her marriage was the first European marriage in the Akaroa Anglican Church.

Within a short time Mary Anne had complained to the local Resident Magistrate about Joseph's ill treatment of her. Joseph was fined significant amount of money and bound over to keep the peace for 12 months. He was incensed and complained to Governor Grey but to no avail. It was likely a situation of widely different expectations - Joseph wanted a housekeeper and child minder, Mary Anne perhaps thought she was marrying a wealthy landowner and expected a big house and a nanny for the children. She married a French peasant farmer, no doubt hard working but alsoa hard drinker with a temper. She liked reading whereas he had no time for such luxuries. Life was about work - it was all he knew. However Mary Anne was trapped in a loveless marriage and over the next 10 years bore him eight children. Her situation is hard to imagine and it would appear that it lead to serious depression.

In 1863 she was committed to Sunnyside Lunatic asylum, one of the first to be admitted to the new institution which had only been open for a few months. She spent the rest of her life there until her death in 1901.

In NZ 50 years at death.